Best of our wild blogs: 2 Jun 18

Climate Conversations: #LetsTalk about Climate Change 12 June
Green Drinks Singapore

Night Walk At Bukit Batok East Forest (01 Jun 2018)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Bird Records Committee Report (May 2018)
Singapore Bird Group

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NParks to focus on the birds and the bees as well as butterflies and bats in new conservation push

Lester Hio Straits Times 2 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE - The birds and the bees - along with butterflies and bats - are of special interest to the National Parks Board (NParks) this year.

It is targetting these native pollinators and seed dispersers for a new conservation approach over the next five years, as Singapore continues to ensure the diversity and resilience of ecosystems that are becoming more vulnerable to climate change.

Announcing this at the seventh Festival of Biodiversity held next to Tampines MRT on Saturday (June 2) morning, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said these four groups of animals play important roles in Singapore's forest ecosystem, as they allow for healthier fauna and plant regeneration.

"Our efforts to conserve them will help ensure the regeneration of our forests as well as ensure the survival of the fauna species that depends on these habitats," said Mr Tan.

The festival concludes Biodiversity Week, a two-week long event organised annually by Nparks. The festival, which is open to the public, highlights community efforts to preserve Singapore's natural heritage.

As part of the latest push towards conservation, NParks will work on two species-specific studies on the movement patterns of the Green Imperial Pigeon and the Blue-rumped Parrot which disperse the seeds of native trees. Both are listed as nationally threatened species.

Research will also be conducted on the Cave Nectar Bat - one of two native bat species that consumes nectar and pollen - to study its foraging patterns, behaviour and feeding habits to better understand it.

NParks is relying on the community for the work on the birds and butterflies. Members of the public can log sightings of various species of both into a biodiversity database which will help provide information on what sort of plants certain species prefer thus making it easier for NParks to decide on where to plant them.

The two-day Festival of Biodiversity also celebrates 25 years of community involvement and stewardship in nature conservation, which falls in line with the global theme for 2018's International Day of Biological Diversity on May 22.

NParks will launch a new bee-themed trail at HortPark on Sept 15 to raise awareness of various species of solitary or stingless bees, and the role they play in pollination here.

It will also launch a set of design guidelines next year (2019) to ensure buildings are biophilic or nature-friendly. Building designers can use stickers to reduce the reflection of greenery on it, for instance, to reduce the rate of bird collisions against clear glass windows.


Birds, bees and the conservation push
Pollinators and seed dispersers - including bats and butterflies - are targets of NParks' latest effort
Lester Hio Straits Times 3 Jun 18;

The birds and the bees - along with butterflies and bats - are of special interest to the National Parks Board (NParks) this year.

It is targeting these native pollinators and seed dispersers for a new conservation approach over the next five years, as Singapore continues to ensure the diversity and resilience of ecosystems that are becoming more vulnerable to climate change.

Announcing this at the seventh Festival of Biodiversity held next to Tampines MRT station yesterday morning, Speaker of Parliament Tan Chuan-Jin said these four groups of animals play important roles in Singapore's forest ecosystem, as they allow for healthier fauna and plant regeneration.

"Our efforts to conserve them will help ensure the regeneration of our forests as well as ensure the survival of the fauna species that depend on these habitats," said Mr Tan.

The festival concludes Biodiversity Week, a two-week event organised annually by NParks. The festival, which is open to the public, highlights community efforts to preserve Singapore's natural heritage.

As part of the latest push towards conservation, NParks will work on two species-specific studies, sponsored by Ascendas-Singbridge, on the movement patterns of the Green Imperial Pigeon and the Blue-rumped Parrot which disperse the seeds of native trees. Both are listed as nationally threatened species.

Research will also be conducted on the cave nectar bat - one of two native bat species that consume nectar and pollen - to study its foraging patterns, behaviour and feeding habits to better understand it.

NParks is relying on the community for the work on birds and butterflies. The public can log sightings of various species of both into a biodiversity database which will help provide information on the sort of plants certain species prefer, thus making it easier for NParks to decide where to plant them.

The two-day Festival of Biodiversity also celebrates 25 years of community involvement and stewardship in nature conservation, which falls in line with the global theme for this year's International Day of Biological Diversity on May 22.

This includes work done by community volunteers, such as those in the Friends of the Parks initiative, who organise activities in local parks or pitch in to maintain them.

Mr Abdul Wahid Badron 53, a teacher at West Grove Primary School, often hikes in Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. He would pick up litter he finds along the way and join tree-planting activities with his wife and friends. "We are park users ourselves, so we thought we should do something for the park, so we can continue seeing beautiful things in the park rather than just bald patches of ground," he said.

NParks is also broadening its community initiatives for education and outreach. It will launch a new bee-themed trail at HortPark on Sept 15 to raise awareness of various species of solitary or stingless bees here. Visitors will be able to learn about 20 different bee species found in urban gardens and the role they play in pollination.

It is also launching a set of design guidelines next year to ensure buildings are biophilic or nature-friendly. Building designers can use stickers to reduce the reflection of greenery on it, for instance, to reduce the rate of bird collisions against clear glass windows.

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Critically endangered Singapore freshwater crab lives in genetically isolated populations

National University of Singapore Phys.org 1 Jun 18;

Researchers from NUS and National Parks Board (NParks) have established that the critically endangered Singapore freshwater crab (Johora singaporensis) does not mix or breed between different populations, and has overall low genetic diversity.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) considers the Singapore freshwater crab to be one of the 100 most endangered species worldwide. It is uniquely from Singapore and not found anywhere else in the world. Only a few hundred mature individuals of this pebble-sized freshwater crab are known to exist. They live in a few isolated populations in very small areas (less than 0.01 km2) within Singapore that are vital to the survival of the species. As part of the national conservation strategy formulated in 2015, one immediate concern was to establish if these crabs are experiencing inbreeding within their own isolated populations, which may cause them to lose genetic diversity.

A research team led by Prof Rudolf MEIER from the Department of Biological Sciences and Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, NUS, partnering the NParks has found that the Singapore freshwater crabs from the remaining populations are indeed physically isolated and unlikely to move and breed between populations.

Presently, levels of genetic diversity are low. Cutting-edge genomic tools were used to analyse the genetic variation of the crabs for this study. The genetic information, together with their migration patterns, were compared with a more widespread and common species, the lowland freshwater crab (Parathelphusa maculata) that often lives in the same places as the Singapore freshwater crab. The researchers used 2,617 and 2,470 genome-wide SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms, a common type of genetic variation) from the two groups of about 90 individuals each, with each group belonging to either of the two crab species mentioned above. The study also showed that the dispersal of individuals between populations for both crab species has been hampered by urbanisation, with the amount of genetic diversity being similar in both species despite the Singapore freshwater crab being much rarer.

This study is among the recommended actions described in the Singapore freshwater crab Conservation Strategy that was published in 2015 by the Freshwater Crab Conservation Working Group (FCCWG). The FCCWG includes members from NUS, NParks, and Wildlife Reserves Singapore. The FCCWG continues to meet regularly to discuss the various conservation efforts, and the results of this genetic study will contribute to how the populations are managed.

"The low levels of genetic diversity may reduce the adaptive potential and resilience of the Singapore freshwater crab, and render the species more vulnerable to extinction in the event of disease outbreaks or environmental changes. Coupled with poor mobility and restricted habitat range, their risk of extinction in this era of rapid and erratic climatic changes is even higher, as they are not able to retreat from sites that have become inhospitable to them," explained Dr. TAY Ywee Chieh, who is the first author of the study.

Prof Meier said, "This study found that the crab populations for both species are strongly isolated with low genetic diversity. The most genetically isolated populations for both crab species are separated from other populations by the Upper Bukit Timah Road, one of the oldest roads in Singapore. This suggests that urbanisation may have impacted stream-dwelling crab species in the same manner, regardless of ubiquity, habitat preference or the way they move between streams. Fortunately, signs of inbreeding were not detected for the critically endangered species. However, the genetic distinctiveness and low diversity of the separate populations call for genetic rescue and connecting corridors between the remaining fragments of their natural habitat."

More information: Ywee Chieh Tay et al. Roads to isolation: Similar genomic history patterns in two species of freshwater crabs with contrasting environmental tolerances and range sizes, Ecology and Evolution (2018). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4017

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JTC announces new climate action commitments amid 50th anniversary celebrations

Kimberly Yeo Straits Times 1 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE - JTC has pledged its support for Singapore's Year of Climate Action 2018 as part of the company's 50th anniversary celebrations.

The state-owned industrial property developer's pledge on Friday (June 1) encompassed commitments that aim to optimise energy and water use efficiencies, cut the carbon footprints of new estates and use more solar energy to reduce grid dependency and the burning of fossil fuels.

It will also partner with the National Parks Board and other businesses to increase green coverage and preserve marine biodiversity.

JTC is building on its existing environmentally-friendly practices by developing an Environmental Sustainability Framework.

This will be applied across its properties to further reduce energy and water usage, shrink its emissions footprint and increase clean energy use.

In addition, JTC will partner organisations and communities to improve Singapore's sustainability efforts. One new initiative is JTC's participation in the "Plant-a-Tree" scheme, which encourages community tree-planting to increase green coverage in JTC estates.

"As we look back, it is clear that sustainable development has always been part of the JTC and Singapore story," said chief executive officer Ng Lang.

"On our 50th anniversary, we pledge to build on this legacy by partnering enterprises and communities to make our industrial and business estates greener."

Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry, planted a tree at Jurong Town Hall's Garden of Fame to symbolise JTC's pledge to support climate action.

He also installed a time capsule at Jurong Town Hall to mark JTC's 50th anniversary.

The capsule contained items such as a bottle of sand from JTC's Tuas Reclamation Project, samples of cross laminated timber and glulam (materials used in the construction of the JTC LaunchPad @ one-north), and JTC's Jurong Innovation District master plan. These items showcased JTC's past, present and future efforts.

Mr Chee stressed how JTC needs to continue its efforts to grow and develop the country.

"We are not done building Singapore," he said. "As JTC continues to develop Singapore's industrial landscape for the next 50 years, it needs to remain a world-leader in this area by making good use of technology and innovation to enhance Singapore's competitiveness."

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'See the number of cups thrown': Can the waste produced during marathons be reduced?

While some race organisers are trying to go green, observers say both runners and organisers can still do more.
Aqil Haziq Mahmud Channel NewsAsia 2 Jun 18;


SINGAPORE: When avid runner Anjali Sharma started taking part in major running events in Singapore six years ago, she was shocked by the sheer amount of waste they produce.

“You see the number of cups that are thrown and you just think, oh my god,” the 38-year-old, who runs a communications consulting firm, told Channel NewsAsia. “You open the race pack and you want to vomit, because there’s that much paper inside.”

Ms Anjali, who grew up in India and ran competitively before moving to Singapore, participates in an average of five runs a year. This includes the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon (SCSM) and Great Eastern Women’s Run.

And at each of her races, she tries to go waste-free by always carrying her own water bottle and giving up her race pack, medal and finisher’s tee.

“I repeat my tees,” she said. “What are you going to do with the medal? You finish the 21km in two hours, you get a medal; you finish it in four hours, you get a medal.”

“The amount of paper in the race packs – I get a vision of a factory line preparing these bags, and they’re literally picking up paper after paper and just dumping it inside the bag,” she added.

While there are no statistics on how much waste is produced by the annual marathons here, Singapore Environment Council (SEC) executive director Jen Teo told Channel NewsAsia it is a matter for concern.

“There’s a lot of litter found after these events, be it this type of race or National Day. It’s not just the litter, people dump their plastic bottles and it means a lot of waste out there to be cleared,” she explained.

According to organisers, last year's OSIM Sundown Marathon – which attracted some 27,000 runners – produced almost 22,000kg of waste, just slightly lesser than the weight of two buses. The waste came from 39,700 banana peels, 18,075 packs of energy gels, paper cups and water bottles.

Ms Teo said there’s “definitely an increase” in the amount of waste produced by such runs over the years, given how organisers try to offer more freebies to “get people excited or interested”.

“Seriously, how much of all these do you use? It’s another goodie bag, T-shirt or medal that you collect,” she said. “But people are much more aware now in terms of what they can do to generate less waste by taking less, consuming less.”

And these people, like Ms Anjali, are jumping at the opportunity to sign up for races with an eco-friendly slant.

ZERO WASTE RUNNERS

At this year’s Income Eco Run, which took place on Apr 29 and attracted 9,000 participants, a total of 1,974 runners participated as zero waste runners, which means they gave up their medal and finisher’s tee.

This figure, according to an SEC audit released in May, is a 30 per cent jump from last year. Some 2,000 runners also opted out of getting race packs.

This means organisers saved about 1,400kg of material including metal from medals, polyester from finisher’s tees and fabric from race packs, the audit showed. This figure is an 80 per cent increase from last year.

While the audit indicated that each runner generated 0.1kg of waste, 26 per cent more than last year, the overall recycling rate also went up from 63 per cent to 94 per cent.

This came as organisers used recyclable cups with 50 per cent less plastic lining as compared to standard paper cups, which cannot be recycled. On top of that, banana peels were composted and plastic bottles and cans recycled.

Runners were also encouraged to carpool, use public transport or take provided shuttles to the event, meaning the race produced 30 per cent less carbon emissions as compared to last year.

Ms Teo said the measures proved to be “significant”. “They have been very conscious about ensuring that at every step of the way, where they acquire the applicants, they also educate them on what they can do in terms of adopting an eco race,” she said.

Ms Anjali, who participated in the Income Eco Run, said organisers made it simple for runners to reduce waste. “A lot of people want to be good people and help the environment,” she said. “So if I can just tick a button to choose to be a zero waste runner, then it just becomes so much easier.”

To that end, she added, organisers made use of the thousands of runners, or “captive audiences”, to make an environmental difference on a larger scale. “Races should all do what Eco Run is doing,” she stated. “You’ve got those people, do something with it.”

WHAT ARE OTHER RACES DOING?

IRONMAN Asia, which organises the SCSM taking place on Dec 8 and 9, said it deploys ambassadors on its race route to encourage runners to recycle and sort trash into the correct bins. It did not say how much waste last year's race produced.

A clean-up team will also comb through the route post-event to ensure all waste, including recyclable materials and gel packets, are recycled and disposed properly, it said.

“The team has also increased the number of waste and recycle bins throughout the marathon route,” it added, pointing out that trash disposal was made fun by having basketball-themed bins to aim at.

HiVelocity, which organises the OSIM Sundown Marathon, said it encourages runners to bring their own bottles through pre-event announcements on social media, and places signs along the route to remind runners to dispose trash responsibly.

It also stretches water point areas by adding more but smaller disposal points, while placing larger disposal areas near the finish line.

For this year's race, which took place on May 19 and 20 and attracted 25,500 runners, more recycling bins and signs were set up, organisers added, while ambassadors spread the message on-site through signs and pledges.

Channel NewsAsia has contacted the organisers of the 2XU Compression Run, SAFRA Singapore Bay Run and Army Half Marathon, and Great Eastern Women’s Run for comment.

MORE CAN BE DONE

Nevertheless, Ms Teo feels that more organisers can follow suit. “There’s a lot more out there that can be done,” she said. “You’re talking about at least a hundred of these events in a year. And these are just sports events.”

However, she acknowledged that organisers face logistical challenges when planning ahead and providing an option to give up freebies.

Ms Rima Chai, an experienced runner who has since 2006 been lobbying race organisers to go green, said some are hesitant as they fear it might affect their brand.

“People like free things,” the 48-year-old said. “Have you noticed how runners put up pictures of their goodie bag on their blogs and compare them with other races?”

As for the runners, Ms Chai said some care more about their personal best timings. “It is another egotistical badge to have an excuse for not being mindful,” she said.

For Ms Anjali, reducing waste during runs has not affected her experience “in any way”. “I didn’t lose out on anything,” she said.

“What I do think is that you would always have a section of society who would not opt for it. But you have to go with the fact that there’s a certain section of society that opts for it, and that’s what I am going to work with.”

The pair also encouraged fellow runners to start by bringing their own bottle. “Learn to care,” Ms Chai said, highlighting how volunteers picked up 3.5kg of trash – including gel packs and shoe soles – along a 5km stretch of East Coast Park after last year’s SCSM.

Ms Anjali added: “Go with whatever is easy for you to do, but do something.”

Source: CNA/hz

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Grasshoppers with your lab-grown steak? Gross, but that’s food of the future

Desmond Ng and Chor Khieng Yuit Channel NewsAsia 2 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE: Betting that eating insects will become mainstream one day, a home-grown venture capital (VC) firm is going big on bugs – by investing in grasshoppers as a food source.

Managing director of Sirius Venture Capital Eugene Wong explained: “A piece of steak only gives you about 40 per cent in protein source. Grasshoppers, on the other hand, gives you about 70 per cent protein with no fats and is healthy.”

With global demand on the rise but resources thinning out, there’s been a revolutionary hunt for more sustainable food sources, as the programme Money Mind discovers (watch episode here).

Together with a Dutch investment fund, Sirius led a US$600,000 (S$803,000) round of seed funding in Hargol FoodTech, an Israeli start-up that farms grasshoppers on a commercially viable scale.

CREEPY CRAWLIES ARE THE FUTURE

With one able to potentially farm grasshoppers in large quantities, investing in this insect – not a typical investment vehicle for VCs - does make financial sense.

“Grasshopper has about 15 per cent more protein than cricket. So for the same amount of so-called food feed, you get better yield in terms of protein,” said Mr Wong.

The company is not missing out on the cricket trend either – it also has a strategic placement in Chapul, a US-based maker of cricket protein bars.

“There is a revolution going on to change the way we produce food, to change the traditional ingredients of food and make sure that the food supply is sustainable into the future,” he added.

The United Nations has warned that the Western taste for diets rich in meat and dairy products is unsustainable as the global population moves towards a predicted 9.1 billion people by 2050.

“General disposable income is growing. As people grow richer, they want to have protein, they want to have more food. And because of that, we are in need to feed the world,” said Mr Wong.

Eating insects may be a solution – in fact, about two billion people worldwide, mainly in Asia, Africa and Latin America, eat insects, estimated the United Nations Food and Agriculture Office.

Professor William Chen, director of the Food Science & Technology Programme at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), pointed out that the nutrition profile of an insect is very similar to other animal sources in terms of protein content, lipid content, micronutrient and vitamins.

But not much is known about the long term impact of insect protein on consumers.

“Much more studies need to be done to establish whether there is any toxic effect on human health,” said Prof Chen.

GROW MEAT INSTEAD

An alternative protein source may lie in plants where 100 per cent plant-based meat products such as burgers are concocted in laboratories.

Some of these “beef” burgers are made of natural ingredients such as wheat protein, coconut oil, heme – and tastes like the real McCoy.

Beyond Meat, for example, successfully launched its Beyond Burger in 2016. Impossible Foods also introduced its plant-based meat burgers to restaurants in 2016.

However, not all plants are able to provide all the amino acids that one needs, said Mr Wong.

“For protein to be recognised as a good protein, you need nine amino acids. Only soya or chia seeds and certain plants give you that full range of ingredients,” he pointed out.

Another way is to grow meat in the laboratory where cells are painlessly extracted from an animal and grown to “edible” size in cell cultures. So, instead of slaughtering livestock for the meat, we may end up with “meat-making” factories.

Memphis Meats has already successfully produced beef, chicken and duck from animal cells, while Israeli clean-meat start-up SuperMeat hopes to replicate that success by growing real chicken meat in the lab.

The latter is confident it will have a product on the shelves in three years - it recently raised US$3 million in seed funding from investors which include Germany’s PHW, one of Europe’s largest poultry producers, and Sirius Venture Capital.

But, there are challenges such as costs and the issue of consumer acceptance.

A few years ago, the cost of a stem cell-based burger was US$30,000 a piece, recounted Prof Chen.

Although it’s promising, how (can one) scale it up while reducing the cost such that it will be something that consumer can afford?

Mr Wong acknowledged that for some, growing meat in a laboratory is pretty revolutionary.

“When you get a cut and your muscle gets injured, actually your muscle grows. So conceptually, growing meat in a lab may not be that scary,” he countered.

"We all remembered the time when we had bird flu. And this kind of alternative technology actually helps us in times of crisis."

BUILDING RESISTANCE

Research is also being done to produce food that is higher yielding, has better quality and is resistant to diseases and climate change.

Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL) has come up with enhanced selective breeding techniques where genetic markers are used to identify young fish with desired traits that they want for cross-breeding.

This is done by taking samples from the fish skin, examining the molecular markers, and determining if these fish have the traits that they want for cross-breeding, said Dr Azlinda Anwar, assistant director (Grants & IP Admin) at TLL.

The process is entirely natural and different from genetic modification where one alters the genes of the organism or adds to it.

“So this is absolutely not a genetically modified organism because we do not alter the genome of the fish. We simply enhance selection of a natural process,” she explained.

Using this method, TLL has been able to grow a more hardy variety of rice, Temasek Rice, that is already commercially available.

It has also applied the same process to develop its own variant of the Asian sea bass which is commercially available at seafood retail boutiques and selected restaurants.

The laboratory has identified markers that they want for this sea bass - fast growth, good quality meat and resistance to diseases.

“We combine this molecular breeding with selective breeding. And from one hundred mass-crossing events, we come up with lead lines of fish that grows faster – with 30 to 50 per cent faster harvesting time compared to normal fish - and are resilient to diseases,” she added. “So they therefore they survive better and have more meat.”

Watch the episode here. Money Mind airs every Saturday at 10.30pm.


Source: CNA/yv

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First reusable bag sharing initiative launched in Yishun

Kimberley Chia Straits Times 2 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE - Residents in Yishun can now get hold of free reusable bags on the way to the market.

Through the Bounce Bags Initiative, residents will be able to leave reusable bags, such as tote bags, at a designated sharing point. In turn, those in need of bags can pick them up.

The National Environment Agency has said that the use of one reusable bag a year can replace 125 single-use plastics bags. The initiative aims to inculcate the habit of using reusable bags when shopping.

"People often say that they forget to carry (reusable bags) or it's not convenient for last-minute shopping. So if there is a point in their neighbourhood where they can help themselves to one , this can hopefully kickstart the habit of using reusable bags instead of plastic bags," said Ms Aarti Giri, 38, founder of Plastic-Lite Singapore, a community-based group that hopes to reduce the use of single-use plastics.

The sharing point, comprising a few racks to hold up reusable bags, is located at a sheltered walkway leading to a wet market beside Block 293 Yishun Street 22.

The first reusable-bag sharing project in Singapore, the Bounce Bags Initiative in Yishun is a collaboration between Nee Soon Town Council(NSTC) and Plastic-Lite Singapore.

The initiative was launched at the Nee Soon East Courtyard on Saturday (June 2) as part of NSTC's inaugural Environment Day Event. Next Tuesday (June 5) is World Environment Day.

Nee Soon GRC Members of Parliament Louis Ng Kok Kwang, Lee Bee Wah and Faishal Ibrahim were at the event to launch the green initiative alongwith about 300 residents.

"Perhaps the greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it and solve this plastic problem," said Mr Ng in a speech at the launch. "All of us can and must help to solve this plastic problem and beat plastic pollution."

He also urged residents to donate their excess reusable bags in order to keep the project sustainable.

Residents were generally receptive of the initiative, with several already stopping by to pick up the reusable bags.

"If there's a chance to (use the sharing point), why not? It's a good initiative," said civil servant Thomas Feng, 41.

"But I think not everyone will have the initiative to put the bags back. Maybe they could turn it into something like a vending machine where residents can tap their ID," he added.

Using this as a pilot, Ms Giri hopes to set up more of such bag-sharing points in the future.

"We will take some learning points from this and come up with more bag sharing points."

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Five firms fined for illegally discharging waste into public sewers

Tiffany Fumiko Tay Straits Times 1 Jun 18;

SINGAPORE - Five companies have been fined for illegally discharging waste into public sewers, national water agency PUB said on Friday (June 1).

Toxic industrial waste collection firm NSL OilChem Waste Management was fined $25,000 on May 15, after an anonymous tip-off last year led PUB to discover that NSL OilChem's tanker had been illegally discharging oily waste into the public sewer at its Tanjong Kling premises.

An inspection found unusual grease stains on the surrounding walls of the inspection chamber, while water samples showed the presence of prohibited volatile organic compounds and an excessive amount of zinc - a regulated heavy metal.

Companies are not allowed to discharge any sewage, waste matter or effluent into the public sewerage system without PUB's prior approval, while firms must also ensure that their discharge of industrial used water complies with stipulated requirements.

Routine inspections in 2016 and 2017 this year also uncovered illegal discharge acts by four other companies: Amxon Constructors, Aroma Chemical, Brightsun Marine and ParexGroup. They were fined a total of $48,000 between April and May this year.

Mr Maurice Neo, director of PUB's water reclamation network, said: "We cannot stress enough that discharging prohibited or excessive regulated substances into our public sewers is very dangerous.

"Toxic industrial waste collection companies such as NSL OilChem should know better than anyone else that such an irresponsible act can affect the operational integrity of the public sewerage system, disrupt the used water treatment process at the water reclamation plants, and pose health and safety hazards to the workers maintaining the system."

Dr Low Chin Nam, a director of NSL OilChem Waste Management, said: “The company takes environmental compliance seriously, and wants to apologise to the public for this regrettable incident. We have accepted the fines issued by the PUB, and will undertake a full investigation to ensure that such incidents will not recur again."

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