Best of our wild blogs: 22 Mar 19

31 Mar (Sun): Dive clean up at Lazarus Island with Our Singapore Reefs
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

Dead sea turtle at Pulau Semakau (South)
wild shores of singapore

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2019 poised to be really hot year

Singapore has shifted to a new higher temperature, and it will continue to rise, says Dr Muhammad Eeqmal Looming possibility of El Nino could send mercury soaring to new heights, say experts
Chang Ai-Lien Straits Times 22 Mar 19;

Brace yourself for a sizzling 2019.

With the temperature-boosting El Nino weather phenomenon a looming possibility, this year could see temperatures soaring to new heights, say Singapore's climate experts. "We're noting a rising temperature trend in the Pacific, especially under the ocean, so we're poised for El Nino," Dr Muhammad Eeqmal Hassim, senior research scientist at the Centre for Climate Research Singapore, told The Straits Times.

"The signs are there. We just need a kick start, such as a westerly wind burst, for it to happen."

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These young engineers want to make recycling a breeze in Singapore

It’s not always easy to find a recycling or e-waste bin, prompting four GovTech employees to come up with a prototype tool to map all such bins in Singapore.
Kevin Kwang Channel NewsAsia 21 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE: “When I have something I want to recycle, what can I do?”

That was one of the main problem statements a group of four young engineers at the Government Technology Agency’s (GovTech) Data Science and Artificial Intelligence department were hoping to tackle when they developed their prototype tool - named Trashy – not too long ago.

Ms Laura Lee, an associate computational scientist, shared how her experience living in London provided the impetus for creating the prototype.

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Malaysia: 70 hotspots detected in Pahang since early March

Shahrinnahar Latib New Straits Times 21 Mar 19;

KUANTAN: A total of 70 hotspots have been detected in Pahang since early March, a massive increase compared to only 26 hotspots recorded the month before.

Pahang Department of Environment (DoE) director Rosli Zul said this is due to a combination of factors, namely the hot weather as well as uncontrolled open burning activities by irresponsible parties.

“Pekan has the most number of hotspots at 34, followed by Rompin at 21, Jerantut (5), Temerloh, Kuantan, Lipis and Temerloh at two each, as well as Bera and Bentong with one hotspot each,” he said, adding that this month saw a sharp increase in the number of hotspots, due to open burning in plantations and peat land.

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Malaysia: Pasir Gudang toxic spill clean-up to cost over RM10mil

mei mei chu, lo tern chern, and rena lim The Star 22 Mar 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: The operation to clean Sungai Kim Kim will cost the authorities more than RM10mil, says Yeo Bee Yin.

The Energy, Technology, Science, Climate Change and Environment Minister said the cost of removing the toxic pollution in the 1.5km stretch of the river cost RM6.4mil.

"It is RM6.4mil for the clean-up alone. This does not include the movement of the officials and all that," she said at a press conference at the inaugural Malaysian Industrial Development Berhad (MIDF) Green Conference yesterday.

It was previously reported that the clean-up operation for Sungai Kim Kim included 900 tonnes of soil and 1,500 tonnes of polluted water.

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Indonesians need to be aware of importance of protecting forests

Rahmad Nasution Antara 21 Mar 19;

Bogor, (ANTARA) - Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya emphasized the importance of raising people's awareness over protecting forests in her statement to mark this year's International Day of Forests on Thursday.

"Forests are one of our important life support systems, so it is important for us to manage forests sustainably. Sustainable forest management can only be achieved through the better understanding of forests," she was quoted as saying by the FAO's press statement.

Education and training are necessary to raise awareness among forest users and the general public of forests and forestry, she said, adding that through education and training, qualified human resources to manage forests and the environment were created.

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