Best of our wild blogs: 18 Mar 19

Our first time guiding over 300 participants at Berlayer Creek, Labrador Park!
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Journey to Becoming a Rockstar: Discovering Geography in Ubin
BES Drongos

Assorted Nectaring Plants - Part 4
Butterflies of Singapore

Read more!

Singapore remains unaffected by chemical spill incident in Pasir Gudang: Authorities

Today Online 18 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE — Singapore's air and water quality remains safe, and its water supply is unaffected by the chemical spill incident at Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang, Johor, the Republic's authorities said on Sunday (March 17).

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), the National Environment Agency (NEA), PUB and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a joint statement that they have been closely monitoring the incident since reports of it first surfaced on March 7.

NEA said ambient levels of volatile organic compounds such as benzene in the north-eastern region remain safe.

It added that the 24-hr Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) since March 6 has been in the good to low-moderate range, while the 1-hr PM2.5 readings have remained in Band I (normal).

Read more!

Malaysia: Cleaning up of 1.5km-stretch of Sungai Kim Kim over

Bernama New Straits Times 17 Mar 19;

JOHOR BAHRU: The cleaning up process along 1.5 kilometres of Sungai Kim Kim, in Pasir Gudang near here, which began on Wednesday, following dumping of toxic chemical waste there, was completed today.

Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin said, however, monitoring would continue today to see if anything more needs to be done.

“The 1.5 km-stretch of Sungai Kim Kim that was polluted has already been cleaned up but today we want to see what more ‘touch up’ we can do.

“Today can be said to be a day of monitoring. After that, then only we can look into what further action is needed,” she told the media at the state Disaster Management Committee’s operations room here.

Read more!

Malaysia: Kedah implements water rationing amidst protracted dry spell, heatwave

New Straits Times 17 Mar 19;

ALOR STAR: Declining water supply as a result of the ongoing nationwide heatwave has forced the Kedah government to implement water rationing in several areas in the state, Bernama reported.

Although no emergency has been declared, water supply restrictions have been applied in Merbok, Tanjung Dawai, Bedong, Semeling, Singkir and Gurun – areas worst affected by the months-long dry spell.

“(The level of) water rationing will depend on the severity of water (scarcity in each area). If need be, we will channel water to the affected areas.

Read more!

Malaysia: Nation at risk of fire

sira habibu, martin carvalho, and stephanie lee The Star 18 Mar 19;

PETALING JAYA: The entire Penin­sular Malaysia (except for Klang), Sabah and parts of Sarawak between Miri and Bintulu have been identified as being at extreme risk of fire, said Malaysian Meteorological Department director-general Alui Bahari.

“Open burning is strictly prohibi­ted as it will be extremely difficult to control fire under the current hot and dry spell,” he said when asked to comment on the code red warnings issued by the department in certain areas nationwide.

The red code is issued by the department’s Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS) to indicate extreme level of risk of forest fires, unbeatable bush fires and drought.

Read more!