Channel NewsAsia 29 Mar 19;
SINGAPORE: All asbestos removal works on St John’s Island and Pulau Hantu have been completed, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) announced on Friday (Mar 29).
SLA also added that the campsite on St John’s Island will reopen in June.
This comes a year after the discovery of asbestos on St John’s Island by SLA contractors during maintenance and upgrading works.
A surveyor appointed by SLA had confirmed in April last year the presence of asbestos in samples of debris that were sent for testing on Mar 19.
The island’s nature trail, campsite, lagoon and holiday bungalow area were among areas that were cordoned off to restrict public access.
Further traces of asbestos were also found on Kusu Island and Pulau Hantu but not on Lazarus Island, Pulau Seringat and Kias Island.
Kusu Island was cleared of asbestos last September and has been reopened to the public, SLA said in its press release on Friday.
“SLA has since completed all asbestos removal works on St John’s Island and Pulau Hantu, and both islands will be fully reopened to the public,” SLA added.
“With this, all asbestos waste on the islands managed by SLA has been cleared safely."
The upgrading and maintenance of the campsites are “currently in their final stages and are on schedule for completion by end May 2019”, SLA added.
The former St John’s Island Campsite and Holiday Bungalow have been renamed as the St John’s Island Lodge and overnight accommodation facilities will be reopened to the public on Jun 1, SLA said, adding that bookings are available for the St John’s Island Lodge “to increase access and encourage visitorship to the island”.
Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral that has been banned in Singapore since 1989 due to health concerns. It was commonly used as a construction material in the past.
Further traces of asbestos were also found on Pulau Ubin and Big Sister's island, which are managed by NParks, but has been removed from the islands.
Source: CNA/na
St John’s Island and Pulau Hantu declared asbestos-free, to reopen in June
Today Online 29 Mar 19;
SINGAPORE — All traces of asbestos have been removed from St John’s Island and Pulau Hantu, and the two southern islands will reopen to the public in June.
Visitors returning to St John’s will also find that the accommodation facilities there have been upgraded, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) on Friday (March 29).
St John’s campsite was closed after debris containing asbestos — a hazardous material that can cause lung cancer and other illnesses if its fibres are inhaled over a prolonged period — was discovered there in April last year.
SLA said at that time that the asbestos "most likely" came from roof sheets.
The use of asbestos — a naturally occurring mineral — in building materials has been banned here since 1989.
Following the discovery, SLA and other agencies conducted asbestos surveys on all publicly accessible offshore islands in May last year. Pieces of debris containing asbestos were found on St John’s, Pulau Hantu and Kusu Island.
Lazarus Island, Pulau Seringat and Kias Island were unaffected. Kusu Island reopened to the public last September after it was cleared of asbestos.
SLA added that renovation works being done at the former St John’s Island Campsite and Holiday Bungalow — renamed the St John’s Island Lodge — are in their final stages and are expected to be finished by end-May.
The improvements include new kitchenware, electric hobs and furniture, as well as a smart lock system to be piloted at one of the camps, said the SLA.
St John's Island and Pulau Hantu cleared of asbestos, campsites on St John's to reopen in June
Melody Zaccheus Straits Times 29 Mar 19;
SINGAPORE - All traces of asbestos on St John's Island and Pulau Hantu have been removed, and both islands will be fully reopened to the public, said the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) in a release on Friday (March 29).
Camping facilities on St John's Island are also slated to reopen in June.
The SLA, which manages the Southern Islands, discovered asbestos on St John's Island last April.
Traces of asbestos were detected in construction debris such as roof tiles around the island's campsite, lagoon and holiday bungalow area.
The authority sealed off more than half of the island.
It also worked with other agencies to conduct asbestos surveys on all publicly accessible offshore islands in May last year.
Pieces of debris containing asbestos were found on St John's Island, Pulau Hantu and Kusu Island.
Kusu Island was reopened to the public in October 2018 after asbestos removal works on the island were completed in September.
In a statement on Friday (March 29), the SLA said all asbestos waste on the islands managed by the authority has been cleared safely.
Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was once a popular component in construction materials.
Due to its links to health problems such as lung cancer, its use in buildings was banned in Singapore in 1989, but many earlier structures still contain the substance.
Structures containing asbestos pose no risk to humans if they are intact. However, when there is damage or disturbance, such as sawing and cutting, fibres may be released into the air and inhaled.
Upgrading and maintenance works across St John's Island's five campsites, which were closed and cordoned off, are now in their final stages and on schedule to be completed by end-May, said the SLA.
Members of the public will be able to book the overnight accommodation facilities at its campsites as well as its holiday bungalow when they reopen on June 1.
The SLA said the public can look forward to improvements such as new kitchenware, electric hobs and furniture, as well as a smart lock system to be piloted at one of the campsites there.
The campsites have also been renamed after native wildlife sighted on and around St John's Island, such as the white-bellied sea eagle, Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin, hawksbill turtle and smooth-coated otter.
Advance online bookings for these facilities can be made at www.sla.gov.sg/tol
