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SIAU MING EN Today Online 11 Mar 17;
SINGAPORE — When Singapore decided to shift its immigration and Customs checkpoint away from the old Tanjong Pagar railway station in 1998, Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a rally in Johor Baru that their country’s “good nature” should not be taken for granted by others.
“Cut, cut, cut,” chanted the crowd, urging their government to cut off Johor’s water supply to Singapore.
The relocation of the checkpoint was one of several sticky points that were part of quid pro quo negotiations during the Asian Financial Crisis, when Singapore sought future water supplies in return for financial aid to Malaysia. This was not the first time Singapore’s northern neighbour had threatened to stop supplying water.
That very same year, a team from the national water agency PUB was sent to the United States to study their water-reclamation projects, hoping to revive an earlier failed experiment with water membrane technology. Within a decade, Singapore launched NEWater in 2002 and built its first desalination plant in Tuas in 2005.
The development of the “four national taps” strategy in the early 2000s, consisting of local water catchments, water from Johor Baru, NEWater and desalinated water, marked a big turning point: Singapore had turned its vulnerability into strength and became recognised internationally for its water resource management capabilities. The Republic can, if necessary, become completely self-sufficient after 2061, when the 1962 Water Agreement with Malaysia would expire — a position previously espoused by government leaders over the years.
However, it was during the same time that the message of water as “a strategic issue and a matter of national security” — as several Cabinet ministers took pains to stress during the recent Budget and Committee of Supply debates — gradually became lost on Singaporeans, experts told TODAY.
While the recently announced 30 per cent hike in water fee was a necessary “shock treatment”, the authorities would not have to resort to it if the messaging had been consistent and water priced correctly all these years, they argued.
“We should have emphasised that while we gained greater water security as a result of NEWater and desalination, that security comes with a price - higher water prices,” observed Associate Professor Donald Low, a behavioural economist from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP). He pointed out that Singaporeans’ attitudes shifted after the NEWater breakthrough. Prior to that, it was constantly drummed into people’s heads that Singapore is very dependent on the water supplied by Malaysia.
“So when we make a big show and tell of … how we can export our water capabilities, (people think) it must be the case that we have solved our water vulnerability, that we have turned this vulnerability into a source of economic advantage,” he added.
World-renowned water expert Asit Biswas, a Distinguished Visiting Professor at LKYSPP, went so far as to say that Singapore has “become very complacent about water”.
He noted that since Singapore’s founding Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew retired from politics in 2011, “water has not received the same priority in the political process”.
Prof Biswas said “it’s one thing to say it’s a national security issue”, but another thing “to follow it up in the public messaging on why it is a national security issue”. He recalled how the late Mr Lee had famously declared at a water event in 2008 that “every other policy has to bend at the knees for our water survival”.
Prof Biswas said: “I don’t think after his departure, we have had the same sense of urgency ... People are taking water for granted. Everyone is saying we are one of the best in the world (at water management).”
The water tariff hike — first announced during the Budget last month — was the first in 17 years. It sparked a huge public discourse, prompting Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Chan Chun Sing to acknowledge: “The fact that we have such an intense discussion reflects that we have left this issue off our national psyche for too long.”
AN ISSUE THAT RUNS DEEP
For so long, water has been an issue intertwined with Singapore’s history, even before independence.
When the Japanese forces captured Bukit Timah Hill in 1942 during World War II, they promptly cut off Singapore’s water supply — a strategic move that contributed to the surrender of the British. Some 20 years later, Singapore faced one of its worst droughts ever, and a water-rationing exercise was conducted for 10 months.
On the very day that Singapore achieved independence, on Aug 9, 1965, Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman told the British High Commissioner in Malaya: “If Singapore’s foreign policy is prejudicial to Malaysia’s interests, we could always bring pressure to bear on them by threatening to turn off the water in Johor.”
Since then, water was the leverage Malaysia had over Singapore, and the Republic had been reminded of it whenever bilateral relations hit a rough patch.
There are two water agreements between Singapore and Malaysia. The first was inked in 1961 and expired in 2011. The second, signed in 1962, will lapse in 2061. The agreements were guaranteed by the 1965 Separation Agreement, which was registered at the United Nations. This means that any breaches in the water agreements would undermine Singapore’s sovereignty.
In the two decades or so after Independence, Singapore focused its attention on water resource and conservation efforts, which sought to drive home the message about the country’s vulnerability. PUB held its inaugural water conservation campaign in 1971, and a year later, it published the Water Master Plan — Singapore’s first long-term blueprint for water resource development. The authorities also started exploring the feasibility of various water sources: In 1974, for example, Singapore built its first experimental water reclamation plant. But the pilot did not work out because the technology then was too expensive and unreliable.
In the meantime, Singapore faced threats from Malaysia about cutting off the supply of water from Johor, including in 1986 when then-Israeli president Chaim Herzog made a state visit to Singapore, which was met with protests in Malaysia.
During the Asian Financial Crisis, the two countries held talks over the cost of buying water from Malaysia, and these discussions were tied to a financial recovery package. However, negotiations stalled. In 2002, the talks collapsed, prompting the threats again.
At the turn of the millennium, Singapore began making headway in developing its water resource capabilities. After PUB’s study trip to the United States, Singapore conducted various tests at a water reclamation plant in Bedok. In 2000, it successfully reclaimed water. Two years later, NEWater was officially launched, and soon after, Singapore was exporting its water purification technologies around the world.
A deep tunnel sewerage system was also built to channel used water to a centralised water reclamation plant, and Singapore became fully sewered. “Technically, we can recycle every drop indefinitely. Unless you drink water in Singapore and then catch a flight out, we can take it back, clean it and use it for industry. So with the breakthrough, I tell you, great relief,” then-Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said.
FALSE SENSE OF WATER SECURITY
Singapore’s water story is a classic case of it being a victim of success. “We have assumed that everything is hunky-dory, we don’t have a problem, we have solved our water problem for the next 50 to 100 years,” said Prof Biswas.
Looking back, everyone could have been wiser in making sure Singaporeans did not lose sight of its vulnerabilty, he added. Nevertheless, there was a lack of public messaging, he said.
When water levels at Linggiu Reservoir in Johor fell to historic lows in 2015 and last year, government leaders — including then-Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan — took the opportunity to remind Singaporeans of the scarcity of water. Nevertheless, Prof Biswas felt the Government could have gone further, to underscore Singapore’s vulnerability, he said.
Dr Cecilia Tortajada, a senior research fellow at the LKYSPP Institute of Water Policy, added: “But what was missing was the connection. That 50 per cent of our water still comes from outside, PUB has been highly efficient — everything they have been able to do, they have done it — and so it’s now time for the population to (play an) active part — that is to use less (water).”
The Government could have also taken the opportunity to educate Singaporeans about the cost of producing water when it last raised water prices in 2000, Prof Biswas said.
“Singaporeans are not paying for all the costs of water and the Government is not telling them,” he said.
Both Prof Biswas and Assoc Prof Low cited how the Government’s approach to water contrasted with what it does when it comes to other limited resources such as electricity and roads. Unlike water, Singaporeans have grown to accept the price fluctuations for electricity, Assoc Prof Low pointed out.
“People have gotten used to ... the idea that the price of electricity is going to be determined by supply and demand factors,” he said. “With water, for a variety of reasons, that message either hasn’t sunk in or people don’t even realise that Singapore is a price taker.”
Apart from the fact that the electricity market has been privatised, Assoc Prof Low attributed the situation primarily to how the authorities may have unintentionally “created a false sense of security around water”.
There is also a gap between what Singaporeans know about the scarcity of water and actually putting that knowledge into action to conserve water, he noted.
Agreeing, Dr Tortajada noted that there is an abundance of public information about the scarcity of water. Yet, Singaporeans had difficulty linking it to the latest hike in water prices. “(The increase) should not have been a surprise to Singaporeans,” she said.
She noted that during dry spells in recent years, PUB came out to reassure Singaporeans that the water supply will not be affected. “Their statements were, ‘the drought is very serious, but don’t worry, we’re in charge’,” she said, adding that the agency could have been bolder in getting Singaporeans to play their part. “(But) the message should have been, ‘the drought is very serious, we’re in charge and you have to use less’. The communication should have made people aware that they are also responsible.”
Still, some experts noted that the Government faced a dilemma which is common in public communications. “On one hand, you need to shake the audience from their apathy in order to get them to do something, on the other hand, you also do not want to cause panic,” said Dr Tracy Loh, a senior lecturer at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Department of Communications and New Media. In the case of water, the Government has to assure Singaporeans that there is an adequate supply of water, and at the same time, get them to conserve water.
And as far as national campaigns are concerned, PUB’s save water campaigns in recent years and its Water Wally mascot - which made its debut in 2005 - never quite caught on domestically, the experts pointed out.
Dr Loh said: “The mascot and campaign never achieved the publicity and reach of (earlier) campaigns such as the courtesy campaign or the productivity campaign.”
A Water Wally television commercial - featuring a controversial scene where the mascot peeped at a child showering - and the “Shower Dance” drew a negative reception, Dr Loh noted. “All these issues makes it hard for the public to take the message seriously,” she said.
The experts reiterated that the breakthrough in NEWater technology was a key reason behind the shift in public attitudes. Since the early 2000s, the implicit message has been that Singapore has solved its water security, they said.
Since Singapore’s independence, water has been framed as a scarce resource, and a matter of survival and national security, said Associate Professor Shirley Ho from Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information. This was reinforced by images of survival: People queuing for water during rationing exercises, for instance. But the success with NEWater came along, and the message became diluted, she said.
‘NEW APPROACH NEEDED’
While there has been much discussion about the quantum of the latest round of water tariff hike, some experts felt that the move was, in itself, a way to focus the public’s minds on the issue and drive home the water conservation message.
The 30-per-cent quantum was a “short, sharp, shock treatment” to remind Singaporeans of the importance of water and its scarcity, said Associate Professor Toh Mun Heng from NUS Business School. “The fact that it has aroused much attention and discussion is an indication of the success of the ‘campaign’,” added Assoc Prof Toh, an expert on strategy and policy.
At the core, water pricing is the most effective way to regulate demand, LKYSPP water policy expert Eduardo Araral said. “The Government can cry out loud but it will have little effect if the price of water is very low and does not reflect its scarcity value,” he added.
Turning to other countries, Prof Biswas noted that Sao Paulo, Brazil has been facing its most serious drought in the last 40 years. Water is provided for by Sabesp, a water and waste management company owned by the state. Prof Biswas said that while the firm made strides in improving its water efficiency processes, they also reached out to the public, communicated the problem and got them to reduce their consumption. The company also provided discounts to incentivise people to use less water. In a year, the city reduced its per capita water consumption from 146 litres per day to 120 litres per day.
Similarly, Spanish cities Barcelona and Zaragoza also managed to drastically reduce their per capita water consumption by increasing water tariffs, education and managing demand. Their authorities are also “telling their people they have a problem every day, and the people feel the problem”, said Prof Biswas.
Apart from households, Assoc Prof Araral stressed the need to educate other users, which may be less sensitive to higher water tariffs. “They have to take personal responsibility for reducing consumption regardless of the price. There has to be an ethos of conservation and this takes time to develop. The schools would have to reinforce this message regularly,” he added.
Going forward, it cannot be business as usual and the public messaging has to change, the experts said. Singaporeans need to know that even with new technologies, water will remain a scarce resource, said Assoc Prof Ho.
Dr Loh felt that logic alone is insufficient and future campaigns have to incorporate “emotional elements to tug at the heartstrings” in order to change attitudes towards water. “The problem is that people know about the issue at some fundamental level but they are not realising (its) importance... Unfortunately, just by stressing the facts alone or knowing about water scarcity on the intellectual level is insufficient,” she added.
PUB’S WATER CONSERVATION EFFORTS OVER THE YEARS
1970s:
•PUB launched its first national water conservation campaign, adopting the slogan “Water is Precious”
•Community activities showed people the dos and don’ts of using water and the campaign was publicised in newspapers, and on radio and television. A television cartoon series featuring mascot Bobo the Water-Saving Elephant was also created.
•Then-PUB chairman Lim Kim San, who was also Education Minister, stressed that “to save water only when there is a drought is not good enough for us in Singapore. Saving water must become a daily habit with us”
1980s:
•A month-long “Let’s Not Waste Precious Water” campaign was launched on top of water conservation talks in schools
•A Water Conservation Unit was formed to visit large industrial water users and suggest how they can reduce water consumption
•The public was educated on what to do in a water crisis while a water conservation course was introduced at secondary level to help students understand Singapore’s water challenges
1990s:
•Public appeals to cut down unnecessary water use were made after a long dry period. Then-Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Finance George Yeo reminded people that water is a “matter of life and death”.
•Water Conservation Tax was introduced to discourage the excessive use of water and revised in 1997.
•A six-day campaign involving a water rationing exercise was conducted with 30,000 households.
2000s:
•During the 2002 National Day Parade, Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, ministers and participants toasted with NEWater to show that it was safe to drink. NEWater Visitor Centre was opened to provide public education on the technology, while PUB embarked on a publicity campaign including mobile exhibitions, briefings, and public talks
•Campaign on Singapore’s water supply strategy of having four “National Taps”
•Water Wally, a blue water droplet, was introduced as PUB’s mascot in 2005
•10 litre Challenge to encourage every individual to reduce daily water consumption by that amount
2010s:
•Outreach on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, with PUB making regular updates to engage online users
•Water campaigns also targeted foreign workers to participate in water conservation efforts. Roadshows were held at areas they frequented while brochures for them were printed in Tamil, Chinese, Thai and Burmese. Educational materials in Bahasa Indonesia, Tamil and Burmese were also shared with training providers for maid agencies
Sharifah Mahsinah Abdullah New Straits Times 10 Mar 17;
KOTA BARU: More than 12,000 hectares of permanent forest reserves in Kelantan especially in the remote areas, have been encroached by illegal logging syndicates resulting to losses of nearly RM50 million.
Kelantan Forestry Department director Datuk Zahari Ibrahim said the activities were detected since 1970s and had been on-going until now.
"The encroaching into the forest reserves is still alarming but under control, as only 12,000 of the 623,849 hectares had been encroached by these syndicates.
"However, the state government has suffered huge loss of about RM50 million since 40 years ago," he told reporters after attending a dinner organised by Kelantan Timber Association here last night.
The dinner was held in conjunction with the association's 40th anniversary. Also present were state Industry, Trade, Unity and Entrepreneurship Development committee chairman Datuk Anuar Tan Abdullah and the association's chairman Lim Boon kiat.
Zahari said the 12,000 hectares covered 25 of the 30 reserve forests in Kelantan and they included areas in Gua Musang, Tanah Merah and Machang.
"This syndicates have been co-operating with locals and even loggers to do the work. Their modus operandi among others include selling some of the land to outsiders for a huge profit." he said.
Antara 10 Mar 17;
Bengkulu (ANTARA News) - A study on mangrove forests spanning 214 hectares in Bengkulu revealed that the area was able to absorb and store 3,652 tons of carbon, according to Gunggung Senoaji, an academician of the Bengkulu University.
"Mangrove forests along the shoreline of Bengkulu play a major role in mitigating global warming, as they are able to store 18.53 tons of carbon per hectare," Senoaji remarked here on Friday.
According to the academician, the amount of carbon stored in mangrove forests is determined by calculating the total biomass of the trees by taking into account the value of biomass expansion factors, carbon fraction, and the wood density.
He said the results of the analysis indicated that the vast spread of mangrove ecosystems in the coastal city of Bengkulu reached approximately 214 hectares.
Mangrove forests cover an area of 116.24 hectares in the Pantai Panjang Natural Tourism Park, while 98.38 hectares are present in the forest area.
"Mangrove ecosystems outside the forest area are highly prone to conversion, hence they need to be designated as protected areas," he emphasized.
Senoaji said the results of the study conducted jointly by the agricultural faculty of the University of Bengkulu can shed light on the vital functions of mangrove ecosystems in mitigating climate change due to global warming.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR/A014)
Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post 11 Mar 17;
Thousands of hectares of forests in Mount Leuser National Park in North Sumatra and Aceh are reported to have been illegally encroached upon and converted into widespread plantations of oil palms, rubber trees, cacao trees and coffee plants.
To restore the natural functions of the protected forests, the park management office is planning to curb the rampant spread of the illegal plantations.
A joint team of the park’s officials and security apparatus had reconverted some 75 hectares of plantation in Sei Lepan district, Langkat regency, North Sumatra last month, cutting down the commercial vegetation and replanting indigenous flora. In the near future, the same measure would also be taken on another 80 hectares that had been turned into plantations in Southeast Aceh regency, said Joko Iswanto, the spokesman of the Mount Leuser National Park office.
The reconversions are aimed at restoring the natural functions of the whole area within the national park where the officials would clear the plantations and replant them with forests trees.
Joko expressed regret that the conversions had been going on in the area for years, but so far no measures had been taken to restore its function as a protected forest. More than 2,000 hectares within the National Park had been converted into plantations, which were mostly spread throughout Langkat, North Sumatra and Southeast Aceh.
The forest conversions were mostly committed by local people who were supported by payments from outside investors.
“Most of the investors come from Medan,” Joko said.
Joko also said that the national park had been intensively conducting preventive measures using persuasion to stop local people from destroying the protected forests. Thanks to the measures, 18 encroachers had voluntarily handed over their illegal plantations to be restored back into protected forest.
He said various kinds of vegetation had been replanted in the area after hundreds of two- to five-year-old palm trees were all cut down.
Very recently, seven non-governmental organizations grouped under the Mount Leuser National Park rescue coalition asked President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to save the park from rampant encroachments.
Panut Hadisiswoyo of the coalition said the encroachments were massive in the national park, illegally converting the forests into plantations and housing for local people.
He said the total area of the park was 838,872 hectares, but it continued to decrease because of the encroachments, especially in Langkat regency, North Sumatra.
“The area in Langkat is the worst encroached,” Panut said.
The most massive conversions occurred in the Barak Induk area in Sei Lepan and in Lapangan Tembak in Besitang district in Langkat. He claimed that some oil palm plantations in these areas were under the control of some companies.
“Some palm oil companies have been operating in the national park area for years. Surprisingly, no one has the guts to get rid of them,” he said.
The park had been listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage in Danger list in 2011 following rampant encroachments along with two other national parks in Sumatra: Kerinci Seblat National Park in West Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and South Sumatra, and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park in Lampung and Bengkulu provinces. The three national parks were declared by UNESCO to be World Heritage Sites in 2004.
According to UNESCO, Sumatran tropical rainforests are home to 10,000 plant, 201 mammal and 580 bird species. They also serve as a habitat for mammals that needed a large range for roaming, such as Sumatran tigers, orangutans, elephants and rhinos.
Punut said that if by 2018 the encroachments could not be settled, the Mount Leuser National Park most likely could be excluded from UNESCO’s list of world’s heritage sites.
“If that is the case it will be a bad record for Indonesia as it is not capable of preserving the area already declared as a part of the world’s heritage,” he added.
Ship ran aground at Raja Ampat, one of the country’s most popular dive sites that has been likened to an underwater Amazon, reports Mongabay
Basten Gokkon for Mongabay, part of the Guardian Environment Network
The Guardian 10 Mar 17;
One of the main coral reefs at Raja Ampat, an Indonesian island chain home to perhaps the world’s richest marine biodiversity, was severely damaged last week when a Bahamian-flagged cruise ship smashed into it at low tide, according to an official report.
The 90-meter Caledonian Sky, owned by tour operator Noble Caledonia, ran aground in an uncharted shoal in West Papua province after completing a bird-watching trip on Waigeo Island on 4 March.
The British-owned company described the incident as “unfortunate” and said it was “cooperating fully with the relevant authorities”. Damage to the vessel was minimal and it has already set sail after being questioned by investigators.
An official evaluation team found that the ship had been caught in low tide despite being equipped with GPS and radar instruments, according to team member Ricardo Tapilatu, head of the Research Center for Pacific Marine Resources at the University of Papua.
“A tugboat from Sorong city was deployed to help refloat the cruise ship, which is something that shouldn’t have happened because it damaged the reef even worse,” Tapilatu said. “They should’ve waited for high tide” to refloat the vessel.
The 4,290-tonne Caledonian Sky, which was carrying 102 passengers and 79 crew on a 16-night journey from Papua New Guinea to the Philippines, damaged approximately 1,600 square meters of coral at a diving site known as Crossover Reef.
The incident resulted in the destruction of the ecosystem’s structural habitat and the reduction or loss of diversity of eight coral genera, including acropora, porites, montipora and stylophora.
“This is what we found during our investigation into the site,” Tapilatu said. “We are currently finishing the report and will submit our recommendations to the district office next week.”
Local homestay operator Stay Raja Ampat posted on Facebook: “How can this happen? Was a 12-year-old at the wheel? Anchor damage from ships like these is bad enough, but actually grounding a ship on a reef takes it to a whole new level.”
Due to Raja Ampat’s special biodiversity and its status as one of the world’s most popular dive sites, as well as the fact that the damage occurred in a national park, the evaluation team will recommend the company pay compensation of $800-$1,200 (£650-£985) per square meter, for a total of $1.28m-$1.92m, according to Tapilatu. The standard rate is $200-$400 per square meter.
“If the ship’s owner disagrees with the claim, then typically the government will take it to court,” Tapilatu said. If the company and government can reach an agreement, it will likely take a year or two for the district administration to receive the cash.
Tapilatu said the money would be used to revive the reef, a process he estimated could take a decade; to set more mooring buoys across the area to prevent ships from sailing into shallow zones; and to map out sailing tracks.
“The government has had talks about compensation with the ship company, and I’m optimistic that this won’t go to court. Unfortunately, there will not be any moves for coral revival until we get the money.”
Andi Rusandi, director for conservation and marine biodiversity at the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said local conservation and revival efforts were within the local government’s authority, but he said he would follow the situation.
In its statement, Noble Caledonia said it was “firmly committed to protection of the environment, which is why it is imperative that the reasons for it are fully investigated, understood and any lessons learned incorporated in operating procedures.”
Ministry to check damage to Raja Ampat coral reefs
Jakarta Post 14 Mar 17;
A team from the Environment and Forestry Ministry is set to examine the damage caused to coral reefs in Raja Ampat, Papua, when a UK cruise ship, the MV Caledonian Sky, ran aground in shallow waters in the area.
“Our team will dive to check the level of the damage,” said Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya as quoted by kompas.com at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday. The minister said she could not yet confirm how many square meters of the coral reefs had been damaged by the cruise ship.
Siti said the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry would coordinate the handling of the incident, in which the Environment and Forestry Ministry would specifically handle the damaged coral reefs and prepare measures to bring the environmental destruction case to justice.
(Read also: Cruise ship smashes into coral in Raja Ampat)
As there was still no clear data on the extent of the damage to the coral reefs, Siti said, the ministry did not yet know how large a fine it would seek from the MV Caledonian Sky’s owner.
“I do not yet known exactly. I will let you know if there is progress [in the investigation]. Actually, it’s not only about the extent of the damaged coral reefs. We have to truly consider the value of its natural richness,” said Siti.
The Caledonian Sky passed through Raja Ampat waters on March 4 to bring 102 tourists on board to enjoy birdwatching on Waigeo. The ship became trapped in shallow waters. A rescue boat attempted to pull the ship out of the waters when it was not yet in high tide, causing damage to the coral reefs in the area. (dis/ebf)
FARIS MOKHTAR Today Online 9 Mar 17;
SINGAPORE — Poultry and poultry products that Singapore imports from Malaysia are safe for consumption, the authorities here assured the public, following news of a bird flu outbreak in the Malaysian state of Kelantan. Existing measures will be stepped up to prevent the H5N1 virus from entering Singapore, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said on Thursday (March 9).
Poultry and eggs from Kelantan are not an approved source here, said the AVA, and Singapore allows import of poultry and eggs only from disease-free zones found in five Malaysian states, namely Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak.
Singapore imports about 35 per cent of chicken and 93 per cent of ducks from Malaysia. Other sources include Brazil and the United States. For eggs, 76 per cent of the supply comes from Malaysia, while farms here provide the rest. Last year, the Republic imported 48.8 million chickens in all.
The AVA added that it will work closely with Malaysia’s Department of Veterinary Services to ensure that its imported poultry and eggs do not compromise public health.
Existing measures will also be stepped up, including deploying more officers — from two to three — to conduct checks on poultry imports entering through the Tuas Checkpoint. The AVA will also conduct daily checks on all 14 poultry slaughterhouses here.
Every consignment of imported live poultry is accompanied by an import permit and a veterinary health certificate from Malaysian authorities, which includes details like the farm name, farm code and quantity of poultry. Consignments are imported in crates and each crate is labelled with the farm name, farm code and date of export.
"At the point of import, AVA inspectors will verify that the consignment is from an approved farm. Consignments are also inspected to ensure animal health is safeguarded," the AVA said in response to queries.
Poultry farms in Singapore have been advised to disallow non-essential visits from the public, as well as to ensure that their bird-proofing measures are in place to keep out wild birds.
Singapore's poultry, egg supply unaffected by Kelantan bird flu outbreak: AVA
Channel NewsAsia 9 Mar 17;
SINGAPORE: The current outbreak of bird flu in Kelantan does not have any impact on Singapore's poultry and egg supply as Singapore does not allow the products to be imported from Kelantan, said the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) on Thursday (Mar 9).
Poultry and poultry products in Singapore are safe for consumption, said AVA in a media release.
It added that Kelantan is not an approved source for poultry and eggs, and that Singapore allows the import of poultry and eggs only from the disease-free zones in Malaysia - Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Selangor and Perak.
AVA added that it will continue to work closely with Malaysia's Department of Veterinary Services to ensure that the poultry and eggs imported do not compromise public or animal health.
The authority added that Singapore has stepped up its existing measures against bird flu in response to the Kelantan outbreak.
Surveillance and inspections at the points of entry have been increased, and local poultry farms have been asked to beef up their biosecurity measures. These include disallowing non-essential visits to the farms, as well as ensuring that their "bird-proofing" measures are intact, AVA said.
It added that while Singapore is free from bird flu, AVA will continue to monitor the situation and work with stakeholders to prevent the virus from spreading to Singapore.
Earlier on Thursday, Malaysia reported that the outbreak in Kelantan has been contained and that the virus had not spread to humans.
KEEPING BIRD FLU OUT OF SINGAPORE
Singapore imports about 35 per cent of its chicken and 93 per cent of its ducks from Malaysia, said AVA, adding that 76 per cent of its eggs come from Malaysia and local farms account for the remaining 24 per cent of its egg supply.
AVA noted that while Singapore is free from bird flu, it is endemic in the region.
Existing measures against the virus include source accreditation, import control, routine inspection and surveillance at points of entry, local farms, poultry slaughterhouses and pet shops, AVA said.
There are also regular checks on migratory birds as well as common ones such as crows, mynas and pigeons, and free-roaming chickens are also monitored.
- CNA/dt
Bird flu outbreak in Kelantan contained, no known human infections: Minister
Melissa Goh Channel NewsAsia 9 Mar 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's health minister on Thursday (Mar 9) said that the outbreak of the highly contagious H5N1 bird flu virus in the country was contained in the northern tip of Kelantan and that there was no report that it had spread to human beings.
"It is still limited to poultry stock and within the area affected, there is no report it has spread to other places," Dr S Subramaniam said.
The strain of avian flu was confirmed among chickens at a backyard farm in Kelantan, according to a report by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on Wednesday.
More than a thousand poultry birds have been culled within a 2km radius of the affected areas.
The H5N1 strain - which is different from the H7N9 virus that has killed at least 110 people in China this winter - has also been detected in Cambodia in recent weeks.
As a precaution to ensure the containment of the virus' spread, the health minister urged the veterinary service department to tighten checks at borders with Thailand.
Meanwhile, Singapore has stepped up its existing measures against bird flu in response to the outbreak.
Its Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said on Thursday that the outbreak did not have any impact on Singapore's poultry and egg supply as Kelantan is not an approved source for the country.
- CNA/mz/nc
Antara 10 Mar 17;
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The habitats of Sumatran animals, including elephants, tigers, and orangutans, continue to decline due to illegal plantation activities inside the Leuser Ecosystem Zone, according to the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), an international environmental group.
"Some recalcitrant companies are presumed to be illegally destroying the Leuser forest, and as a result, the important habitats of these wild animals are now in danger," Gemma Tillack, agribusiness campaign director of RAN, noted in her written statement received by Antara on Thursday.
The Leuser ecosystem, comprising intact tropical lowland rainforests, draped mountains, and steamy peatlands, has the most diverse and ancient wildlife ever documented in science, the environmental group stated on its official website.
The forest is the last place on earth where Sumatran orangutans, elephants, tigers, rhinos, and sun bears still roam side by side, it added.
Located in the northern part of the Sumatran Island, which administratively belongs to the provinces of Aceh and North Sumatra, the Leuser ecosystem comprises the third-largest tropical rainforest in the world after the Amazon forest in Brazil and Zaire forest in Africa.
According to an observation conducted by the group for a period of six months, illegal logging activities have been rampant in the provinces East Aceh Sub-district and have endangered the community living in the downstream areas.
The companys activities in the forest pose a major threat to the Sumatran elephants, as it could lead to an increase in human-wildlife conflict, the group pointed out.
The illegal activities in the forest also affect the farming activities of the nearby community and pose a threat to the animals health and well-being.
In 2016, Indonesian President Joko Widodo and the Acehnese governor had issued a moratorium order that halted logging activities, including on the authorized areas inside the forest, Tillack stated.
"As a result, plantation and logging activities inside the forest are illegal, and the government needs to intervene by canceling the work permits of the companies in Leuser," she added.
(Reported by Aditya Ramadhan/Uu. KR-GNT/INE/H-YH)
Reef authority says findings of aerial surveys show enough to confirm another mass coral bleaching event, after last year’s dramatic death rate
Joshua Robertson The Guardian 9 Mar 17;
A mass bleaching event is taking its toll on the Great Barrier Reef for an unprecedented second year in a row, a Queensland government agency has confirmed.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority has declared widespread damage from an underwater heatwave after a single day of aerial surveys between Cairns and Townsville on Thursday.
The authority’s David Wachenfeld told the ABC the survey findings “regrettably” gave the agency enough evidence to declare another mass bleaching event, following the worst to date in 2016 which killed off 22% of coral.
A repeat of mass bleaching compounds fears for the survival of already-stressed coral, whose recovery since 2016 has been challenged by stubbornly high sea surface temperatures, including through winter.
The scale of bleaching will be confirmed through further surveys by the agency and reef scientists but it is likely to take at least six months before the death rate of coral is known.
Wachenfeld said the agency’s survey added to “quite a few reports through our early warning system, the eye on the reef program”.
While the more remote northern section of the reef was hardest-hit last year, coral bleaching has been recently documented in areas further south more commonly visited by tourists.
Photos and footage taken by marine biologist Brett Monroe Garner at a reef between Port Douglas and Cairns indicate severe bleaching of corals he said were “full of colour and life” little over a month ago.
Garner, who has been documenting the bleaching with Greenpeace, said: “I’ve been photographing this area of the reef for several years now and what we’re seeing is unprecedented.
“In these photos nearly 100% of the corals are bleaching and who knows how many will recover? Algae is already beginning to overgrow many of the corals.
“Just a few months ago, these corals were full of colour and life. Now, everywhere you look is white. The corals aren’t getting the chance to bounce back from last year’s bleaching event. If this is the new normal, we’re in trouble.”
The images, released by Greenpeace on Friday, add to what the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described last month as reports of “scattered coral bleaching along a large stretch” of the reef, from Mackay in the south to the far north.
Wachenfeld said the extent of bleaching compared to last year was less important than the fact that “the climate is changing and that is bringing a much greater frequency of extreme weather events to the Great Barrier Reef”.
“In total, those extreme weather events and the overall impact of climate change is a major threat to the future of the reef.”
WWF oceans campaigner Richard Leck said he was “shocked and saddened by what is unfolding”.
“Scientists warned that without sufficient emissions reductions we could expect annual mass bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef by 2050,” he said. “Consecutive bleaching events have arrived 30 years early.”
WWF also released footage on Monday of severely bleached coral at Vlassoff Cay near Cairns, where cinematographer Richard Fitzpatrick filmed sequences for David Attenborough’s Great Barrier Reef series.
“Vlassoff Cay used to have the best coral diversity in the area,” Fitzpatrick said.
“Now with the water sitting at 32 degrees all the way to the bottom, the corals are dying. Many are already dead and covered in algae.”
“The reef is facing an imminent danger of mortality at a level that far exceeds last year over a greater geographical distance.”
Pictures of newly bleached coral were taken in recent weeks at Moore Reef, near Cairns, by the reef scientist Tyrone Ridgway, as well as by divers further south near Palm Island.
The bleaching has prompted Terry Hughes, a leading reef scientist at James Cook University who is also with the National Coral Bleaching Taskforce, to embark on a week-long aerial survey of the reef from next Wednesday.
The survey will replicate one last year that drew global attention to the extent of damage to the natural wonder.
He said indications from underwater thermometers were that although sea surface temperatures were lower than this time last year, they had been above average over the last year, including through winter.
Bleaching occurs when warm waters prompt coral to expel algae living within their tissues, turning white.
The coral may die in the six to 12 months after bleaching, meaning the level of mortality on the reef will not be determined until later in the year.
The world heritage-list reef was spared an “in danger” listing by Unesco in 2015 but environmental groups argue it remains on the organisation’s “watch list”.
The Australian and Queensland governments, which are obliged to show how they are jointly managing the reef’s long-term conservation, acknowledge climate change is its main threat.
The Queensland Labor government, which is focused on improving water quality after its bid to pass tree-clearing laws to curb emissions – a key plank of Australia’s reef conservation plan – failed, has urged its federal counterpart to price carbon.
However, the federal environment minister, Josh Frydenberg, at the start of a review of the government’s climate change policies earlier this year, was forced to rule out pricing carbon after a brief internal revolt.
The Greenpeace campaigner Alix Foster Vander Elst said the Australian and Queensland governments should rethink their support of the giant proposed Adani coalmine, given its potential contribution to climate change.
“We have on our doorstep the clearest signal that climate change is happening, and that governments aren’t moving fast enough to stop it,” Elst said. “Tackling climate change is the only real solution here and that starts by stopping public funding for climate-killing coal projects.”
Tracing Vietnamese ‘sand drain’ to Singapore – P1: Where do the ships go?
TUOI TRE NEWS 2 Mar 17;
During the first two months of 2017, a number of ships flying foreign flags frequented several coastal areas in Vietnam, leaving with a hefty haul of newly dredged sand.
Two Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper journalists tracked the ships and discovered an ongoing megaproject in Singapore fueled by a vast amount of imported sand and dependant on Vietnam as a prime location to exploit the powerful resource.
This is the first part in a Tuoi Tre investigative series on Vietnam’s ‘sand drain’ to the city-state.
Numerous sand-carrying ships
In January-February, the Tuoi Tre correspondents sighted nearly 40 ships entering Vietnamese waters in Kien Giang, Khanh Hoa and Ha Tinh on the search for sand.
Four separate Vietnamese exporters hold contracts to transport the sand, each of whom admitted to Tuoi Tre that they only know the vessels were bound for Singapore, though none had any idea of the exact destination.
According to sources from Singapore and data gathered from the live ship-tracking map MarineTraffic, Tuoi Tre discovered that the ships were carrying the Vietnamese sand to Tekong Island and an area known as Changi Villa, both located adjacent to Singapore’s Changi International Airport.
In late February, the Tuoi Tre correspondents spotted a bulk carrier named Peterborough, which had been to Phu Quoc Island off the southern Vietnamese province of Kien Giang one week prior, docking near Changi.
The Peterborough was docking near the Yangtze Harmony, another carrier which appeared to be unloading sand dredged from Vietnam onto Tekong Island.
According to the Tuoi Tre investigation, these are not isolated cases and a number of foreign ships have been transporting sand from Vietnam to Singapore since the beginning of 2017.
Among them are five vessels: the RHL Monica, the JS Bandol, the Sheng Wang Hai, the Great Rainbow, and the Jin Sui, originating from Liberia, Malta, Hong Kong, and mainland China.
These ships were hired by Singaporean Hua Kai Engineering to transport sand bought under a contract with a local company on Phu Quoc Island to the city-state before transferring the resource onto smaller barges in an area called Changi Villa Tanjung Pengelih, situated between Tekong Island and Changi Airport.
Meanwhile, in waters off the south-central Vietnamese province of Khanh Hoa, ten additional foreign ships were also preparing to transport sand to Singapore. Nine of them were hired by Singapore’s Le Tong Resources Co., and one by TNS Resources.
A sand-pumping boat is seen off Khanh Hoa.
Even during the observance of Vietnam’s Lunar New Year in late January, Tuoi Tre still spotted five ships – the Silk Road 03, the Jin Xiang, the Great Link, the Giaovanni Topic, and the Dubai Galactic – carrying sand off the coast of Phu Quoc.
According to data gathered by Tuoi Tre, 40 foreign ships transported a total of 905,000 cubic meters of sand from Vietnam to Singapore from January 1 to February 23 despite a 2009 ban on sand exporting in Vietnam.
In 2013, the Ministry of Construction allowed some businesses to export saline sand from sea and river dredging projects, a decision which seems to have paved the way for the resource to be transported in large volumes to Singapore.
Land reclamation megaproject
According to one Singaporean sand importer, the city-state has been working on a US$6.5 billion land reclamation project meant to expand the area of Tekong Island from 657 hectares to 3,310 hectares for the last decade.
The company also revealed that it has been importing sand from Vietnam and several other countries to serve the Tekong project since 2009.
The pink area indicates the land reclamation.
However, accessing the construction site is not easy and no boat service operates a route to the project.
The Tuoi Tre reporters convinced the captain of a small tourist boat to travel off his normal route, approaching as near Tekong as possible. He agreed for a fee of S$150 ($106).
Thirty minutes into the journey, the reporters spotted three massive vessels docking near the island and a gigantic excavator transferring sand from its cargo to barges waiting below.
One of the ships was the Yangtze Harmony, the same vessel Tuoi Tre spotted near Phu Quoc just days prior.
The reporters observed that the construction site on Tekong Island was surrounded by a concrete dyke with sand being unloaded inside the structure.
The following day the Tuoi Tre reporters had a local driver take them by road to the Singapore General Aviation Park adjacent to Changi Airport.
At the scene, the reporters saw a number of sand dunes, each approximately ten meters high, along the Changi Coast, Tanah Merah Coast, and Aviation Park Streets, and hundreds of trucks loaded with sand traveling to and from the site.
A security guard spotted the reporters, posing as tourists, and barred them from entering the construction site.
Before leaving, Tuoi Tre managed to peek through the fence and saw a number of trucks, bulldozers and excavators busily at work.
Tracing Vietnamese ‘sand drain’ to Singapore – P2: How much does the resource cost?
TUOI TRE NEWS 3 Mar 17;
After discovering where sand dredged from Vietnam’s waters is being transported to in Singapore, Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper found that the precious resource is being sold at rock bottom prices, at least according to customs papers.
Like some Southeast Asian countries, Vietnam bans the export of sand, with the exception of saline sand, resulted from river or sea dredging projects.
According to data reviewed by Tuoi Tre, more than ten businesses across Vietnam have obtained a license from the construction ministry to export saline sand since 2016.
These companies are those that have carried out various river or sea dredging works, and have been allowed to sell the dredged sand to recoup expenses.
However, Tuoi Tre has found out that these companies seem to have sold the nonrenewable resource at an average price of only US$1 per cubic meter, and in some cases, as low as $.01 per cubic meter, according to customs declarations.
Most of the dredging projects, whose sand will be exported, are in the central coastal provinces of Khanh Hoa, and Phu Yen. Similar projects also took place in Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Thua Thien - Hue, Binh Thuan, and Ninh Thuan.
In the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, only one project on Phu Quoc Island, off Kien Giang Province, was recorded.
Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen each were home to four dredging projects, with one project in Khanh Hoa having exported more than 7.3 million cubic meters of sand to Singapore.
Those projects in Khanh Hoa were carried out by Cai Mep Investment Co, Green Environment Development Co. , Saigon - Hanoi ICMM., JSC, and those in Phu Yen: BKG Co., Bao Chau Co., Saigon - Hanoi ICMM., JSC, Quoc Bao Trading Construction, and Investment Advisory Co.
Dirt cheap prices
According to export contracts in 2008 and 2009, Vietnamese sand was sold from $3 to $6.6 per m3. However, prices started to slip in 2013.
In 2014, BKG and Quoc Bao declared to customs that their sand exports cost $2 per m3 while Phuong Thao Nguyen Co declared $2 per m3.
In January 2015, prices continued to drop by 50 percent. On January 8, Green Environment Development Co. charged Singapore’s TNS Resources $1.21 per m3, and only $1.1 per m3 just four days later.
In the meantime, Kien Hoang and Binh Minh Vang asked for even more shocking prices: the former sold to Le Tong Resources at $0.8 per m3, and the latter to Ky Tuong Singapore at $0.9 per m3.
These exporters asked for similar rates for contracts signed in 2016 and early 2017, according to documents seen by Tuoi Tre.
Sand bought from Vietnam is seen at an area near Changi Airport.
Despite the throwaway prices, Vietnamese businesses sold a total of 31.6 million cubic meters of saline sand in 2015 alone, accounting for 50 percent of the total sand exports between 2008 and 2016.
Many construction companies have expressed skepticism at the dirt cheap export prices, saying it is impossible to sell the resource for less than a dollar per cubic meter.
One industry insider said he was forced to buy saline sand for $1.2 per m3 to use in a land reclamation project, so it is illogical for the export price to be cheaper than the domestic rate.
The exporters have apparently declared the export price much lower than the real rates when completing customs paperwork, according to Tuoi Tre investigation.
For instance, in May 2015, Vietnam’s Hai Duong KG signed a deal to sell sand dredged on Phu Quoc Island to Cambodia-based JIA DA Investment & Construction for $4.4 per m3, according to the contract obtained by Tuoi Tre.
However, Hai Duong KG only declared an export price of $1 per m3 to customs when they started to send four sand-loaded ships to the customer in October and November 2015.
The customs department had indeed marked those shipments as ‘suspicious’ and ‘needs reviewing,’ however, the exports still eventually cleared checks and were successfully transported to the buyers.
Comment rejected
Among the suspicious customs declarations is that of Duc Long Co., which said it sold two ships of sand to Singapore’s Hua Kai at only $1.3 per m3, even though the contract, obtained by Tuoi Tre, shows the price was $4.6 per m3.
On February 20, Tuoi Tre visited the office of Hua Kai on the fourth floor of an office building on Balestier Street, and was received by a woman who preferred to stay anonymous and a man. The woman's business card says she is the company’s general manager.
Tuoi Tre gave her a copy of the contract her company had closed with Duc Long, with the sand export price was set at $4.6 per m3 and asked her about the low price the exporter declared with customs.
However, the general manager quickly refused to comment, urging Tuoi Tre to “ask Vietnamese authorities.”
She did confirm the contract was authentic, and that Hua Kai had bought two ships of sand from Duc Long before signing a new contract in 2016.
But the woman refused to disclose the buying price in the new deal.
Before showing Tuoi Tre to the door, the woman reiterated that she could not comment anything about the disparity between the contract price and the rate declared with customs.
On February 27, Tuoi Tre asked to have an appointment with Duc Long Co. leaders, but has yet to receive a response.
Tracing Vietnamese ‘sand drain’ to Singapore – P3: National resource overexploited
TUOI TRE NEWS 4 Mar 17;
Many Vietnamese businesses have taken advantage of a rule allowing them to export saline sand to reap profits, leaving the environmental impacts caused by the resource’s overexploitation to be dealt with by local residents.
According to a 2013 law, businesses tasked with conducting dredging projects in local sea areas or rivers are allowed to export saline sand dredged during the project in order to recoup their investment.
Many companies were able to obtain licenses for the dredging projects, even if they never carried out any work. Instead, these companies would ‘sell’ the projects to other companies, who accordingly enjoyed the rights to export the saline sand and rake in big profits.
The sand exporters would then declare unusually low export prices while completing customs procedure to avoid taxes.
Willing to buy dredging projects
In 2014, Hanoi-based Green Environment Development Co. was assigned to implement a dredging project in Cam Ranh City in the south-central province of Khanh Hoa.
However, on October 1 of that year, the company closed a contract to transfer the project to Hai Duong KG, based in the southern province of Kien Giang.
Hai Duong KG would pay the Hanoi company VND31.5 billion (US$1.41 million) to conduct the project and receive 1 million cubic meters of saline sand after the dredging work was completed, which the firm was allowed to export.
Similarly, also in October 2014, the Khanh Hoa administration granted the Saigon-Hanoi ICMM., JSC the permission to export 2.8 million cubic meters of saline sand from a dredging project on the local Tac River.
Saigon-Hanoi Co. also sold 1 million m3 of the sand to Hai Duong KG at VND31,500 per m3, and later signed contracts to export another 1 million m3 to Singapore’s TNS Resources.
In January 2015, Hai Duong KG also purchased another dredging project, accompanied by the right to export 1 million cubic meters of sand, from Hai Viet Co., located in the northern province of Nam Dinh.
The Kien Giang company paid Hai Viet VND21,000 per m3 to obtain the right to export the sand.
A boat pumps sand off Phu Quoc Island
Even though Hai Duong KG has bought saline sand from three different projects at prices ranging from VND21,000 ($0.94) to VND31,500 ($1.41), the company only declared to customs that the resource was exported at much lower prices.
For instance, in October and November 2015, Hai Duong KG exported 109,000 m3 of sand to JIA DA Investment & Construction at only $1 per m3, meaning a VND20,000 loss per m3.
So why are businesses willing to acquire dredging projects only to export the dredged sand at a loss? It appears that this is their way to avoid taxes, particularly the 30 percent export duty.
By declaring the export price at only $1 per m3, Hai Duong KG was forced to pay an export duty of only VND6,690 per m3, significantly lower than the VND26,760 per m3 that would charged under the real contract price of $4 per m3.
Residents suffer it all
In mid-February 2017, Tuoi Tre returned to Dai Lam Commune, Van Ninh District in Khanh Hoa, where a dredging project was being implemented on the local Van Phong bay in August 2015.
The project contractor, Phuc Son Group, was permitted to export 7 million cubic meters of saline sand from the project by June 2017, according to a license granted by the Ministry of Construction.
However, the dredging project was put at a standstill last year due to strong objection from local residents, who catch lobsters in the bay to earn a living.
“The dredging work has affected the bay’s waters and either killed or scared away the lobsters,” Le Minh Thuong, a local, explained.
Another lobster-catcher, Ho Tan Phu, said prior to 2015, he used to earn VND1 million ($45) to VND2 million ($90) a day from hunting for the crustaceans.
“Since the dredging project began, not only myself but all other residents have suffered from the profit losses,” he said.
Elsewhere, in the neighborhood next to Tac River, adjacent to the sea in the coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa, another dredging project is also taking its toll on local residents.
“I have invested VND40 million [$1,786] on a babylonia areolata farm using the river water, but the dredging activities have polluted the water and killed my snails,” Nguyen Ngoc Tu, a local resident, told Tuoi Tre in mid-February.
The dredging project has also driven a number of lobster cage farms near the river mouth away, another resident revealed.
In the meantime, people in four coastal areas in Phu Yen Province are living under constant fear that the dredging projects will send their houses collapsing into the river due to erosion.
Shifting sands: illegal VN sales to Singapore
VietNamNet Bridge 8 Mar 17;
Quite a few Vietnamese companies are taking advantage of sand dredging privileges authorised by the Government to rake in huge illegal profits, according to an expose by the Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.
The investigative series, entitled “Tracing Vietnamese sand drain to Singapore”, reported that at the end of 2009, the Vietnamese Government banned sand exports but in 2013 the regulation was loosened, allowing a list of enterprises to export saline sand dredged from the river and sea beds of their own projects to recoup their investments.
The decision created favourable conditions for sand to be shipped in large quantities to the city-state of Singapore.
According to the paper, although the companies asked for dredging permission for sand export, they did not dredge the sand themselves, selling the rights to other companies for handsome profits.
On October 1, 2014, the Ha Noi-based Green Environment Development Company signed a contract to sell one million cubic metres of sand to Hai Duong KG, based in the southern province of Kien Giang, for VND31,500 (US$1.4) per cubic metre. The total contract was worth VND31.5 billion ($1.4 million). The sand was dredged during a project to improve the eco-system in Thuy Trieu Lagoon in Cam Ranh City of central Khanh Hoa Province.
At the same time, the Khanh Hoa administration granted the Sai Gon-Ha Noi Investment Construction and Mining Minerals Joint Stock Company permission to export 2.8 million cubic metres of saline sand from a dredging project on the Tac River.
Sai Gon-Ha Noi Company sold 1 million cubic metres of the sand to Hai Duong KG at VND31,500 per cubic metre, and later signed contracts to export another million to Singapore’s TNS Resources.
In January 2015, Hai Duong KG also purchased another dredging project with the right to export 1 million cubic metres of sand, from Hai Viet Company located in the northern province of Nam Dinh.
The Kien Giang company paid Hai Viet VND21,000 per cubic metre for the right to export the sand.
Even though Hai Duong KG has bought saline sand from three different projects at prices ranging from VND21,000 to VND31,500, the company declared to customs that the resource was exported at much lower prices.
For instance, in October and November 2015, Hai Duong KG exported 109,000 cu.m of sand to JIA DA Investment & Construction at only $1 per cu.m.
By declaring the export price at only $1, Hai Duong KG paid export duty of only VND6,690 (30 cents) per cubic metre, significantly lower than the VND26,760 ($1.2) that would have been charged for the real contract price of $4 per cu.m.
Land reclamation project
According to data obtained by Tuoi Tre, from January 1 to February 23 this year, 40 ships departed from Viet Nam to Singapore carrying 905,000 cubic metres of sand.
Duc Long Company exported the highest amount, weighing more than 600,000 cubic metres in total. Cai Mep Company ranked second with 369,000 cubic metres of sand.
The majority of sand dredging projects for export to Singapore are in the provinces of central Viet Nam, including Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Ha Tinh, Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Thua Thien-Hue, Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan.
Eight projects are being conducted in Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces by the Green Environment Development Company, Sai Gon-Ha Noi Investment Construction and Mining Minerals Joint Stock Company, and Cai Mep Investment Joint Stock Company.
The sand is transported across the sea to Tekong Island to the northeast of Singapore and Changi Villa, close to Changi Airport.
According to a Singaporean enterprise which imports sand, for the past decade the city-state has been working on a $6.5 billion land reclamation project meant to expand the area of Tekong Island from 657 to 3,310 hectares. This company has imported sand from Viet Nam and several other countries to serve the project since 2009.
Losses for residents
In Van Ninh District of central Khanh Hoa Province, where a dredging project of Van Phong Bay was approved and the Phuc Son Company was allowed to export over 7 million cubic metres of exploited sand, all activities have stopped since 2016 due to strong opposition from local residents.
Hundreds of residents in Dong Nam and Dong Bac hamlets earn their living from lobster breeding in the Dai Lanh sea area. “The dredging activity has turned the water muddy and red. Lobsters died or moved to other places,” said one resident, Le Minh Thuong.
"The sea lobsters have declined by half since the sand has been exploited. Not only myself but all fishermen lost their living," Ho Tan Phu, another local lobster-catcher, told the paper.
In Phu Yen Province, the Tien Chau port sand dredging project has caused severe erosion. The walls of some houses there reportedly cracked, while whole floors sank by nearly one metre.
“They sent six to seven sand dredging barges in several months, only 150m from my house. Being worried that land and houses would collapse into the sea, local residents were fiercely opposed and the operation stopped. I heard that they were about to start again,” said Nguyen Hieu, another area resident.
Binh Thuan cracks down on illegal sand mining
Following the efforts of authorities of Ham Thuan Bac District in Binh Thuan Province, illegal sand mining in Ham Liem Commune has stopped, the Voice of Viet Nam (VOV) reported.
After VOV’s report on illegal sand mining, which caused outrage among residents last year, a supervision team was established by the district’s People’s Committee. The nine supervisors are officers of the district’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment, police officers, leaders of the commune’s People’s Committee and the army.
Nguyen Thanh Giang, commander of the Ham Liem Commune’s army, said the supervisors regularly patrolled areas of illegal mineral exploitation in the commune and were often threatened by sand miners covertly driving trucks into the mining area at night.
According to the report, the path leading to the commune centre is now free of sand miners. Sand dredging vehicles have also been moved.
Although sand mining has ended, the supervision team is still patrolling round the clock to ensure it does not resume, Le Thanh Cuong, chairman of Ham Liem Commune’s People’s Committee, said.
Ham Liem Commune is home to a huge amount of high-quality sand right next to Phan Thiet City. The demand for sand in Ham Thuan Bac District and Phan Thiet City is relatively high, posing a high risk of sand mining resuming in the future.
VNS
NEO CHAI CHIN Today Online 9 Mar 17;
SINGAPORE — National water agency PUB will be helping lower-income families to save water, by replacing the 9L water closets of about 6,000 households with water-efficient 4L ones for free.
These families would be those living in public housing blocks built between 1986 and 1992, which have yet to undergo the Home Improvement Programme, which includes the replacement of their water closets.
Newer public flats already come with more water-efficient flushing systems.
PUB said that this group of households would “immediately” save 5L of water per full flush, and could potentially save 10 per cent in their monthly water bill.
More details on the replacement project will be made public in due course.
Announcing this plan in Parliament on Wednesday (March 8), Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli also revealed the progress made in cutting domestic water consumption.
Last year, households used 148L of water per capita per day. This figure is lower than the previous reported level of about 151L and just shy of Singapore’s target of 147L by 2020, although still a stretch from the 2030 target of 140L.
Water prices are scheduled to go up by 30 per cent over two rounds on July 1 this year and next year, with help being provided to most households.
On Wednesday, Mr Masagos highlighted measures other than “right-pricing” to promote water conservation, and said that he was inspired by people who have gone the extra mile to save water.
Over the next few years, PUB will be fitting smart shower devices in 10,000 new homes under a demonstration project.
This is based on an earlier study it conducted with the National University of Singapore, which found people using less water in the shower when they had devices that provided them with real-time water-usage information.
From October next year, dishwashing machines will also come under the Mandatory Water Efficiency Labelling Scheme.
And from April 2019, all new and existing premises that are undergoing renovation works must have water fittings classified as having at least two-tick efficiency.
For the non-domestic sector, which consumes most of the water in Singapore, heavy users (those consuming at least 60,000 cubic metres of water a year) will need to send representatives to attend a three-day water-efficiency manager course from 2019.
According to Mr Masagos: “Many of us are familiar with the Singapore Water Story. Perhaps there is a risk of over-familiarity, a certain jadedness from one too many social studies lessons ...
“The Water Story is a living story, and continues to be written by all Singaporeans today, whether in producing it, or in conserving it.”
Minimum standards for water fittings to be raised from April 2019
Channel NewsAsia 8 Mar 17;
SINGAPORE: As part of new initiatives to enhance water efficiency and encourage water conservation in Singapore, PUB will phase out less water efficient fittings, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Wednesday (Mar 8).
From April 2019, the national water agency will mandate the sales, supply and installation of water fittings with at least two ticks in all new and existing premises undergoing renovation. Dishwashers will also be included in the mandatory water efficiency labelling scheme from October next year, added Mr Masagos at his ministry's Committee of Supply debate in Parliament.
To further encourage water efficiency within households, PUB will introduce two new water conservation programmes, the minister said.
One of these will be the replacement of less water efficient nine-litre water closets with more efficient ones. "This can help them save up to 10 per cent in their monthly water bills," he said.
The agency will also be installing smart shower devices for 10,000 new homes as a demonstration project, Mr Masagos revealed. The smart shower device provides real-time information on water consumption during showers, and an earlier small-scale study found that a person could save up to five litres a day using these devices.
"If the positive effects are validated in the demo project, PUB may roll out the devices to more households," he said.
The minister noted that in 2016, households used 148 litres of water per capita per day, down "significantly" from a decade ago, but there is "still some way to go" to reach the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint target of 140 litres by 2030. "If each of us can save 10 litres of water per day, that is almost half a desalination plant."
"GOOD PROGRESS" ON WATER MASTER PLAN
Mr Masagos also gave an update on the Water Master Plan, a strategic blueprint for Singapore's water resource until 2060, saying there has been "good progress". The plan provides for the development of NEWater and desalination plants to meet up to 85 per cent of Singapore's water demand by 2060, as well as new pipelines for drinking water and used water.
He noted that the country's fifth NEWater plant, located at Changi, officially opened in January this year, and the third desalination plant in Tuas will be completed this year.
The fourth and fifth desalination plants in Marina East and Jurong Island are underway, he added, while phase two of the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System - which includes the water reclamation plant and NEWater factory at Tuas - is on track for completion by 2025.
"All these have now become critical so that we have a resilient water supply when the weather does not favour us," he said.
The minister's updates came after Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat announced in his Budget speech last month that water prices will increase by 30 per cent in two phases over the next two years, starting from Jul 1 this year. This is the first time in almost 20 years that the Government is revising water prices.
- CNA/kk
Water-efficient toilet bowls, smart shower devices for homes
Audrey Tan, Straits Times AsiaOne 9 Mar 17;
Old flats will get new toilet bowls as part of the national push to save water. In another move, intelligent devices will help people track how much water they use as they shower.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, in announcing both initiatives yesterday, said Singapore could do more to reduce water usage.
"I have been inspired by the many stories of people who have gone the extra mile to conserve water... This is the right spirit. We should do more together," he said during the debate on his ministry's budget.
The first effort involves replacing non water-efficient toilet bowls in Housing Board flats built between 1986 and 1992, occupied by lower- income households.
PUB said details about both projects will be announced later this year.
The existing, single-flush 9-litre toilet bowls in these flats will be replaced with more efficient, dual- flush ones that have a capacity of 4 litres. This is expected to reduce monthly water bills by up to 10 per cent.
Such a replacement is expected to save 5 litres for each full flush, and about 6,000 flats may benefit.
The other project involves installing smart shower devices in 10,000 new homes. These devices tell people how much water they are using as they shower. Both schemes come under national water agency PUB.
PUB also clarified changes to water usage calculations, after Mr Masagos revealed slightly lower per capita water usage.
Last year, PUB excluded water usage in dormitories and common areas when calculating per capita daily water usage, to better reflect water consumption within household residential premises.
Based on this new formula, each person in Singapore used about 149 litres of water a day in 2015, less than the initial reported figure of 151 litres. The figure declined to 148 litres last year.
However, it remains some way off from the 2030 target of 140 litres a day, Mr Masagos said yesterday.
"My ministry and PUB have a suite of measures - in addition to right pricing - to promote greater water savings for households and businesses," he said.
The Government had earlier announced that PUB will raise water prices by 30 per cent over the next two years.
Mr Masagos was responding to queries raised by six MPs, including Associate Professor Faishal Ibrahim (Nee Soon GRC) and Dr Chia Shi-Lu (Tanjong Pagar GRC), on how lower-income households can cope with increased water prices.
The installation of the smart shower devices follows an earlier study that PUB did with the National University of Singapore, which showed that a person could save up to 5 litres of water a day using such devices.
To further help people save water at home, Mr Masagos said PUB will start to phase out less water-efficient products.
PUB will raise the minimum standards of water fittings to two-tick products, up from one-tick, from April 2019. The tick system awards more ticks to more water-efficient products.
PUB will also extend such labelling requirements to dishwashers from October next year.
In response to questions from Ms Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) and Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio GRC) on the Republic's plans to cope with unpredictable and intense rainfall, Mr Masagos said PUB will start drainage improvement works at another 27 locations.
Such works have already been conducted at about 300 locations islandwide over the past four years.
The Stamford Detention Tank - an underground concrete tank that can hold up to 15 Olympic-size pools worth of rainwater - will also be ready this year. The Stamford Diversion Canal and Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal will be ready next year.
"These works, when ready, will enhance flood protection for their catchments," said Mr Masagos.
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