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Monday Morgue
Carolyn Khew Straits Times 14 Mar 16;
On the small island of Pulau Ketam lies a facility where baby fish are nursed to withstand the nastiest of diseases. Set up by fish farm Marine Life Aquaculture, the land-based site works like a health clinic.
Its four-finger threadfin fish take 21/2 months to grow to about 10g, at which stage they are given a vaccination jab. It takes about 16 man-hours every day to vaccinate 5,000 fish but the farm's chief operating officer believes it is worth it.
"These fish are very fragile and the mortality rate is usually 80 to 90 per cent but we've managed to turn it around. In our fish, 70 per cent can survive," said Mr Frank Tan.
Before the fish are vaccinated, the eggs and larvae are reared in sterilised water treated with ultraviolet rays, ensuring they do not become vulnerable to aquatic disease.
The vaccination and controlled environment help protect fish stock against common diseases caused by bacteria such as Tenacibaculum maritimum, more commonly known as T. mar, which causes lesions in fish. It also protects them against Streptococcus iniae, a major disease among tropical fish.
Mr Tan, 41, who founded the farm in 2009, said improving his stock's survival rate helps to solve the main "bottleneck" of the aquaculture process. He said: "Imagine if you rear 100 fish but only 10 to 20 survive, how would that ever make your business viable?"
About 8 per cent of fish consumed here are produced locally and the Government hopes to increase this to 15 per cent. To shorten the time needed to raise the fish to marketable size, Mr Tan said his team identifies adult fish which reproduce fast-growing juvenile fish.
Doing so has enabled him to shorten the harvesting time from about 10 months to 61/2 months - reducing the amount spent on food and other operating costs. His 6ha Pulau Ketam site houses nearly 100 tanks. About 200 tonnes of fish are produced each year.
Apart from threadfin, he also grows seabass. Once the fish are about 100 days old, they are transferred to net cages in his Changi fish farm located opposite.
There are about 120 coastal fish farms in Singapore.
An Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) spokesman said: "Given Singapore's limited land resources... it is important to intensify agriculture land use, and raise productivity and capability of our farms so we can do more with less."
Earlier this month, the AVA launched a tender for the development of a commercially viable indoor farming system for edible fish.
The tender will close on June 2.
Carolyn Khew, The Straits Times AsiaOne 14 Mar 16;
A NEW breed of farmer is appearing in Singapore.
They are using high-tech and high-yield methods to transform their work from back-breaking labour into lucrative business.
From running indoor vertical vegetable farms - which grow crops in stacked layers, to raising fitter fish that are robust against aquatic diseases, farmers here are finding ways to overcome the limitations of traditional farming.
Sustenir Agriculture, for example, is an indoor farm which currently produces about 54 tonnes of vegetables a year - an output which its founders consider highly efficient for a 344 sq m space.
Grown in rolling racks less than 3m tall, the plants are packed together allowing for maximum light absorption. The modular design means the racks can be moved easily.
"Traditionally, when people look at vertical farms, they haven't been looking at them from an urban standpoint," said the farm's co-founder Martin Lavoo.
"Especially if they are farms of gigantic size, most of them are in the outskirts of the city or in relatively rural areas. We wanted to look at how we can put this in the middle of city - say Raffles Place - delivering straight into the heart of demand."
The farms' controlled conditions also allow them to grow imported varieties such as the Tuscan kale.
"This means a lower carbon footprint - we won't have to air-freight them from the United States or Europe," said the other co-founder of Sustenir Agriculture, Benjamin Swan.
Since 2014, the farm has been producing vegetables such as kale and arugula.
Sustenir is based in an industrial facility in Admiralty.
Its vegetables absorb light from LEDs and are tube-fed with nutrients while carbon dioxide comes through the air-con ducts.
Before anyone can enter the area where plants are grown, they have to don a jumpsuit and take an air shower to remove dirt particles.
Vegetables are grown at temperatures between 14 deg C and 22 deg C.
It takes about two weeks for the produce to grow before it is harvested. This is about half the time needed for outdoor farms to grow vegetables under normal conditions, said Mr Swan. It is then sold to restaurants such as Salad Stop!.
While the vegetables sell for $19 per kilogram - about 10 per cent higher than it would cost businesses to buy from wholesalers - Mr Swan, 35, and Mr Lavoo, 29, said the quality is worth the price.
Mr Swan added that their vegetables can stay fresh for up to two weeks, as they are locally produced.
According to figures from the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority released last year, 10,848 tonnes of leafy vegetables consumed here in 2014 were produced locally.
This means 12 per cent of Singapore's total vegetable consumption that year was produced locally, up from 7 per cent in 2010.
Jonatan Lassa, a research fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University who researches food and environmental security issues, said growing crops in a controlled environment can have several advantages, including a lower carbon footprint and less water wastage.
"The beauty of vertical farming is that the multiple is infinite," said Mr Lavoo.
"We can go as many storeys up as we like. The sky is literally the limit."
NURADZIMMAH DAIM AND AWAINA ARBEE New Straits Times 14 Mar 16;
KUALA LUMPUR: A committee to look into ways to deal with the effects of the heat wave is expected to be formed soon.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the ministry would be meeting related agencies including Ministries of Education; and Energy, Green Technology and Water; as well as Meteorological Department to discuss on the matter.
"We can't take the heat wave lightly and it has been said that the El Nino phenomenon will continue for a few years.
"I have given instructions to my officers to have the meeting later this week.
We already have a national committee to address the haze problem, so there should be one on heat wave," he said when met at the Parliament lobby earlier.
He had earlier told the Dewan Rakyat that the Cabinet had agreed on the amendments of laws related to the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) laws and these would be tabled in the parliament soon.
"Under the existing laws, findings and products from the researches carried out by the ministry through agencies like FRIM in collaboration with universities, for instance, could not be shared (publicly).
So, we are looking into amending the laws and have received the go-ahead from the Cabinet a few months ago," he said in responding to a question by Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong).
It’s too hot for school
The Star 14 Mar 16;
KLANG: The Education Ministry will decide if schools should be temporarily closed due to the heatwave, said Deputy Education Minister Datuk P. Kamalanathan.
He said the relevant authorities were monitoring the situation closely and would consider the option if it became too hot when schools reopen later.
“Since it is the school holidays now, children could stay indoor and minimise outdoor activities until the schools reopen next week.
“However, we will consider closing schools if the need arises,” he said when met after attending a youth dance programme here yesterday.
Kamalanathan was asked if public schools would be advised to close following the current hot spell that could bring a heatwave and the forecast of scorching heat on March 20, a day before the schools reopen.
He said that right now, a ministry’s standard circular allowed school administrators to decide based on the existing standard procedures.
“The circular empowers the principals and headmasters that under such instances when the weather is too hot, they can take action such as stop having classes outdoor.
“Considering that the weather is worse now, we will make sure the relevant information is updated and sent to all state Education Departments directors within these two days.
“They can then advise all school principals and headmasters to prevent students from getting involved in outdoor activities at school if it gets too hot when the schools reopen later,” he said, adding that schools in the other countries actually shut down during heatwave attacks.
Kamalanathan noted that the Education Ministry would be guided by the standards set by the Environment Ministry on whether to close schools or not when it gets too hot.
“They have the expertise, which we do not have.
“Once we get the needed information from them, we will decide on the next course of action,” he said.
Kamalanathan also added that meetings with all relevant ministries and agencies were ongoing to discuss issues concerning schools and students welfare.
Air-con sales see a surge in hot weather
The Star 14 Mar 16;
GEORGE TOWN: With the rising temperatures, air conditioner units are literally flying off from electrical shops as demand surges.
Best Point Furniture & Electric Sdn Bhd operating manager Kelvin Pang said there had been a 30% increase in sale of air conditioning and air cooling devices since the start of March.
“We expect this to increase to 50%, as is usually the case this time of the year,” he added.
Pang said besides air conditioners, people were also buying air coolers and fans.
“We have been selling between three and five air conditioners every day since the beginning of the month, from the usual one or two units,” he added.
A part-time air condition installer, who only wished to be known as Soon, said customers were getting desperate in the current climate.
“Some are willing to fork out extra money for the air conditioners to be installed at their homes as soon as possible.
“But we are also hard pressed looking for time-slots,” he said.
He also added that installers were working till late in the day to cope with the increasing demand.
Housewife Lily Tan said she decided to buy an air conditioner and air cooler after her children complained that the heat was getting unbearable.
“We were used to living without any air cooling devices before this, but this time the heat is unusually hot,” she added.
Antara 13 Mar 16;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD) Irman Gusman said the government should be more open to peatland management for economic activities.
"The government should not restrict all kinds of activities on peatlands because many (economic) activities have been running there. It should not make a wrong decision that could cause stagnancy to industry and increase in the number of unemployed people in Indonesia," he said here over the weekend.
He said that the village funds which almost totaled Rp50 trillion can be used to control forest and land fires.
"By using the village funds, the government should not necessarily depend on foreign assistance. Moreover, foreign funds, though small, require a lot of and difficult requirements," he said.
He said foreign funds were full of interests aimed to weaken Indonesian flagship commodities such as oil palm plantation and forest industrial products.
Irman sited as an example the fire-free village program now being implemented by a number of companies. This is a collaborative effort that is successful in reducing the number of hotspots.
"Forest and land fire handling should involved all stakeholders. There is no need to blame each other," he stated.(*)
Antara 13 Mar 16;
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Terra and Aqua Satellites detected 29 hotspots in five districts of Riau Province, Sunday.
The number of hotspots increased drastically after there was no hotspot at all over the last two days, Sugarin, head of the Pekanbaru meteorology office, said.
The districts of Meranti had 16 hotspots, Bengkalis 10, and Rokan Hilir, Pelalawan and Indragiri Hulu one each, he added.
Of the 29 hotspots, 21 hotspots which were found in Bengkalis and Meranti, were confirmed to have come from forest and plantation fires.
"Ten hotspots were detected in Bengkalis and 11 in Meranti," he stated. (*)
Riau warned over forest fires
Rizal Harahap and Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, The Jakarta Post 14 Mar 16;
Riau authorities were warned on Sunday to increase efforts to prevent land and forest fires as 29 hot spots have been detected in the province, the highest number among all provinces in Sumatra.
“The number is far higher than other provinces in Sumatra,” The Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) data and information division head Slamet Riyadi said.
Slamet said that the Terra and Aqua satellites had detected eight hot spots in Aceh, and one each in North Sumatra and South Sumatra.
He said the number of hot spots in Riau jumped to 29 on Sunday, from six on Saturday and eight on Friday.
According to satellite data, 16 hot spots were detected in Meranti regency, 10 in Bengkalis regency and one each in Indragiri Hulu, Pelalawan and Rokan Hilir regencies.
“Based on a temperature analysis, there are indications that 21 of the hot spots are fires, with a confidence level of 70 percent. Eleven of them are in Meranti while 11 are in Bengkalis,” he added.
Slamet suggested that all stakeholders increase their efforts to prevent land and forest fires in eastern coastal Riau, since the area is dominated by peatland, which is highly flammable.
“The potential for rain is also minimal, there is only the possible of rain in the central, west and south Riau,” he added.
Separately, Bukit Barisan Military Commander Maj. Lodewyk Pusung said he had received a report that claimed that the number of fire hot spots increased during weekends due to land-clearing activities.
“It seems that arsonists are reading the situation and increasing their activities on weekends when security officers take a rest or day off. On working days, they ease their operations,” Lodewyk said.
Meanwhile, the Riau Natural Resources and Conservation Agency’s regional division head Supartono said his agency had deployed firefighter teams in 89 villages that were prone to forest fires.
“Starting this year, we are conducting coordinated and measurable patrols. Earlier, patrols were conducted sporadically,” Supartono said, adding that his agency had set up 69 forest-fire posts with a six-member team at each post.
He said his officers had been patrolling 20 of the 89 villages to monitor and extinguish fire spots.
In related developments, the police have arrested 41 people suspected of burning land in the province. “Dumai and Pelalawan Police are handling the most cases, with 12 cases and five cases, respectively” said Riau Police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr. Aryo Tedjo, adding that the number of suspects might increase.
Meanwhile, hot weather has hit Gorontalo province in the past few weeks, with temperatures reaching 34 degrees Celsius every day.
BMKG Gorontalo forecaster Fatuhri said that hot temperatures were the result of the El Nino phenomenon, which was still being felt in the province, as well as a lack of rainfall.
Currently, the only area which has experienced rain is the northern part of the province.
Residents have complained that the hot weather has dried wells and destroyed corps.
Abbas Ali, a farmer near Lake Limboto in Gorontalo city, said that the hot temperatures caused pest populations to increase, which led to the destruction of plants.
Abbas said he had suffered losses of around Rp 10 million (US$714) as pests destroyed his tomatoes, eggplants, cucumber and chilli plants.
“The fruit has become small and rotten. I destroyed all the plants,” he said.
Expert blames global warming, as coral bleaches when water temperatures go above a certain threshold for an extended period of time
Michael Slezak The Guardian 14 Mar 16;
Damage to parts of the Great Barrier Reef has worsened, leading authorities to raise the alert to the second-highest level, indicating severe local coral bleaching.
The bleaching is worst in the most pristine and remote parts of the reef north of Cairns, according to Terry Hughes, convenor of the National Coral Taskforce. “It’s the jewel in the crown of the Great Barrier Reef and it’s now getting a quite a serious impact from this bleaching event,” he said. “The northern reefs are bleaching quite badly now.”
Hughes said it appeared there was some coral death occurring in northern reefs.
Russell Reichelt, the chairman of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority said the area around Lizard Island, 250km north of Cairns, and sites further north, had fared the worst.
The US National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration predicts bleaching conditions to worsen over the coming weeks.
The world is currently in the grips of the third global coral bleaching event. Coral bleaches when water temperatures are raised above a certain threshold for an extended period of time.
Hughes, director of the ARC centre of excellence for coral reef studies at James Cook University, said although the strong El Niño occurring now is partly to blame for the bleaching event, the real culprit is global warming caused by carbon emissions.
“These massive thousand-kilometer bleaching events didn’t happen thirty years ago,” he said. “No-one ever recorded a mass bleaching event in the 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, until the middle of the 1980s … and the Great Barrier Reef didn’t bleach until 1998 for the first time.”
“The baseline temperature on the barrier reef has gone up between a half a degree and a full degree depending where you are on the great barrier reef. Bleaching happens once coral sits in water a degree or two above the normal summer maximum for a month or so.”
Moreover, Reichelt said climate change is expected to increase the severity El Niño weather patterns.
We're heading to a point where the Great Barrier Reef might bleach during every El Niño, risking its very existence.
Hughes says we are heading towards a future where the Great Barrier Reef might bleach during every El Niño , which will put its existence at risk.
Based on the severity of bleaching reports, the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has lifted its bleaching warning from Response Level 1, which means mild and widespread bleaching, to Response Level 2 (severe and local).
The silver lining in the announcement is cloud cover and cooler temperatures have created safer conditions for two thirds of the reef – most areas south of Cairns.
“In the last couple of weeks we’ve had a lot of cloud cover in the middle and the south, so the danger period has basically passed for the reef south of Cairns.”
But the announcement has led to calls for immediate action from conservation groups around Australia.
Greenpeace called for Queensland to limit its coal exporting. “In the two weeks since the level 1 response plan began, the Queensland government has allowed some 8m tonnes of coal to be exported straight through this delicate ecosystem. This coal will be burnt overseas, driving climate change, warming our oceans and contributing to coral bleaching,” said Shani Tager, Greenpeace Reef Campaigner.
Society said: “As the bleaching on the Reef continues to intensify we need an urgent response from the Turnbull government to avoid widespread bleaching happening repeatedly in the future.”
“This bleaching event has revealed the true cost of approving more coal mines, more coal export port terminals and refusing to listen to the warnings ... The solutions are clear, we must make a rapid transition from mining and burning coal to 100% renewable energy.”
WWF-Australia called for an injection of $1m in federal funding for coral monitoring.
“GBRMPA is clearly concerned and is being proactive in lifting its response level and we support them in taking this action,” said WWF spokesperson Richard Leck.
“Surveying the impact of this bleaching event requires significant additional funds because of the challenges of getting scientists into the field over enormous distances.”
Coral bleaching threat level increased by Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
Stephanie Smail ABC News 14 Mar 16;
Authorities monitoring the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority have increased the coral bleaching threat level after divers found widespread loss of coral.
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA) chairman Dr Russell Reichelt said the area around Lizard Island, north of Cairns, and sites further north, had been hit hardest.
It warned there was a high risk of mass coral bleaching on the reef this month due to the hot, dry conditions associated with the El Nino weather system and high sea surface temperatures.
"This is the result of sea surface temperatures climbing as high as 33 degrees Celsius during February," Dr Reichelt said.
"In the far north, the surveys found severe bleaching on inshore reefs, along with moderate bleaching on mid-shelf reefs."
Bleaching dramatically increased in past two weeks
Since earlier today, divers from the GBRMPA have been working with the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service and other scientists to survey the extent and severity of bleaching.
Dr Reichelt said GBRMPA would ramp up monitoring of the mass bleaching event in the coming days.
Lyle Vail, who runs the Australian Museum's Lizard Island Research Station north of Cairns, said bleaching had increased dramatically in the past two weeks, especially among shallow water corals.
"A couple of weeks ago you'd look around in the Lizard Island lagoon and see at least 50 per cent of corals were stressed to some level, but none had died," he said.
"Now you look around and see all the corals are highly stressed and a couple of colonies have died."
Earlier this month, Mr Vail said the bleaching was the worst to hit the island in more than 15 years.
Bleaching reported up to 30kms away from Lizard Island
He said it would take time for the coral to recover when cooler air and sea temperatures eventually arrived.
"Corals aren't going to miraculously recover. It takes them time, if they're going to survive, to get over such a stressful event," he said.
"It will take many weeks for the coral to get as close as it can to previous condition.
"The problem with having these high levels of stress is it will affect their growth and reproductive output in the future."
Mr Vail said other researchers monitoring corals in the area had reported bleaching up to 30 kilometres away from the island.
He said there were signs the worst weather was over.
"We're starting to see the sea temperatures go down gradually after a week of cloud cover and cooler air temperatures," he said.
Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies Professor Terry Hughes said the mass bleaching was a "real tragedy".
"After months of El Nino conditions, we had hoped that cloudy weather in the past few weeks would quench the overheating of the Great Barrier Reef along its entire length," said Professor Hughes.
He said extensive aerial surveys would begin this week, similar to those done during mass bleaching events in 1998 and 2002.
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Niniek Karmini, Associated Press Jakarta Post 11 Mar 16;
Indonesia's top security minister said Friday that authorities have started efforts to fight forest and peatland fires that often pollute Southeast Asia's air as the dry season begins this month.
Luhut Pandjaitan, the coordinating minister for politics, legal and security affairs, said the government wants to avoid mistakes made last year when lack of prevention resulted in fires burning out of control. President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo had to ask help from other countries to bring the blazes under control.
Forest fires have been an annual problem in Indonesia since the mid-1990s, causing a toxic haze that often drifts into neighboring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Last year's fires, which covered 2.1 million hectares, were considered one of the country's worst environmental disasters since 1997, when blazes spread across nearly 10 million hectares.
Most of the fires are started deliberately to clear land for agriculture such as palm oil plantations.
"We will declare a state of emergency once fires are detected, particularly on peat land," Pandjaitan said. "We don't want to repeat mistakes we made last year."
Early declaration of emergencies will speed up the release of funds so authorities can deploy troops, helicopters and firefighting equipment more quickly, he said.
Damming canals so they flood peatland, which burns easily, is also being tried nationwide.
Scientists have predicted that low rainfall due to the El Nino effect could make fires worse this year if the government fails to stop intentional burning, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo island.
The fires have caused health problems and economic losses on top of environmental damage. Last year in Indonesia there were 21 deaths and the smoky haze blanketing a swath of the country was estimated to have caused respiratory problems for half a million people.
The World Bank has estimated US$16 billion in economic costs from the 2015 fires, more than double what was spent on rebuilding Aceh province after the 2004 tsunami.
The Riau provincial government declared a state of emergency on Monday after fires in at least three districts began spreading rapidly because of strong winds. More than 700 police and soldiers have been deployed to extinguish the fires.
Riau province was one of the most severely affected areas last year.
Indonesia begins serious efforts to tackle forest fires
Authorities in Riau in western Indonesia have started their fight on forest fires, as the dry season begins to set in.
Sujadi Siswo Channel NewsAsia 11 Mar 16;
JAKARTA: Authorities in Riau in western Indonesia have started their fight on forest fires, as the dry season begins to set in.
On Tuesday (Mar 8), the Sumatran province declared a state of emergency over fires spreading rapidly because of strong winds. In just two months, more than 200 hectares of forests there have been razed.
More than 700 personnel from the military, police and forestry ministry have been deployed to put out the fires in Riau.
For the first time, coordinated joint patrols are also being deployed, not only to detect fires but also to educate the population on fire prevention.
"The new initiative from the Forestry and Environment Ministry this year is the coordinated joint-patrols. They consist of personnel from the military, police, fire fighters, community, media and non-governmental organisations,” said Supartono, spokesman for Riau Environment Conservation Agency.
On Monday, the Riau provincial government declared its highest level of disaster readiness since fires were detected in at least three districts two months ago.
It said it has the situation under control except for certain inaccessible areas where water bombing needs to be done.
The Environment and Forestry Ministry said so far 10 people have been questioned for allegedly starting the fires. Often, these are started by plantation companies and smallholders to clear land ahead of the planting season.
Riau was one of the provinces severely affected by forest fires last year, made worse by the prolonged dry season caused by the El Nino weather pattern.
It was considered to be one of the worst environmental disasters in recent years, costing the Indonesian government an estimated US$16 billion.
The haze from the fires choked its neighbors Singapore and Malaysia – and several parts of Thailand – causing schools, offices and airports to shut down for several days.
It also affected the health of hundreds of thousands of people in the region.
Singapore and Malaysia were among dozens of countries that assisted Indonesia in the fire-fighting efforts.
President Joko Widodo has vowed to tackle the problem and his government recently set up an agency to restore some two million hectares of carbon-rich peatland damaged by fires.
- CNA/jb
Jakarta employs new tactics to fight forest fires this dry season
Today Online 12 Mar 16;
JAKARTA — Indonesia’s top security minister said yesterday that authorities have started efforts to fight forest and peatland fires that often pollute South-east Asia’s air as the dry season begins this month.
Mr Luhut Pandjaitan, the Coordinating Minister for Politics, Legal and Security Affairs, said the government wants to avoid mistakes made last year when lack of prevention resulted in fires burning out of control. President Joko Widodo had to ask for help from other countries to bring the blazes under control.
Forest fires have been an annual problem in Indonesia since the mid-1990s, causing a toxic haze that often drifts into neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Last year’s fires, which covered 2.1 million ha, were considered one of the country’s worst environmental disasters since 1997, when blazes spread across nearly 10 million ha.
Most of the fires are started deliberately to clear land for agriculture such as palm oil plantations.
“We will declare a state of emergency once fires are detected, particularly on peat land,” said Mr Pandjaitan. “We don’t want to repeat mistakes we made last year.”
Early declaration of emergencies will speed up the release of funds so authorities can deploy troops, helicopters and firefighting equipment more quickly, he said. Damming canals so they flood peatland, which burns easily, is also being tried nationwide.
Scientists have predicted that low rainfall due to the El Nino effect could make fires worse this year if the government fails to stop intentional burning, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan on the Indonesian part of Borneo island.
The fires have caused health problems and economic losses, on top of environmental damage. Last year in Indonesia, there were 21 deaths and the smoky haze was estimated to have caused respiratory problems for half a million people.
The World Bank has estimated US$16 billion (S$22 billion) in economic costs from the 2015 fires, more than double what was spent on rebuilding Aceh province after the 2004 tsunami.
The Riau provincial government declared a state of emergency on Monday after fires in at least three districts began spreading rapidly because of strong winds. More than 700 police and soldiers have been deployed to extinguish the fires.
Riau province was one of the most severely affected areas last year.
Mr Anderson Tanoto, a director at Royal Golden Eagle, a diversified conglomerate that controls Asia Pacific Resources International (APRIL), a producer of fibre, pulp and paper, said that the declaration of a state of emergency “was positive”, as it will help Riau, the province in which APRIL has its main operations, to secure all the investment and manpower it needs to help prevent and fight fires.
“That means that all command posts will start working. The faster they start working, the faster the flame can be extinguished,” said Mr Anderson. “Last year, the alert was sent so late.”
Ms Aida Greenbury, managing director of sustainability at Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), a subsidiary of the Sinar Mas Group, said APP has made commitments for this year to spend more than US$20 million for its broad fire management strategy, which lists measures such as prevention, preparation, early detection and rapid responses. AGENCIES
Audrey Tan, Straits Times AsiOne 11 Mar 16;
The world may have signed a pact to tackle climate change last December, but its effects are still being felt far and wide.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that buildings contribute to as much as a third of total global greenhouse gas emissions, mainly due to the use of fossil fuels for energy generation.
In Singapore, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) says buildings, which refer to offices, shopping malls, hotels, and educational and healthcare institutes, consume more than a third of the nation's electricity.
"Buildings thus present a huge opportunity for tackling climate change, especially by improving energy efficiency in design and reducing energy consumption when operating buildings," said a BCA spokesman.
The UNEP says current technology can cut energy consumption in buildings by up to 80 per cent.
Research and development may reduce this further, and BCA has a suite of initiatives to promote R&D, including the BCA SkyLab, a rotatable laboratory for testing and developing energy-efficient technology.
Experts such as Dr Herbert Dreiseitl, director of the Germany-based Liveable Cities Lab, have also suggested that to protect the country against the effects of climate change - such as heavier rain and prolonged dry spells - more green features can be incorporated in buildings from an earlier stage of the design process.
For instance, water retention tanks could be installed to store rainwater.
This would reduce the rainwater flowing into the public drainage system, lessening the chances of flash floods. Stored water can also be used to water plants in the building during a dry spell.
But as new buildings make up only a small part of the building stock, green strategies that can be applied to existing buildings must also be considered, said Professor Thomas Schroepfer, associate head of the architecture and sustainable design school at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
This could involve re-using existing structures, said Prof Schroepfer, who authored Dense + Green: Innovative Building Types For Sustainable Urban Architecture, a book launched by SUTD's Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities last month.
"A good local example would be the Rail Corridor and the proposed adaptive reuse of the existing building, the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station."
The winners of a design competition for the future of the former KTM railway land had repurposed the station as a multi- function community building, which is also expected to include facilities such as a railway gallery, art clubs and cafes. The station's carpark could also become a public park.
As of January, almost 2,600 buildings in Singapore and more than 76 million sq m of gross floor area are certified green by the BCA.
This is more than 30 per cent of the Republic's total gross floor area. The Government's goal is to green at least 80 per cent of total gross floor area of buildings here by 2030.
BCA believes Singapore is on track to achieving this through initiatives such as cash incentives to get building owners that retrofit their premises to make them more energy-efficient.
"BCA's three Green Building Masterplans in the last decade had initiatives targeted at new buildings, existing buildings and end-users...to pave the way for us to hit the target," said a spokesman.
"The next step is to innovate and further stretch the energy savings of green building technologies, which is the key focus of the various R&D efforts over the next few years."
Lin Yangchen, Straits Times AsiaOne 12 Mar 16;
They provide shade and cool the air when water evaporates from their leaves
Did you know that the patch of trees behind your house might save you money on air-conditioning bills?
This has to do with the way plants cool the air when water evaporates from their leaves. With climate change already bringing higher temperatures and more extreme weather events, the importance of greenery is set to increase.
"We are in a climate where every degree counts in terms of human comfort," said Associate Professor Matthias Roth of the department of geography at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
This is especially so in a densely built city like Singapore, where concrete surfaces absorb heat during the day and the "canyons" of closely packed buildings prevent it from escaping at night.
This is known as the urban heat island effect and was the subject of a recent study by Prof Roth in collaboration with his master's student, Mr Reuben Li.
They deployed about 40 temperature and humidity sensors all over Singapore, monitoring hourly changes in different environments over about three years.
The study found that rural areas with few buildings, like Lim Chu Kang, were about 3 deg C cooler at night than urban areas such as Orchard Road. This is because a flat and open rural area allows heat to escape easily at night.
If the night is clear and calm, the rural area can be up to 7 deg C cooler as there are no clouds to prevent heat from escaping into space, and no wind blowing in warmer air from the city.
In the day, however, rural areas are as warm as urban areas, the researchers found. This is where having tall trees can make a difference.
The temperature sensors showed that at midday, forested areas are about 1.5 deg C cooler on average than urban areas. This is because trees provide shade as well as evaporative cooling.
Even a small park in the city can have a cooling effect. An example is Telok Kurau Park, a rectangular plot measuring 187m by 97m with large shady trees, in the midst of a sprawling estate of low-rise housing.
A study by Prof Roth's honours student, Ms Khoo Yuan Ling, in 2004 found that on a clear and calm night, the park can be up to 2 deg C cooler than the surrounding area.
She also found that the cooling effect can be felt beyond the park boundary up to a distance roughly equal to its width. This is known as the edge effect.
Said Prof Roth: "If you remove the pocket of green area, you remove the edge effect as well."
The result? Increased discomfort and higher air-conditioning bills as people fight the heat by blasting their air-conditioning.
The Centre for Climate Research Singapore has projected an increase in surface temperature of 1.4 to 4.6 deg C across the country by the end of the century. While global warming is impossible for Singapore to control on its own, it still has a role to play.
"What we can do locally is to try to mitigate the heat island effect," said Prof Roth.
The Singapore Government has worked hard to preserve greenery in the country, which ranks among South-east Asia's foremost economic powerhouses. Almost half of the island is green. The total area of greenery in Singapore increased from 35.7 to 46.5 per cent from 1986 to 2007, according to a report by the National Parks Board.
The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) says that 9 per cent of Singapore's land has been set aside for parks and nature reserves, and 19 per cent for defence. A large proportion of the land for defence use is wooded.
URA also has policies in place to ensure that greenery and development go hand in hand.
"In all new regional growth centres, it is now mandatory for developers to replace 100 per cent of the site area they displaced on their new buildings in the form of greenery and communal spaces," said a URA spokesman.
Mr Kavickumar Muruganathan, head of eco-certifications and lead environmental engineer at the Singapore Environment Council, pointed out that greenery serves many purposes. Besides cooling the air and being home to wildlife, it relaxes the mind and acts as a natural noise barrier.
"It even acts as an effective flood alleviation mechanism," he added, citing the ability of vegetation to retain water.
Audrey Tan Straits Times 11 Mar 16;
SINGAPORE - There is no lack of green spaces, even in urban Singapore, and the upcoming March school holiday is a perfect time to explore them.
From the manicured lawns of Gardens by the Bay to the rustic trails within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, there is a shade of green to suit every fancy.
But while all green spaces are important, some may be more equal than others.
Parks are man-made environments that support a smaller diversity of species, as compared to nature reserves, which are original native environments that are biologically diverse.
There are certain species of plants and animals that visitors can only find in nature reserves.
A five-banded gliding lizard and a slender squirrel, for instance, are animals you would not be able to find in Singapore's local parks.
The Johnson's freshwater crab, discovered by Singapore crab expert Peter Ng in the 1980s, is even more unique.
It is restricted to the Bukit Timah and Central Catchment Nature Reserves, and can be found nowhere else in the world.
When it comes to trees, the Central Catchment Nature Reserve is where Singapore's largest primary lowland rainforest patch can be found, with many of the tree species from the genus Dipterocarpus and Shorea going back millions of years.
As biologist David Tan from the Love Our MacRitchie Forest volunteer group puts it: "As for the primary forest, they're primeval, and are likely as old as the soil."
There are more than 300 parks in Singapore, but only four nature reserves, namely, the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve as well as the Central Catchment, Bukit Timah and Labrador Nature Reserves.
Nature reserves are protected areas for the conservation of Singapore's biodiversity, and visitors should take more care when visiting them. Here are some tips for planning a visit to the nature reserves.
1. OPENING HOURS
The entrance of the Kampong Trail at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on Aug 23, 2013. PHOTO: ST FILE
Unlike parks, entry to the nature reserves are restricted to certain hours, so check the National Parks Board's (NParks) website at www.nparks.gov.sg for the opening hours before making a trip down.
Take note that parts of the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve are currently closed due to restoration work.
Although visitors can access the summit of Bukit Timah Nature Reserve through the Main Road from 7am to 6pm on weekends, the reserve will remain closed on weekdays and public holidays that do not fall on weekends.
2. ATTIRE
A clouded monitor lizard scampering across the trail at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve on Sept 11, 2014. PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER
Nature reserves are less "sanitised" than parks, in the sense that the trails open to the public within the reserves are often dirt tracks instead of concrete paths, so dress appropriately.
Sturdy, covered footwear are important for navigating routes which may be littered with rocks. Long pants or tops with long-sleeves would also help visitors avoid getting bitten by insects or scratched by protruding branches.
Try to avoid using stick-on insect repellent patches, as these tend to fall off clothes and become litter.
Covering up is the best option to avoid getting bitten, but if not, use gel or spray repellents.
3. ACTIVITIES
Elusive, shy animals like pangolins are easily scared off by mass activities. PHOTO: NATIONAL PARKS
Nature reserves are home to some species of animals that are elusive and very shy, such as the Sunda pangolin or birds like the chestnut-winged babbler.
So mass activities such as exercise programmes, family days and organised runs tend to scare them off. When visiting a nature reserve, keep noise to a minimum, to avoid scaring off the animals.
Soak in the cacophony of nature instead of plugging into an MP3 player. This will also help you to be more in tune with your surroundings, and is a safety precaution. Keep your ears pricked, particularly after a rain, as you may hear the tell-tale crackling of branches about to fall off.
And no matter how cute or interesting a plant or animal seems, whether in a park or nature reserve, avoid touching or handling plants and animals. Doing so may harm the wildlife, and animals may also fight back in retaliation.
Remember the old adage: take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints, kill nothing but time.
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