Malaysia: Jellyfish warning for Sabah

The Star 29 Jan 16;

KOTA KINABALU: Taking a dip in the sea along parts of Sabah’s west coast may not be a good idea now due to the jellyfish season.

Universiti Malaysia Sabah’s Borneo Marine Research Institute (BMRI) lecturer Muham­mad Ali Syed Hussein said jellyfish could be found along the beaches and parts of the coastline in the early part of the year.

“The sea currents bring in colder water and that brings planktons. The planktons in turn attract other larger marine creatures, inclu­ding shrimp and jellyfish,” he said.

He said the turbidity of the colder sea water made it difficult to spot the transparent jellyfish.

“It is best not to go swimming in the sea for now and exercise caution,” he said.

Four children, aged between nine and 12 years, were reported to have been stung by jellyfish in Tanjung Aru between Jan 9 and Jan 17.

BMRI researcher Dr John Madin said 16 jellyfish species could be found in waters off Sabah and the sting of three of the species was venomous.

They are Chiropsalmus quadrigatus, Chirop­salmus quadromunus and Carybdea rastoni which is locally known as balung api.

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Malaysia: Plummeting oil prices poses challenges for Pengerang to get new investors

INTAN FARHANA ZAINUL The Star 28 Jan 16;

KUALA LUMPUR: The planners of the multi-billion ringgit oil and gas (O&G) hub in Pengerang, Johor, are finding it difficult to secure investors for its later phases as global players rein in investment plans in light of plummeting oil prices.

“Under the current environment, investors are holding back their investments. It is very tough to find the ‘second’ Petronas (Petroliam Nasional Bhd) to come in to invest more than RM100bil in the Pengerang Integrated Petroleum Complex (PIPC),” said Johor Petroleum Development Corp Bhd (JPDC) chief executive officer Mohd Yazid Ja’afar.

The PIPC plan is to house oil refineries, petrochemical plants, a naphtha cracker, a liquefied natural gas import terminal and a regasification plant over 20,000 acres of land in the southeast of Pengerang in the Kota Tinggi district in Johor.

Speaking at a luncheon talk organised by MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd’s yesterday, Yazid said: “Integrated (O&G) players will be looking at their books and asking themselves if they can ride out the storm. So, we expect to see a slow down of investments coming in”.

It had been reported earlier that due to the slumping price of crude oil, major players such as BP, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, Norway’s Statoil and Australia’s Woodside Petroleum have collectively shelved some US$200bil of their planned capex .

Yazid said the JPDC was reviewing its masterplan for PIPC, which was finalised back in 2010.

“Every five year we would need to review the masterplan for PIPC and we plan to do that this year, taking into account the current scenario,” he said, adding that the target to make PIPC as a regional O&G storage and trading hub by 2035 could be postponed.

“We will have an updated masterplan for PIPC ready by next year,” he said.

Still, Yazid was quick to add that projects within the PIPC that had already secured investment commitments, were proceeding according to schedule.

“The first phases by Petronas and Dialog Group Bhd are within schedule and these projects are expected to be fully completed by 2019,” he said.

The first big project within the PIPC is a RM5bil Pengerang Independent Deepwater Petroleum Terminal (PIDPT), which is a joint-venture between Dialog, Royal Vopak of the Netherlands and the Johor state government. The total planned storage capacity at PIDPT is for five million cu m by the year 2020.

The second mega-project within PIPC is Petronas’ Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) plan which carries a committed investment of RM89bil. This includes the RM60bil Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development or Rapid project.

Yazid added that on a positive note, the PIPC was focused on the downstream sector of the O&G industry, which tended to benefit from lower oil prices, especially oil refineries.

Yazid said the phase one of PIPC takes up 38% of land area and RM128bil investment had been committed from the private sector.

On the question of whether Petronas was going to slow down its investments in PIPC, Yazid said: “Petronas has not told us of any slow down of investments at PIPC”.

It has been reported that Petronas is planning to cut RM50bil from its operating and capital expenditure (opex and capex) and defer some of its projects amid the plunge in oil prices.

Petronas started its cost cutting measures since the last quarter of 2014 when it projected that the oil price decline would remain for some time. Last year Petronas cut 30% in its capex and 20% off its opex.

“We hope that the current projects at PIPC would have a spillover effect to attract more investment in the future,” Yazid said.

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Indonesia: Establishment of Peatland Restoration Agency lauded

Fardah Antara 28 Jan 16;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) installed Nazir Foead, former conservation director at the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), as head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) on January 20.

The agency, which has been set up based on Presidential Regulation Number 1 of 2016, is chiefly tasked with preventing forest fires that particularly occur in peatlands and to restore such areas gutted by forest fires, particularly on Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands.

While announcing the establishment of the agency on January 13, Jokowi, who described Foead as a competent and experienced figure, assigned the body to immediately draft an action plan to demonstrate to the world that Indonesia is serious about handling the damage caused to peatland areas.

After graduating from the University of Gadjah Mada in Yogyakarta, Foead began his career at WWF in 1992 and has since then dedicated himself to forest conservation efforts.

He was member of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and deputy chairman of the Permanent Committee of the Environment and Climate Change during the period between 2011 and 2013. He was appointed as head of the Indonesian Program at Climate and Land Use Alliance (CLUA) in 2014.

Foeads appointment as the new agencys chief is based on Presidential Decree Number 3 of 2016, dated January 18.

Following his inauguration, he immediately chalked out the agencys action plan as he did not want to waste time in the race against forest fires that could recur any time.

The appointment of the environmental activist to lead the initiative has been lauded by Greenpeace.

"If peat protection regulations are sufficiently strengthened, Nazir will be in a position to save the countrys precious tropical peatland landscapes, thereby helping to reduce fires and carbon emissions," Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Teguh Surya noted in a statement on January 15.

Clearing and draining of peatlands for oil palm and pulpwood plantations is a major cause of Indonesias recurring fire and haze crisis, which last year impacted the health of millions in South-East Asia and cost Indonesia's economy an estimated $16.1 billion.

According to World Bank Indonesia Country Director Rodrigo Chaves, haze was the real cause of damage to the Indonesian economy, costing the nation twice as much as it took to rebuild after the 2004 tsunami.

As a result, the World Bank warns, Indonesia needs to develop a better; more comprehensive plan for preventing wildfires in the first place and dealing with their aftermath, or it may find itself hemorrhaging money in an unhealthy and growth-stagnating way.

"The establishment of a peat restoration body is a great start. Successful peat protection will depend however on further reforms, including ending secrecy over maps of industry concessions in forests and peatlands, to allow full public participation in monitoring and restoration," said Surya.

President Joko Widodo showed the way to end peatland destruction by personally damming a drainage canal to re-wet a peatland area in Riau province in late 2014.

"However, his initiative faltered due to a lack of policy clarity and coordination. For the new Peat Restoration Agency to overcome the potential hurdle of its limited authority, every level of government must provide full support including coordination and concrete action in the field," the Greenpeace activist said.

The Peat Restoration Agencys enabling decree targets a very modest 2 million hectares for restoration by 2020. This is far less than the total area of damaged peatland, which the government has vowed to restore.

"The Decree should aim higher than protecting just two million hectares out of more than twenty million hectares of Indonesia's peatlands. Preventing fires from returning will only be possible if all damaged peatland landscapes are restored, with clear indicators and deadlines," Teguh Surya said.

Climate consultant Wimar Witoelar wrote on the Jakarta Post recently that the appointment of Foead as BRG head is a clear signal that the nation intends to defend its forests and protect the environment by drastically limiting the risks of forest fires and haze.

This in effect is a clear follow-up to the Paris Agreement that commits the nations of the world to the curtailment of climate change, he said.

"President Jokowi is investing our human capital by appointing promising public officials such as Nazir, the initial head of the BRG," Wimar Witoelar stated.

The agency is a non-structural body under the President, and accountable to him.

Having a tenure until December 31, 2020, the agency will have a secretariat, four deputies, an expert team, and a technical steering team that will include provincial governors and relevant deputies and director generals.

The expert team members come from universities, research institutes, professionals and larger community.

Earlier, Environmental Affairs and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar explained that the agencys task is to restore the landscape of peatland ecology with regard to saving and protecting them as well as preventing them from fires or being burnt down.

Between two and three million hectares of peatland areas will be restored by the agency with the cooperation of several institutions and ministries such as the environmental affairs and forestry ministry, the public works and housing ministry, the agriculture ministry, the Agrarian and Spatial Layout Ministry and the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).

No single country in the world has ever restored peatland in a large scale, she remarked.

Indonesias peatland area is estimated at 20.6 million hectares, or about 10.8 percent of Indonesias total land area. Of this, approximately 7.2 million hectare, or 35 percent, is located on Sumatra Island.

Peatland serves to preserve water resources, mitigate flooding, prevent sea water intrusion, support biodiversity, and control the climate through carbon absorption and storage.

The Secretary General of the environmental affairs and forestry ministry, Bambang Handroyono, said in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Jan 12, that a similar agency will also be established at the provincial level.

"At the national level, the restoration agency will be coordinated by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Forestry, while at the local level, it will be under the coordination of the respective governor," he said.
(T.F001/INE/KR-BSR)

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Indonesia: No need to panic over Zika says government

Nurul Fitri Ramadhani and Hans Nicholas Jong, The Jakarta Post 27 Jan 16;

The Health Ministry has said there was no reason to panic over the possible spread of Zika, a virus suspected of causing a rare birth defect. The ministry stated that no infections had been reported in the country, or even in the ASEAN region.

The ministry, however, warned Indonesian nationals against traveling to areas prone to the virus, such as South America.

“The government doesn’t see any need to impose a travel ban, but we recommend that people reconsider traveling to those areas until local authorities in those countries declare that the situation is under control” Health Ministry secretary-general Untung Suseno Sutarjo told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Ratna Budi Hapsari, the head of the emerging infectious diseases sub-directorate at the ministry, said that the government would step up its monitoring efforts to prevent the virus from entering the country.

“We have entry points at ports and airports. We will boost [surveillance] there,” she told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Health authorities have grown concerned with the spread of the dengue-like Zika virus since scientists in northeastern Brazil witnessed a surge in microcephaly cases, a rare birth defect that sees babies born with unusually small heads. The virus can affect motor skills and cause mental retardation.

Since then, Brazilian health officials have linked Zika to the microcephaly cases, with the country recording nearly 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly since October last year.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the virus is likely to spread to all countries in the Americas except for Canada and Chile.

The organization also reported that the disease’s rapid spread was due to a lack of immunity among the population and the prevalence of active Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the vector that transmits the virus. The same vector carries chikungunya and dengue fever.

Both Zika and dengue fever show similar early symptoms such as fever, rashes and joint pain. However, the clinical manifestation of Zika is not as severe as dengue fever, which can lead to shock and death.

According to Untung, in a tropical country like Indonesia, the Aedes Aegypti mosquito tends to breed within people’s homes and usually produces an outbreak of dengue fever when the rainy season enters its peak.

Untung said that the preventative measures directed toward Zika would mirror those deployed against dengue fever. These measures usually center on eliminating potential mosquito breeding places such as those found in bath tubs, sinks and water tanks.

“We are familiar with dengue fever and we already know what to do. As long as we keep up cleanliness, we are on the right track to preventing Zika,” Untung said, adding that he was more worried about dengue fever than Zika.

Nasronuddin, the head of Institute of Tropical Diseases (ITD) at Airlangga University in Surabaya, said that until now, there existed no medicine to cure the disease.

“To avoid the infection, we really have to keep clean and take care of our immune system,” he said.

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Thailand braces for 'mega-outbreak' of Dengue fever

Thailand is bracing itself for an even worse 2016 with experts warning the number of infections may be on par with the 1987 mega-outbreak.
Channel NewsAsia 28 Jan 16;

BANGKOK: After a year which saw an explosion of Dengue fever infections, Thailand is bracing itself for an even worse 2016 with experts warning the number of infections may be on par with the 1987 mega-outbreak.

Thailand recorded some 140,000 cases of infection last year, the highest number since the 170,000 cases of the 1987 crisis.

The first line of defense against the epidemic that has swept through Southeast Asia sees teams of local officials armed with machines spraying mosquito-killer, who patrol daily around Bangkok in an attempt to eliminate mosquito-breeding sites.

Officials have recorded 126 deaths with the most notable being TV actor Thrisadee Sahawong, who died after developing a series of complications related to the virus.

His death made the public realize that Dengue fever does not only affect those living in remote areas.

"More people are moving to the capital and that's why it's worse there than in the provinces or small towns. It's spreading because of urbanization and a lack of mosquito control," said Dr. Duangporn Pinsrilesikul from the Health Department of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration .

Thailand's Public Health Ministry is expecting Dengue cases to swell by more than 16 percent this year.

The reason for the rise is simple - mosquitoes have more places to breed now that chemical spraying is less effective and population clusters give the disease areas in which to propagate.

For many years in Thailand, Dengue fever was considered a disease that only affected children, but now most new cases reported are young adults, including patient Rath Sa-adying.

"While I had dengue fever, it also affected my liver. Since the dengue virus can cause liver damage, my liver became so enlarged that I couldn't eat anything," he said.

The virus starts with aching joints, a raging fever and a rash. If left untreated, it could lead to organ failure or even worse.

For decades, Thailand has been on the frontline of the fight against the Dengue virus. Finding a vaccine has proven difficult, in part because of the complex nature of the virus, but with the number of cases expected to rise again this year, the need for a vaccine is becoming increasingly urgent.

With the first Dengue vaccine already approved in Mexico, the Philippines and Brazil, Thailand is now under pressure to green light this long-term strategy to fight the potentially lethal disease.

"This vaccine is developed for about ten years but the vaccines is not 100 percent protection proof. We know that, but it is one of tools which can be helpful. In Thailand I think they plan to license this vaccine very soon. And once we've got the vaccine, I think it can reduce, somehow, the problems of the Dengue," said Kriengsak Limkittikul, an associate professor with the Faculty of Tropical Medicine of Mahidol University.

For now, Thailand's strategy is to eliminate breeding opportunities for the mosquitoes.

However, given the seriousness of the Dengue challenge, there are growing fears that the virus could be mutating as a result of the immunity that has built up in the region.

Without a preventive vaccine or cure, millions more will continue to suffer at the hands of a virtually invisible predator waiting to strike.

- Reuters/jb

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Zika virus 'spreading explosively': WHO chief

The Zika virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas and the region may see up to four million cases of the disease strongly suspected of causing birth defects, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday.

Channel NewsAsia 28 Jan 16;

GENEVA: The Zika virus is "spreading explosively" in the Americas and the region may see up to four million cases of the disease strongly suspected of causing birth defects, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday (Jan 28).

As the number of suspected cases of microcephaly - thought to be linked to the virus - surged in Brazil, WHO head Margaret Chan said an emergency committee would meet on Monday to determine whether the Zika outbreak amounts to a global health emergency and how the world should respond.

Microcephaly causes babies to be born with an abnormally small head. Cases have soared in Brazil from 163 a year on average to more than 3,718 suspected cases since the outbreak, and 68 babies have died, according to the health ministry.

Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have warned women to avoid getting pregnant for the time being.

Jitters over Zika have spread far beyond the affected areas to Europe and North America, where dozens of cases have been identified among people returning from vacation or business abroad.

France - which has logged five cases contracted by its citizens while travelling - urged women not to travel to French overseas territories in South America and the Caribbean.

There is currently no treatment for Zika and a top US health chief warned on Thursday the hunt for a vaccine could take years.

For decades after Zika's discovery in 1947, in a Ugandan forest from which it takes its name, the mosquito-borne virus was of little concern, sporadically causing "mild" illness in humans.

But the WHO's chief Chan told an assembly of member-states in Geneva the severity of the current outbreak was unprecedented. "The situation today is dramatically different. The level of alarm is extremely high," she said, with Zika also possibly linked to a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

"A causal relationship between Zika virus infection and birth malformations and neurological syndromes has not yet been established, but is strongly suspected," Chan said.

She told WHO members that the virus "is now spreading explosively," in the Americas, where 23 countries and territories have reported cases.

The virus is not known to be transmitted person to person, but the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was aware of one reported case of Zika through possible sexual transmission, and a second where the virus was found in semen two weeks after a man exhibited symptoms.

THREE TO FOUR MILLION CASES

Marcos Espinal, head of communicable diseases and health analysis at WHO's Americas office, said the region could see between three to four million cases - a projection based largely on spread patterns of similar mosquito-borne diseases like dengue fever.

WHO has said it expects Zika to spread to every country in the Americas except Canada and Chile.

According to the CDC, 31 cases of Zika have been documented in the United States since last year. It was not clear if the tally included three new cases reported in New York City on Thursday - one of them a pregnant woman. Three Canadians are also known to have been infected while travelling abroad.

All known North American cases involve people infected while out of the country. However, a recent study in The Lancet suggests the Zika virus could reach regions of the United States in which 60 per cent of the population lives, or some 200 million Americans.

US President Barack Obama has called for swift action to tackle the threat, on diagnostic tests as well as vaccines and treatments.

According to Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), the US government hopes a so-called Phase I clinical trial could begin later this year to test a Zika vaccine in people, but a finished product will take far longer.

OLYMPIC CONCERNS

Brazil has been the country hardest hit so far, and concerns are growing about this summer's Olympic games hosted in Rio de Janeiro.

Six months from the opening ceremony, the government has promised to attack mosquito breeding sites and protect visitors from the virus, from which there is no known prevention method aside from avoiding mosquito bites.

WHO's deputy chief Bruce Aylward told reporters it was "very, very unlikely" it would issue warnings against travel to Brazil, while the head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, said it will "do everything" in its power to keep the Games safe from the virus.

Venezuela on Thursday said it had recorded 4,700 suspected cases of Zika - but no related cases of microcephaly.

Honduras also said it had registered 1,000 cases of Zika, which is transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito, the species that also carries dengue, chikungunya and yellow fever.

With concern over travel to Latin America spreading, two airlines in the region announced refund offers to pregnant women booked for travel.

Chilean-Brazilian airline Latam, the region's biggest, will refund or rebook expectant mothers with tickets to any of 22 affected countries or territories, while Chilean company Sky will refund those with tickets to Brazil. US carriers Delta and American Airlines have made similar offers.

- AFP/yt/ec/de

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Best of our wild blogs: 28 Jan 16

NSS Kids' Fun with Edible Plants at Bukit Brown
Fun with Nature

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Rubbish, Rubbish Everywhere at Punggol Marina

Punggol Dam blamed for Marina's litter problem
JUDITH TAN The New Paper 28 Jan 16;

Seeing all the rubbish floating in the Punggol marina is almost like a blast from the past.

Styrofoam cups and boxes, plastic oil drums, food wrappers, plastic bags and drink containers blanket the waters' surface.

And it has been happening since 2011 - litter washes up into the marina with the tide and some remains when the tide goes out, said Marina Country Club general manager Derrick Ong.

The litter problem became so bad that the propellers of at least three boats fell off at sea after they got entangled with the trash, he added.

Marina Country Club is on Northshore Drive near Punggol Way and near the mouth of Sungei Punggol in the north-east of Singapore.

At high tide, water from the Johor Strait flows into the river and the marina.

Mr Ong, 46, said the litter problem started when Punggol Dam, located near the club, was built in 2011.

The estuary of Sungei Punggol was dammed to form a reservoir that year.

When there is heavy rain and the reservoir's water level is high, the tidal gates are opened to allow the excess water from the reservoir to be discharged into the sea to prevent flooding.

Mr Ong told The New Paper: "The tide used to flow into Sungei Punggol all the way to Sengkang Community Club.

"Now, with the dam there, the rubbish and silt get collected at the piece of land near the dam. No one cleans it so whenever the floodgates open, the litter is flushed into our waters."

The dam is about a stone's throw from Pier 6, where boats fuel up before leaving the marina.

Mr Ong said high tide brings the litter in and between 1 per cent and 10 per cent of it is left behind when the tide goes out.

The rest is carried out by the tide and the club's employees clear what is left at the top of the ramp at Pier 5.

The rubbish collected every week is enough to fill one skip tank, he said.

Mr Ong said he had several meetings with officers from Public Utilities Board and National Environment Agency and had offered to clear the litter for a fee.

"I asked if $15,000 a month was fair. After all, I would also be charged for waste disposal. They never got back to me after that," he said.

The stench and gunk had an impact on those in the area.

A boat owner, who declined to be named, said: "The water becomes like pea soup. It isn't anything to crow about."

He sent TNP photos he took of the piers and a temporary drain adjoining the marina last November and December to show how bad the situation was.

He said it would worsen during the rainy season as the tide would carry the rubbish through the jetty into the marina where they park their boats.

"When it is low tide, the rubbish collects within the marina and doesn't get washed out. The water in the marina gets caked in and the rubbish often leaves a bad smell," he said.

The boat owner recently had overseas guests and wanted to take them out on his boat.

He said: "I felt ashamed because of the litter and the stench. It wasn't befitting the clean-and-green reputation of Singapore."

Another person affected by the rubbish is skipper of SwiftLady Fishing Charters, Mr Anthony Lee.

Whenever he takes clients out in his two fishing charter boats, he will have to dive into the murky waters to clear pieces of rope and plastic bags from the propellers of his boats before heading out.

"Visibility is bad, but I have to do it," said Mr Lee.

"It's quite dangerous to do this, but it's a good thing I am a strong swimmer. There's just too much rubbish."

WORRIED

Mr Vincent Lim, who runs a wakeboarding business out of Marina Country Club, is looking at moving his business to Sentosa.

"That or move to the Maldives," said Mr Lim, who has been water-skiing and later wakeboarding in the area since he was 17.

He is worried about the contamination in the waters..

"The waters here in Punggol are no longer conducive. My clients might fall sick," said Mr Lim, who is now in his 30s.

TNP approached the relevant government agencies and sent queries on the litter problem on Jan 15.

Boat owners later told TNP that cleaning teams turned up that weekend to drain the water and clear the rubbish.

The boat owner, who did not want to be named, was sceptical.

He said: "The water was drained and the place cleaned, but for how long? I hope this will be for the long term. We will see."

SLA, PUB closely monitoring site

The Punggol Dam acts as a barrier to separate the reservoir from the sea.

This is to prevent flooding in the Punggol area, said the Public Utilities Board (PUB).

"When there is heavy rain and the reservoir water level is high, the tidal gates are opened to allow the excess water from the reservoir to be discharged to the sea. This is to alleviate flood risks in the upstream catchment," said its spokesman, adding that it is not used to flush litter out to the marina.

In a joint reply, Singapore Land Authority and PUB explained that a temporary drain leading to the sea bordering the Marina Country Club was constructed on State land as part of the North Eastern Coast reclamation project.

The project was first announced in Parliament in 1984, to reclaim 875ha of shallow foreshore and swampland at the north-eastern coast of Singapore from Pasir Ris to Jalan Kayu, including Punggol.

"As the location is subject to tidal influence, litter may be brought in during high tides. We will continue to closely monitor the condition of the site and ensure it is regularly cleaned and maintained," the statement said.

The two agencies will also look into measures to reduce the litter brought in by the tides.

"We are reviewing the need for the drain," they said.

DRAIN

The New Paper understands that the temporary drain was part of a drainage system to capture rainfall and channel it towards the sea.

As for the maintenance of common channels, fairways and anchorages, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) said it deploys garbage collection and flotsam retrieval craft on a daily basis.

It collects garbage from ships at the anchorages and retrieves flotsam and debris along the common channels, fairways and anchorages.

An MPA spokesman said: "This is to ensure that all vessels will be able to navigate safely within the port and to ensure that the port waters are kept clean.

"However, due to currents, wind and tides, flotsam and debris may be washed towards the shorelines overnight."

MPA said it takes a serious view on and enforces strict regulations against the pollution of the sea within Singapore port waters.

It also said that it is an offence for anyone to litter in Singapore waters

If convicted, offenders can be fined up to $10,000 or jailed up to two years or both.

When contacted, the Municipal Services Office, which coordinates public agencies to work more closely together especially when responsibilities are split, said it is monitoring the issue.

Its spokesman said it will work with the government agencies to ensure regular monitoring and cleaning of the area.

She said: "We will also work with them to put in place systemic arrangements to prevent future recurrence."


During high tide, the water carries litter from the open sea into the marina. The rubbish covers the water surface where the boats are moored at Marina Country Club in Punggol. Between 1 and 10 per cent of it is left when the tide goes out.
The litter problem started when Punggol Dam was built in 2011 to dam the estuary of Sungei Punggol and form a reservoir. Whenever the floodgates open to regulate the water in the reservoir, the litter is flushed into the marina.

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What the Paris climate deal could mean for Singapore in 2030

Gautam Jindal, Melissa Low, Ho Juay Choy, The Business Times AsiaOne 28 Jan 16;

IN PARIS last month, countries adopted a global agreement that commits both developed and developing countries to contribute towards collective global action till 2030 on reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, and helping poor countries manage climate change impact. But the successful conclusion of the negotiations marks only the beginning of a journey in which each country will share the responsibility to save our planet from catastrophe.

Singapore played a key role in Paris, with its ministers and officials acting as facilitators to help countries reach agreement on thorny issues. Now, Singapore will also play its part as part of the global effort and thus will need to respond to the Paris Agreement's provisions over the next 15 years.

In 2009, as part of its Copenhagen pledge, Singapore committed that, by 2020, it would implement measures that will reduce its annual greenhouse gas emissions by 7-11 per cent below the business-as-usual (BAU) scenario. The BAU scenario emissions were projected to reach 77.2 million tonnes by 2020; thus the 7-11 per cent reduction target would require annual emissions to be brought down to 68.7-71.8 tonnes instead.

The pledge also contained a further commitment that Singapore will achieve a reduction of 16 per cent below BAU levels, if a legally binding global agreement is reached. Singapore has reiterated this commitment numerous times, such as in its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), which is the 2030 target that Singapore submitted before the Paris negotiations.

Now that the Paris conference has resulted in a legally binding agreement, Singapore will have to further bring down its annual emissions to some 65 million tonnes by 2020. While the Singapore Sustainable Blueprint clearly shows the planned reductions to be achieved by sectors such as power generation, industry, transport, etc, to meet the 7-11 per cent target, Singapore must now relook how each of these sectors can dig deeper and contribute towards the stricter target with only four years to go.

REVIEW MECHANISM

The Paris Agreement has also established a review mechanism with a five-year cycle, wherein countries are required to submit a revised, more ambitious target every five years after 2020. The rationale is that as time progresses, new technological and economic advancements will allow countries to reduce more emissions cost-effectively and provide greater financial or technology transfer to countries that require such assistance.

In its current pledge submitted before the Paris Agreement, Singapore communicated that it intends to reduce its emissions intensity - that is, emissions per S$GDP - by 36 per cent as compared to 2005 levels by 2030. Thus, by 2025, Singapore should be prepared to submit an even more ambitious target for 2030 and thereafter. This may prove challenging.

As a small island state with limited land and limited access to renewable energy, and having already converted most of the power generation to the cleanest fossil fuel possible, Singapore does not have any other alternatives to achieve the required reductions. At the same time, petrochemical companies can be expected to continue adding refining capacity to their operations here. Thus, it is no surprise that achieving the 36 per cent emissions intensity reduction is by itself a "stretch goal".

Towards this effort, Singapore has been actively promoting solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. However, there are concerns that irregular output of PV due to cloud formations can cause damage to electrical equipment if PV is deployed on a large scale. Thus, for the time being, the Energy Market Authority (EMA) has placed a cap of 600 megawatts of PV installation for Singapore. However, as and when there are improvements in technologies - such as accurate solar forecasting, demand management and battery storage - Singapore should be able to accommodate higher amounts of PV capacity.

Energy efficiency will also have to play a significant role in this effort. The Energy Conservation Act, currently in its formative years, mandates corporations to meet certain criteria in appointing energy managers, monitoring and reporting energy consumption, and developing energy efficiency improvement plans.

IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

This is a logical first step, as it allows the government to collect necessary data and develop a baseline, while giving companies the time to develop their long-term energy management strategies. In time, the Act should ideally graduate towards mandating companies to achieve certain levels of energy efficiency improvement by adopting the best possible technology and efficient practices.

Other initiatives - such as promoting the adoption of electric vehicles, the use of more energy-efficient appliances, and mandating stricter green building codes - could provide areas for achieving the required additional reductions.

The Paris Agreement recognises that, for some countries, achieving emissions reduction internally may not be feasible due to technology or economic factors. Thus, they may have to apply innovative techniques to achieve their objectives. To overcome this limitation, the Agreement has approved a mechanism whereby countries can bilaterally co-operate among themselves to achieve emissions reduction in a host country, and allow the achieved reduction to be counted towards the target of the other country.

To ensure that such a mechanism does not result in any form of double counting of efforts, transfer of credits will be possible only between two countries, both of which will have emissions reduction pledges under the Agreement. The credits will be allowed to be counted only towards the efforts of either the host country or the country that purchases the credits.

Japan has already started practising a similar mechanism called the Joint Crediting Mechanism, under which it intends to facilitate transfer of low-carbon technology to 15 countries and count the credits generated towards achieving its climate change objectives. While Singapore has clearly stated its intent to achieve the objectives outlined in its INDC through domestic action, its 2030 pledge does state that it will continue to study the potential of international market mechanisms. It would be useful for Singapore to keep a close eye on further developments in this space.

Gautam Jindal and Melissa Low are research associates at the Energy Studies Institute (ESI) of the National University of Singapore. Ho Juay Choy is an adjunct research associate professor at ESI
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Authorities up measures to reduce Zika virus risk in Singapore

Due to the presence of Zika in the region and the volume of travel by Singaporeans and tourists, it is "inevitable that there will be imported cases of Zika into Singapore in time to come", say the Health Ministry and NEA.

Channel NewsAsia 27 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE: A set of control measures to reduce the risk of the Zika virus taking hold in the local population will be introduced, said the Ministry of Health (MOH) and National Environment Agency (NEA) on Wednesday (Jan 27).

The authorities said it is “inevitable that there will be imported cases of Zika into Singapore in time to come” due to the presence of Zika in the region and the volume of travel by Singaporeans and tourists.

Already, Taiwan had reported an imported case of Zika virus infection from Thailand on Jan 19. Other countries with ongoing Zika outbreaks include Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Martinique, Panama, and Suriname.

As such, authorities said the measures that will be implemented include:

Travellers to countries with Zika virus infection will be advised to protect themselves from mosquito bites by wearing long, covered clothing, applying insect-repellent, and sleeping under mosquito nets or in rooms with wire-mesh screens to keep out mosquitoes. Health advisory posters will be placed at the airports for outbound travellers.

Returning travellers from affected areas are advised to seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of Zika such as fever, skin rashes, joint and muscle pains, headaches and red eyes in the next 14 days.

In the event of a case of Zika virus infection in Singapore, NEA will step up intensive vector control. Together with members of the Inter-Agency Dengue Task Force, NEA will intensify search and destroy efforts to control the Aedes mosquito population.
AEDES MOSQUITO PRESENCE INCREASES RISK

They added that there is a high risk of subsequent local transmission as the Aedes mosquito vector is present here, and the virus may become endemic in Singapore. The Zika virus is transmitted through Aedes mosquitoes and vector control remains the mainstay to prevent transmission of the virus.

According to MOH and NEA, the Zika virus infection has been added to the List of Notifiable Infectious Diseases under the Infectious Diseases Act. MOH is also raising awareness of Zika virus infection among the medical community so that doctors stay vigilant against possible suspect cases.

“All confirmed cases will be admitted to a public hospital until they recover and test negative for the virus,” said MOH and NEA. “Admitting them into a single room at the hospital will also minimise their risk of being bitten by mosquitoes while they are carrying the virus, which may result in further local transmission.”

- CNA/xk

Government expects total number of dengue cases in 2016 to be high
"Besides checking homes, NEA has also intensified checks for other areas, including construction sites, and taken stern action against those found breeding mosquitoes," says Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli.

Channel NewsAsia 27 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE: The Government expects the total number of dengue cases in 2016 to be high, with cases spiking earlier than usual.

At least 11,200 dengue cases were reported in 2015 and in the last two months of the year, more than 193,000 inspections were conducted, with about 4,000 breeding habitats removed.

More than 1,000 households in dengue clusters were also fined in 2015.

Under the Control of Vectors and Pesticides Act, households within dengue clusters found with breeding habitats can be fined up to S$5,000.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said in Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 27) that the current penalties have been effective in keeping re-offending rates low.

He said: "Besides checking homes, NEA (National Environment Agency) has also intensified checks for other areas, including construction sites, and taken stern action against those found breeding mosquitoes.

“In 2015, more than 900 Notices to Attend Court were issued to construction site contractors and at least 100 court prosecutions were taken against contractors for repeat offences. In the same period, more than 100 Stop Work Orders (were) issued to construction sites to ensure that proper mosquito control measures were put in place before construction was allowed to resume."

About S$2.5 million is set aside each year by the authorities to develop dengue surveillance and control tools. Additional funds have also been committed to develop a method which can prevent mosquito eggs from hatching.

On measures to prevent a Zika virus outbreak in Singapore, Mr Masagos said the Health Ministry is working with NEA to enhance ongoing laboratory surveillance of sample Zika infections.

"Zika is a notifiable disease under the Infectious Diseases Act,” he said. “However, the Zika virus is also transmitted by the same type of mosquitoes that transmit dengue. Therefore, whatever we do for dengue, if we are effective, will be effective also to prevent Zika from spreading. "

- CNA/xk

High number of dengue cases expected this year
LOUISA TANG QIANROU Today Online 28 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE – The number of dengue cases this year is expected to be high, with cases spiking earlier than usual, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli in Parliament today (Jan 27).

More than 11,200 dengue cases were reported last year, lower than in 2013 and 2014, but there have been more cases in the past few months compared with corresponding periods in previous years, said Mr Masagos, who was responding to a question from Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) on whether current enforcement and fines were enough to deter owners of properties that are breeding mosquitoes.

Property owners in dengue clusters found with breeding habitats can be fined up to S$5,000. Mr Masagos said last year, more than 1,000 households in dengue clusters were fined. The current penalties have been effective in keeping reoffending rates low, but stiffer penalties will be introduced if necessary, he said.

The Ministry for the Environment and Water Resources has also set aside S$2.5 million each year “to conduct multi-disciplinary research in controlling the mosquito population”, for example, to develop surveillance and control tools such as Gravitraps.

And more than S$3 million has been committed over the next three years to developing a novel method of suppressing the Aedes mosquito population. The Ministry is also tracking the development of the dengue vaccine Dengvaxia, he said.

The number of reported cases of dengue remained high last week with 622 cases reported, higher than any week reported last year, with the National Environment Agency noting there has been a switch in dominant dengue serotype from DENV-1 to DENV-2.

In an article on the dengue outlook for the year in the Ministry of Health’s epidemiological news bulletin published this month, researchers noted that vector control efforts have delayed the exposure to dengue infection till adulthood, and “paradoxically” reduced population immunity to the virus.

Studies of blood donor samples by the Environment Health Institute showed that the epidemic in 2013 made little contribution to raise herd immunity, and Singapore’s resident population remains “highly susceptible” to dengue epidemics associated with any of the four serotypes.

The researchers also noted that the effects of the El Nino phenomenon will contribute to a rise in cases in the coming months, noting that after El Niño peaked in December 1997, there was a spike in dengue cases in January 1998, followed by another in August.

Also, while DENV-1, DEN-2 dengue cases have been dominant, other serotypes have also emerged in clusters. A new strain of DENV-3 was first detected in the week of 31 May to 6 June last year and has consistently been detected since then, while another strain has been circulating since April last year, mainly in the western area of Singapore.

A new strain of DENV-4 has also been circulating since last February in the Tai Hwan Close and Heights area in Serangoon. The researchers noted that El Niño could also affect local epidemiology, “due to the inevitable expansion of genetic diversity of the virus and more frequent introduction of new viruses”.


Singapore to step up surveillance for Zika virus
Today Online 27 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE — As it is “inevitable” that the Zika virus will eventually be imported to Singapore, authorities are stepping up measures to detect and potentially control infections, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) said in a joint statement today (Jan 27).

In the wake of recent outbreaks in South America and a case reported in Taiwan, the MOH and NEA advised travellers to countries with local transmission of the Zika virus to protect themselves from mosquito bites. Pregnant women should reconsider their travel plans to countries with ongoing outbreaks and local transmission, given the increasing evidence of a link between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and brain malformation in their foetuses and infants, they said.

The agencies also said returning travellers from affected areas should seek medical attention if they develop symptoms of Zika such as fever, skin rashes, joint and muscle pains, headaches and red eyes and posters will be placed at airports to serve as reminders.

Since 2013, the NEA has had an ongoing surveillance programme for the virus, and no cases have been detected in Singapore so far, but the possibility of undetected cases could not be ruled out as most infected persons may display mild or no symptoms, NEA and MOH said.

Zika virus infections have also been added to the List of Notifiable Infectious Diseases under the Infectious Diseases Act, while the MOH is raising awareness of such infections among the medical community. Any confirmed cases will be admitted to a single room at a public hospital until they recover and test negative for the virus, to minimise the risk of being bitten by mosquitoes while they are carrying the virus, which is also transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes.

Asked about such infections in Parliament today, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said if any Zika cases are found here, the NEA will step up its vector control activities around the case area. But, he stressed that stamping out the breeding of mosquitoes is key to reducing such threats. “If we are effective with this, we can also stop Zika from spreading when it comes to Singapore,” he said. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LOUISA TANG


'Challenging' to stop spread of Zika virus in Singapore: Health Minister
If a case of Zika virus infection is detected in Singapore, vector control operations will be stepped up to prevent further transmission of the Zika virus infection, says Minister Gan Kim Yong.
Channel NewsAsia 28 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Health (MOH) and the National Environment Agency (NEA) will take necessary steps to contain the spread of the Zika virus, but Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said it may be "challenging" to prevent the virus from spreading and eventually becoming entrenched in Singapore.

Mr Gan said on Thursday (Jan 28) that the presence of the Aedes mosquito vector here is one reason for his assessment. The mild, non-specific nature of the symptoms in the majority of infected patients will also make surveillance "difficult", he added in his written response to MP Lim Wee Kiak's parliamentary question.

The MOH and NEA on Wednesday announced it is upping control measures to prevent the onset of the virus. Some of these measures include issuing advisories to travellers heading to areas with Zika outbreak.

Mr Gan said MOH has issued a medical circular to increase the awareness of Zika among the medical community. As the virus has been included in the list of legally notifiable diseases, all medical practitioners and diagnostic laboratories are required to notify MOH of suspect and confirmed cases of Zika virus infection within 24 hours, he reiterated.

"If a case of Zika virus infection is detected in Singapore, vector control operations will be stepped up to prevent further transmission of Zika virus infection. MOH will also actively look for additional cases in high risk areas in relation to the case," the Minister said.

"Confirmed cases will be admitted to a public hospital for further management and public health precautions will be taken to ensure that they are not bitten by mosquitoes."

He added: "We urge the public to do its part by remaining vigilant and taking appropriate precautions to prevent mosquito breeding."

- CNA/kk

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All school classrooms to get air purifiers for hazy conditions

MOE will deploy about 25,000 air purifiers to all primary and secondary schools in Singapore by July this year, says Acting Minister for Education Ng Chee Meng.

Channel NewsAsia 27 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE: In preparation for future haze seasons, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will deploy air purifiers to all school classrooms, said Acting Minister for Education Ng Chee Meng on Wednesday (Jan 27).

In a written reply to a parliamentary question from MP Christopher de Souza, Mr Ng said MOE will send about 25,000 air purifiers to all primary and secondary schools in Singapore by July this year. Similarly, Voluntary Welfare Organisation-run special education schools and MOE Kindergartens will also have air purifiers, Mr Ng added.

Schools will be provided guidelines on the use of the air purifiers as well, he said.

The move comes after the completion of the haze management review, and the measures are to enhance the well-being of students and staff during a haze situation, said Mr Ng. The measures were introduced in consultation with the National Environment Agency and the Ministry of Health.

“This enhancement to haze management measures takes into account the unusually prolonged hazy season last year as a possible forerunner of future haze seasons,” he explained. The Pollutant Standards Index in Singapore reached unhealthy and hazardous levels in 2015, forcing primary and secondary schools to close for a day.

- CNA/xk


MOE to deploy 25,000 air purifiers to primary, secondary schools
ASYRAF KAMIL Today Online 27 Jan 16;

SINGAPORE — The Ministry of Education (MOE) will deploy about 25,000 air purifiers to all primary and secondary schools in Singapore by July 2016.

On top of that, special education schools run by voluntary welfare organisations and MOE kindergartens, which are guided by haze management measures taken by mainstream schools, will also be equipped with the air purifiers. All schools will be given guidelines on the use of the air purifiers.

Mr Ng Chee Meng, Acting Minister for Education (Schools), said in Parliament today (Jan 27) that the ministry’s move is to “further enhance the well-being of our students and staff (members) during a haze situation”. This was in reply to Member of Parliament Christopher de Souza, who asked whether the ministry would consider using portable airconditioners and air purifiers in school classrooms whenever the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading — which measures air quality — reaches the unhealthy range and beyond.

This new meaure in haze management comes in anticipation of future haze seasons, expected to happen in the third quarter of this year.

Since the prolonged haze season of 2015, parents have expressed concerns and have been asking for the use of such appliances in classrooms.

In an unprecedented move last year, the MOE closed all primary and secondary schools on Sep 25 as a precaution, when the PSI went above 300 and the air quality is considered hazardous. An O-level practical examination had to be postponed due to the school closures. Then, students sitting for their Primary School Leaving Examinations last year in the midst of the hazy season did it in enclosed spaces aided by air purifiers.

The roll-out of such appliances to the schools this year comes after a period of consultation among the MOE, the National Environment Agency and the Health Ministry.

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Malaysia: Sabah still able to cope with dry spell

The Star 28 Jan 16;

KOTA KINABALU: Water officials are confident of weathering the El Nino-induced dry spell until the middle of April before they introduce water rationing.

Sabah Water Department deputy director Teo Chee Kong said the current water levels at the Bambagon and Telibong dams as well as river intake points were sufficient for the city and other areas spanning from Tuaran to Papar.

“We are monitoring on a daily basis and at present we are able to provide normal water supply. If the dry spell persists, we will have to resort to rationing,” he said, adding that the weatherman had forecast that the dry spell would end by late March or early April.

The Babagon dam, which can store up to 22 million cubic litres of water, is Sabah’s biggest dam, while the Telibong dam has a capacity of 10 million cubic litres.

Teo said there had been minimal rainfall around the catchment areas in January and records showed that it was lower than the minimum recorded rainfall in 100 years.

“If the water levels hit 111m (45% capacity), we will need to put in place some form of rationing. If it drops to the 102m level (20% capa­city), then we go into full rationing,” he said.

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