New farm plots with 20-year leases set aside for high-tech farming

Today Online 9 May 17;

SINGAPORE — New plots of farm land with 20-year leases have been set aside to promote productive and high-tech farming, said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (May 9).

Details of the farm land tenders will be released soon by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA).

In a blogpost, Mr Wong said the lease extension from the current 10-year period is made following farmers’ feedback that they needed a longer period to recover investments for new technologies.

Even as Singapore’s economy evolves and society becomes more urbanised, he said a modern agriculture sector will continue to play a key role in Singapore’s future.

Besides diversifying Singapore’s food sources by setting up high-tech joint venture farms overseas, growing food locally is another way to enhance food security.

“Our farms are an important source of vegetables, eggs and fish. Local production provides a buffer against overseas food supply disruptions,” he added.

But given the limited space here, taking the high-tech route with new farming technologies is the way to go. Doing so will “significantly boost” the Republic’s food production levels, providing not only locally-grown food but also helping farmers scale up their businesses.

Hence, the assessment of proposals for the new farm plots will place greater emphasis on quality and productivity considerations, he said.

In the meantime, he added the Government will do more to help farmers adopt the new technologies.

Examples include homegrown vegetable farm Yili, which has reduced harvest loss and better yield by using taller growing houses and semi-automated curtain systems for better ventilation and temperature control.

Productivity of workers have also gone up as they can now continue to work even in hot weather as the growing houses are installed with curved plastic roofs to protect against outdoor elements.

Mr Wong said: “We hope both existing and new farmers will participate, and work with us on this journey to transform our farms.”


Govt will do more to help Singapore farmers adopt new technology: Lawrence Wong
Channel NewsAsia 9 May 17;

SINGAPORE: National Development Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday (May 9) encouraged local farmers to take up plots of agricultural land which will be set aside to promote high-tech farming, saying that the Government will do more to help farmers adopt new technology.

In a blog post, Mr Wong emphasised the need to adopt new technology that will allow Singapore to “significantly boost our production levels” and farms to “scale up their businesses”.

He was referring to the plots of land that will be tendered out with longer 20-year leases instead of the previously mooted 10-year blocks, as announced by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) in June 2016.

Mr Wong noted that the change in policy followed feedback from farmers that they needed a longer period to recover the investments for new technologies.

In the blog post, he cited various examples of farms that have boosted production by embracing technology.

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He noted how local coastal fish farm, Marine Life Aquaculture, invested in a live fish pump to help transfer its 100,000 fish fingerlings from its land-based nurseries on Pulau Ketam to cages at sea 100 metres away.

Previously, farm workers would transfer the fish in plastic containers, a process that took over a week.

The same task can now be accomplished in a day, noted Mr Wong, adding that the fish farm is also able to track and count the number of fingerlings automatically during the process as the pump had a scanner with imaging technology.

“A modern agriculture sector will continue to play a key role in Singapore’s future, even as our economy evolves and our society becomes more urbanised,” Mr Wong said.

He added that AVA will release more details on the farm land tenders soon.

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Vietnam: Sand becoming depleted because of illegal exploitation, export

VietNamNet Bridge 9 May 17;

Vietnam’s sand resources are expected to be exhausted after 15 years. However, people are still wasting sand, and enterprises continue exporting sand.

According to the Ministry of Construction’s (MOC) Building Material Department, the sand amount to be exploited can satisfy only 60-65 percent of demand in large cities.

As more and more infrastructure projects are implemented, the demand for sand has increased dramatically.

Reports showed that total sand natural resources are estimated at 2.3 billion cubic meters.

As more and more infrastructure projects are implemented, the demand for sand has increased dramatically.
In 2015, Vietnam needed 92 million cubic meters of sand, while the figure is expected to increase to 130 million cubic meters.

With the current construction pace, the sand supply sources will get exhausted after 15 years.

MONRE has also warned that if the sand use cannot be programmed well and if alternative materials cannot be found, Vietnam will not have more sand for the construction industry in the future.

At many construction works, such as Son La and Lai Chau hydropower projects, artificial sand, created by grinding stones, is used instead.

Local newspapers in recent days have repeatedly reported about the illegal sand exploitation in many cities and provinces throughout the country. The images of large pipes from pumps thrust deeply into the riverbed to absorb sand can be seen regularly in newspapers.

Hanoi Police have discovered and seized 13 illegal sand exploitation vessels in the Red River’s border area between Hanoi and Phu Tho Province.

In the southern provinces of Dong Nai, illegal sand exploitation has become hotter than ever, with many beautiful rivers becoming huge sand mining fields.

In the central region, while the government is spending billions of VND on projects to deal with worsening erosion at Cua Dai Beach in Hoi An Town, several companies took advantage of the projects to illegally exploit sand.

Tuoi Tre newspaper reported that more than 10 enterprises exported salty sand under the licenses granted by MOC since 2016.

The river dredging projects are allowed to sell all the sand they exploit to cover expenses and make a profit.

Most of the projects of this kind are in central waterways. The projects export sand to Singapore at $1 per cubic meter on average.

Most recently, on May 1, the Can Tho City Police discovered and seized nine sand laden freighters, each of which was carrying 1,000 cubic meters. The owners of the freighters could not show documents to prove the legitimate origin of the sand.

In Bac Ninh province, the situation is so serious that the province’s chai Nguyen Tu Quynh has asked the Prime Minister to instruct the Ministry of Public Security to start an investigation about the Cau River dredging project.

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Best of our wild blogs: 9 May 17

Make a difference for Chek Jawa and Pulau Ubin during Pesta Ubin!
wild shores of singapore

Night Macro Photography Workshop @ Pulau Ubin, 3 June 2017
Macro Photography in Singapore

Incidental Birding on a Singapore “Roadtrip”
Winging It

Sunny Sunday at Terumbu Semakau
wonderful creation

Sea fan garden at Changi
wonderful creation

New snail find at Kusu Island!
wonderful creation

First predawn at Tanah Merah shore
wonderful creation

Higher low tide at Big Sister's Island
wonderful creation

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Malaysia, Johor: Buffer Zones To Be Extended To Stop Water Pollution In Dam, Catchment Areas

Bernama 8 May 17;

ISKANDAR PUTERI, May 8 (Bernama) -- The buffer zones in 14 gazetted dam and catchment areas in Johor will be extended to solve the problem of water pollution.

Chairman of the Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Committee, Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the buffer zones would now be extended to 500 metres from the current 50 metres.

"However, this extension is still in the proposal stage by the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj) and will be submitted to the state government soon," he said at the Johor State Assembly sitting in Kota Iskandar here today.

He was replying to a question from Dr Sheikh Ibrahim Salleh (PAS-Sungai Abong) who asked about the state government's proposal to extend the buffer zones in dam and water catchment areas as a way to solve the problem of pollution.

Hasni said the supply of raw water in the dams and catchment areas must be maintained so that the supply of raw water to the treatment plants always met the standards of raw water set by the Health Ministry.

Hasni added that Bakaj would implement the Integrated River Basin Management in Sungai Johor to improve the management of raw water sources and solve the problem of river pollution.

Replying to a question from Datuk Seri Adham Baba (BN-Pasir Raja), he said for a start, a study would be conducted in the third quarter of this year to identify and record the sources of pollution in the Sungai Johor buffer areas.

"The study will also determine the rate of pollutants which can be released in Sungai Johor so as to control pollution and improve water quality," he said. Hasni said in the second quarter of this year, Bakaj will install three water quality surveillance units in Sungai Johor to monitor pollution and as an early warning to water treatment plants to take action to prevent worse water disruption.

He said since early last year, the state government had frozen licences for all sand-mining activities in Sungai Johor.

The move was successful in reducing pollution in Sungai Johor in terms of turbidity and suspended solid wastes.

-- BERNAMA

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Malaysia: No haze but expect floods this year - Wan Junaidi

The Star 8 May 17;

SUBANG: Malaysia will be haze-free this year due to the La Nina phenomenon, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

He said that recent Meteorological Department reports showed that the El Nino phenomenon - which brought extremely hot weather - would not occur this year, and Malaysia is expected to be free of cross border haze in 2017 because of this.

Wan Junaidi added that people living in low-lying areas need to be prepared following unpredictable heavy rain which may bring about floods this year due to the La Nina phenomenon.

He said that the Department's reports on rain distribution showed an unpredictable pattern with an unusually heavy downpour.

"It is raining every day, the situation is worrying, and it is feared the heavy rain could cause floods. As we are aware the El Nino effect is not strong this year, and the La Nina is taking place instead," he said.

Wan Junaidi said this to reporters after launching the second stage of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFCs) Phase-Out Management Plan (HPMP) here.

It said there would not be abnormally hot weather as experienced in 2014 and 2015 which brought about the haze.

Meanwhile, Malaysia is targeting to reduce the usage of HCFCs by 35 per cent by 2020 in a effort to restore the ozone layer compared to 10 per cent in 2015.

Wan Junaidi said the second stage of HPMP would focus on technological change by using non HCFCs alternatives in the foam manufacturing sector and banned the consumption of HCFCs in fire extinguisher manufacturing.

The ban on HCFCs would give industries in Malaysia the opportunity to improve energy efficiency and expand the development of the green economy.

The plan is implemented by the Environment Department under the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry with the cooperation of the United Nations Development Programme.

HCFCs is an ozone destroying substance controlled under the Montreal Protocol on materials which thins the ozone layer.

The substance is mainly used as refrigerants and in the manufacturing of foam and solvent. - Bernama

No haze expected this year, but chances of flooding high: Wan Junaidi
TASNIM LOKMAN New Straits Times 8 May 17;

SUBANG JAYA: Experts agree that the chances for a recurrence of the haze are low this year, but concerns over flooding are rising as the country continues to experience unusually heavy and erratic rainfall.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said aside from assurances given by Indonesian authorities that Malaysia will not be affected by the haze, rainfall will also help ward off the annual problem.

He said the continuous rainfall being experienced in many parts of the country now will also combat air pollution.

"If you’ve noticed, it has been raining every day, everywhere now.

"(However), what worries me is that (the) El Nino (phenomenon) won't be so strong this year... (So) if there is too much rain, it may lead to flooding," he said during a press conference after launching the Hydroflurochlorocarbon Phase out Management Plan Stage 2 seminar here today.

Wan Junaidi said Indonesia changed its way of handling the haze in 2015, following diplomatic talks with Malaysia. Now, Jakarta does not need to wait for a province to declare a “state of emergency” before sending assistance to control forest fires.

"They have responded well to our concerns. They have given their assurance that there will be no fires that will (cause) haze," he added.

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Malaysia: Customs seizes over RM9mil worth of pangolin scales from Africa

AUSTIN CAMOENS The Star 8 Amy 17;

SEPANG: The Customs Department has seized 712kg of pangolin scales worth approximately RM9.18mil in two raids at the Customs KLIA Cargo warehouse.

Department assistant director-general (enforcement) Datuk Paddy Abd Halim said the scales were seized on May 2 and May 3 respectively.

He said that the Department received an alert on May 1 about an illegal shipment from Accra, Ghana.

"We checked eight gunny sacks at the cargo warehouse and found 408kg of the pangolin scales worth RM5.26mil which were listed as general products," he told a press conference at the KLIA Customs Complex on Monday.

He said on the same day, another similar shipment arrived at the warehouse here from Kinshasa, Congo.

"We checked 10 gunny sacks the next day and found 304kg of the scales worth RM3.92mil.

Paddy said that an investigation revealed that both shipments had fake company listings on the airway bills.

He said the case is being investigated under Section 135(1) of the Customs Act for importing prohibited items.

Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in China, Vietnam and in southern China.

They are also consumed as bush meat in many parts of Africa.

Their worth however comes from their scales, which are used in traditional medicine to cure everything from asthma to reproductive problems and even cancer.

There is, however, no scientific study to back these claims.


RM9mil in pangolin scales seized after tip-offs
AUSTIN CAMOENS The Star 9 May 17;

SEPANG: At least 1,400 adult pangolins must have been killed by poachers to yield the 712kg of scales seized by the Customs Department.

The scales, shipped from two locations in Africa, in 18 gunny sacks, were labelled “general products” and “dry herbs” in an attempt to escape detection by the authorities.

The pangolin is said to be the most trafficked mammal in the world, with its meat and scales fetching high prices on the black market.

Customs Department assistant director-general (enforcement) Datuk Paddy Abd Halim said the seized scales were worth at least RM9.18mil and constituted the largest seizure of pangolin scales so far.

“We were alerted on the evening of May 1, to a suspected illegal shipment which came in from Accra, Ghana.

“The next day, we inspected eight gunnysacks at the KLIA air cargo warehouse, listed in the airway bill as general products, and found 408kg of pangolin scales worth RM5.26mil,” he told reporters at the KLIA Customs Complex on Monday.

He said they received information the same day that a similar shipment had arrived at the warehouse here.

“We checked 10 gunny sacks the next day, which were labelled dry herbs, and found 304kg of the scales worth RM3.92mil. The shipment came from Kinshasa, in the Congo,” he said, adding that investigations showed both shipments had fake company information listed.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 135(1) of the Customs Act for importing prohibited items.

Paddy said the department was trying to find out the identity of the recipient.

Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) enforcement deputy director Rozidan Md Yasin said each full-grown pangolin has about 500g of scales.

“We estimate that it would have meant the slaughter of at least 1,400 of the animals to get 712kg. We are investigating the species of pangolin that was slaughtered,” he said.

Pangolin scales are popular as traditional medicine to aid in healing fever and malaria, and even to give strength, he added.

Rozidan said that in Malaysia, a full-grown pangolin could fetch at least RM1,000 for its meat.

“The scales of a full-grown pangolin can also be sold on the black market for upwards of RM1,000,” he said.

KLIA Customs Department director Datuk Hamzah Sundang said pangolin scales were prohibited from import under Schedule Three of the International Trade Act on Threatened Species 2008.

“Anyone convicted of importing the scales could face a fine not less than 10 times and not more than 20 times the value of the seizure, or three years’ jail, or both,” he said.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, eight species of pangolin are found on two continents, and their status ranges from vulnerable to critically endangered.

All eight species are protected under international laws and two are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.

Pangolin meat is considered a delicacy in China and Vietnam and is also consumed as bush meat in many parts of Africa.

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Indonesian lawsuit against Thai firm to protect environment

The Nation The Jakarta Post, Asia News Network 8 May 17;

After nearly eight years, the government has finally filed a landmark lawsuit seeking Rp 27.5 trillion (US$2 billion) in compensation against a Thai company accused of being responsible for an oil spill in the Montara oil and gas field in the Timor Sea that destroyed marine resources and livelihoods of Indonesian fishermen in East Nusa Tenggara.

The government filed the lawsuit against the Thailand-based oil producer PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) Australasia at the Central Jakarta District Court on May 3 over sea pollution it allegedly caused from an oil spill following an explosion at the Montara oil rig in the Timor Sea in 2009.

“This is the biggest settlement we have sought from a company,” law enforcement director general at the Environment and Forestry Ministry Rasio Ridho Sani told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

“The lawsuits against parties [alleged] to have caused environmental damage are to create a deterrent effect and also to give justice for people affected. Our lawsuit against PTTEP is our effort to protect the environment and the Indonesian people.”

The government will use article 87 and 88 of the 2009 Law on Environmental Protection and Management as its legal basis as well as article 1365 of the Civil Code.

The previous highest settlement in an environmental destruction case was when the Supreme Court ordered PT Merbau Pelalawan Lestari (MPL) to pay Rp 16 trillion for illegal clearing of forests in Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province last year.

An estimated 300,000 liters of gas and oil from the rig gushed into the Timor Sea for 74 days from Aug. 21 to Nov. 3, 2009.

Arif Havas Oegroseno, the security affairs deputy at the Office of the Coordinating Maritime Affairs Ministry said the government would be represented by the Attorney General Office and the Environment and Forestry Ministry. The government filed lawsuits against three corporations: PTTEP, The Petroleum Authority of Thailand Exploration and Production Australasia (PTTEP AA) and the Petroleum Authority of Thailand Public Company Limited (PTT PCL). The hefty compensation demanded by the government of Rp 27.5 trillion was for the alleged environmental catastrophe as well as for the coastal recovery of Tablolong Village in Kupang regency and Oenggaut Village and Daiama Village in Rote Ndao regency.

Arif Havas’ ministry claimed the oil spill had damaged 1,232 hectares of mangroves, 1,429 ha of seagrass and 714 ha of coral reefs in the aforementioned villages, in addition to devastating the livelihoods of the local fishermen.

The lawsuit is different from the class action suit being processed in Sydney’s federal court. The class action suit, led by Daniel Sanda, was filed by more than 13,000 Indonesian seaweed farmers last year against PTTEP for more than A$200 million to cover damages.

Kupang Regent Ayub Titu Eki welcomed the lawsuit, which he called was “a bold move against the Timor Sea pollution”.

“The case has been ongoing for almost eight years without certainty. The most affected victims are coastal communities who live on the shores of East Nusa Tenggara,” he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Hikmahanto Juwana, an International law expert from University of Indonesia, applauded the firm action taken by the government after previous talks between the companies did not bear fruit. He said the government needed to focus on the substance of the lawsuit.

“The government should focus on the substance of the lawsuit, that the incident polluted Indonesia’s ocean,” he added.

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Indonesia: Sawu Sea to be developed into whale attraction tourism

Antara 8 May 17;

Kupang (ANTARA News) - The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and East Nusa Tenggara Tourism Agency are working together to develop the attraction of whales in the Sawu Sea.

According to the head of the provincial tourism and creative economy agency, Marius Ardu Jelamu, the development of whales attraction will be focused in three areas such as Solor-Lewotobi in East Flores regency, Ile Ape-Lamalera in Lembata regency, and Paket Alor-Pantar in Alor regency.

In addition to offering the direct whales observation, the new kind of tourism will be combined with culture, marine, religion, as well as nature tourism.

"The provincial government of East Nusa Tenggara welcomes this initiative of tourism development that is expected to boost the local income," Jelamu stated here on Monday.

Sawu Sea, a migration corridor for whales and dolphins, is a promising spot to be developed into marine tourists attraction.

The survey of Rapid Ecological Assessment (REA) conducted by TNC in the last few years, identifies that at least 10 sea mammals, including 14 species of whales, 7 species of dolphins, and a species of sea cow are present in the Sawu Sea.

Whales and dolphins attraction is a rapidly growing maritime tourism that has been developed in 90 countries around the world. Globally, this kind of tourism can generate national income of Rp1.4 trillion.

Being categorized as a new tourism, whales and dolphins natural attraction can also be developed in the seas of Sunda Kecil, Banda, and Raja Ampat.

The Waters National Park of the Sawu Sea, the breeding spot for the whales, is referred as a "cafe" for the blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus), where the tourists can directly observe their natural habitat and attractions.

(Reported by Hironimus Bifel/Uu.Y013/INE/KR-BSR/F001)

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Best of our wild blogs: 8 May 17

10 -14 May - Week 1 of Pesta Ubin
Pesta Ubin 2017

Terumbu Semakau Intertidal Trip
Offshore Singapore

Petai Trail with the BES Drongos (6 May 2017)
BES Drongos

Let Us Discover Yet Again
Love our MacRitchie Forest

American Bullfrog (Rana (Aquarana) catesbeiana) @ Tampines Quarry
Monday Morgue

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Tampines set to use ‘green’ pesticide in HDB bin chutes

WONG PEI TING Today Online 8 Apr 17;

SINGAPORE — The routine thermal fogging of chutes will become a thing of the past in Tampines come July, when the cockroach and mosquito population in public housing blocks will be kept in check with a more environmentally friendly method.

The new solution, involving an odourless and even edible form of liquid pesticide that is enzyme-based and made of soya bean, palm and tapioca extracts, underwent a month-long trial in four bin chutes in Tampines between October and November.

In that period, more than 1,200 cockroaches were killed within a matter of four seconds to five hours, said scientist Christo Niemandt, who devised the formula with Singapore-based company E-Organic Solutions.

And that is only “20 per cent of what we could count and see”, Mr Niemandt added, as the roaches would infect other roaches in their colonies, causing more to die.

Mr Anthony Goh, CEO of the product’s distributor, Isoteam, told TODAY the enzyme treatment would be more expensive, however, costing about S$10 per chute. Pesticide methods now cost town councils about S$5 to S$8 per chute, he said.

Noting that about six other town councils have expressed their interest, Mr Goh said prices will come down gradually when more town councils come on board.

At a demonstration of the new pest control method yesterday, Tampines Town Council chairman Baey Yam Keng said it would reduce annoyance for residents, since it does not set cockroaches on a “run and fly” frenzy.

He added that the method is not as noisy as fogging, and does not emit any fumes or odours.

The organic compound, made of good micro-organisms, attacks naturally occurring pathogens in pests such as cockroaches and mosquitoes, killing them by affecting their metabolism. It is “quite targeted” and does not act on dragonflies or bees, which do not have the pathogens, added Mr Baey.

The enzyme treatment will be rolled out in some 650 chutes in about 120 blocks in Tampines West from June 17, and extended to Tampines’ four other divisions a month later.

For a start, the enzyme will be sprayed twice a month. The frequency will be reduced when the situation “has stabilised”, said Tampines West property manager Albert Yee.

It could be “more cost-effective” in the long run, said Mr Baey, as spraying need not be as regular as the current fogging method, which is done nearly every quarter.

The solution is now being used only in Indonesia’s chicken and pig farms, but Isoteam chief strategy officer Albert Teng said he intends to also reach out to hawker centres here, where cockroach infestation could be better tackled in non-toxic ways.

The new method comes as a relief for Tampines resident Tang Wai Cheng, who squirms whenever she sees cockroaches near the chute at her home during thermal fogging. “The new method is better for the environment,” said the clinic assistant. “It’ll also help people with asthma, like me, who would close the windows whenever fogging is conducted.”


Tampines to use environmentally friendly anti-roach treatment from June
Vanessa Lim Channel NewsAsia 7 May 17;

SINGAPORE: Tampines estate from June will start a new environmentally friendly enzyme treatment to control the cockroach population, said Tampines Town Council in a release on Sunday (May 7).

Called Cockroaches, Mosquitoes and Odour Removal (CMO), the new water-based treatment uses enzymes from edible plants to attack pathogens in cockroaches. This will upset the pests’ metabolic system, resulting in carbon dioxide gas to be released in their bodies, killing them within five hours.

The treatment can also control the cockroach population as cockroaches infected by it can infect other cockroaches through contact. Resultant eggs from the infected cockroach will also be infected.

While deadly to cockroaches and mosquitoes, the solution is harmless to humans. In addition, it does not contaminate water as it does not contain any chemicals or pesticides.

In October 2016, a month-long trial of the enzyme treatment was conducted and was found to be effective. Tampines West will be the first to start the treatment in June. From July, it will be extended to all the other divisions in Tampines.

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Speaking to Channel NewsAsia at a demonstration of the new treatment, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC Baey Yam Keng said that while the new treatment is more expensive, it will be more cost saving.

"With lesser frequency of having to spray this at the chutes, and expected better results in terms of controlling the number of cockroaches, we believe that this will end up being a better, more cost-effective method for us," said Mr Baey.

He added that Tampines Town Council will provide subsidies to its vector control operators to help kickstart the new treatment.

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Malaysia, Johor: Water projects in the works

YEE XIANG YUN and NABILA AHMAD The Star 8 May 17;

ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Federal and state governments are expected to carry out several water supply projects starting next month as a long-term plan to ensure water sufficiency in Johor.

State Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the first step is the Layang 1 Project, a raw water transfer project that would see 159 million litres per day (mLd) moved from the Seluyut Dam in Kota Tinggi to the Upper Layang Dam – enough to fill 64 Olympic-sized pools.

He said long-term plans included the Sungai Johor Water Resources Project, which could eventually yield 600mLd.

To further ensure water security, Hasni said the Layang 2 Project would be undertaken next year to transfer about 159mLd of raw water from Sungai Ulu Sedili Besar to the Upper Layang Dam.

He added that Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) would build a new water treatment plant near Upper Layang Dam that was capable of supplying 318mLd.

“The Sungai Johor Water Resources Project, Layang 2 Project and new water treatment plant are still in the discussion stages, although they are expected to be implemented next year,” Hasni told the state assembly sitting here yesterday.

He said the Federal Government had also suggested that a barrage be built at Sungai Muar to prevent seawater from entering existing water treatment plants during high tide, and that PAAB was expected to undertake the project next year.

Water supply projects, he said, were also expected to be carried out in Mersing, Segamat and Kluang.

These include transferring raw water from Sungai Lenggor to Mersing’s Congok Dam, upgrading the Pemanis water treatment plant and piping system in Segamat, and building a new water treatment plant in Kahang, Kluang.

The state currently supplies treated water to 99.7% of its residents via a network of pipeline stretching 21,910km.

“The state government also makes sure that all the water treatment plants in all districts have a reserve margin of between 10% and 15% to cope with demand,” he said.

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Malaysia: Ulu Muda wildlife under threat

SIM LEOI LEOI The Star 8 May 17;

PETALING JAYA: The Ulu Muda Reserve in Kedah, which is already facing risk as a water catchment area, is in danger of having its wildlife poached.

Poachers and hunters from as far as Laos and Myanmar have been detected in the forest, which is one of two places in Peninsular Malaysia where the spotted leo­pard is found.

Researchers from the Wildlife Con­­servation Research Unit (WildCRU) from Oxford University have found evidence of poaching during their recent 18-month study on the population of clouded leo­pards in the area.

In an open letter urging the Kedah government to accord official protection to the area, WildCRU said its researchers had encountered multiple signs of illegal poaching and harvesting activities.

“In total, we found 20 gun shells and probably, six to seven felled agarwood trees.

“Our camera traps have revealed multiple detections of people from Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand and Laos, armed with harvesting and hunting tools,” it said.

Pictures of poachers caught in WildCRU’s camera traps were also attached with the letter.

The destruction of salt licks, on which animals depended for their essential mineral nutrients, would also negatively disrupt their population, said WildCRU.

“Opening up logging roads will increase accessibility for the already existing illegal activity,” it said, adding that this would further decimate the wildlife population and jeopardise the ecosystem as well as ecotourism activities in the Ulu Muda area.

It was recently reported in The Star that almost a year after rampant logging near the Ulu Muda Re­­serve that affected the water catchment area and left the dam there exposed, a new trail for timber lorries had been found.

The new trail at the catchment area in the forest reserve near Sik is believed to have been used by loggers since early this year.

Stretching from the Malaysian border with Thailand at Yala to Baling in the north of Perak and about twice the size of Singapore, it is said to be a paradise for nature and wildlife lovers.

However, logging is legal.

The 163,000ha Ulu Muda forest complex, covering seven forest re­serves, is an important water catchment forest for Perlis, Kedah and Penang.

WildCRU is part of the Zoology Department in Oxford University, founded in 1986 with members from more than 30 countries.

Asked how they knew that the poachers were foreigners, its main researcher Dr Cedric Tan said they had found packages of instant noddles with Thai language as well as based on personal communication with local villagers.

“There was no report lodged,” he said to a question whether WildCRU had reported such intrusions to the authorities.

An e-mail of the letter was sent to the Department of Town and Country Planning in Kedah on April 20, added Dr Tan.

Hymeir Kamarudin, operator of Earth Lodge in Ulu Muda, said he had bumped into poachers several times and even cornered a few, in the presence of his guests.

“They tried to run away. I’ve cornered them before but they kept mum. We also had pictures of poachers in our camera traps,” Hymeir said, adding that it had some 10 cameras within 3km from the lodge.

He said he could understand it if the local people were to harvest agarwood, bamboo, rotan and herbs from the forest for their own use.

“It’s when people harvest for commercial use for sale in the fo­reign market that they take more than they need,” he said, adding that he had reported to the Forestry Department as well as Perhilitan about the poachers.


Read more at http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/05/08/ulu-muda-wildlife-under-threat-poachers-from-as-far-as-laos-and-myanmar-detected-in-forest-reserve/#iStcx0DFHHi8l2CW.99

WildCRU: Conserve area for spotted leopards’ sake
The Star 8 May 17;

PETALING JAYA: The Ulu Muda Forest Area is only one of the two known places in Peninsular Malay­sia where the spotted leopard can be found, said the Wildlife Conser­vation Research Unit (WildCRU).

In an open letter to the Kedah government, the research team from Oxford University in England said the area has the potential of becoming one of the major players as Malaysia’s flagship protected areas.

The Endau Rompin National Park is the other one.

“Camera traps at other forest sites have only detected the me­­lanistic leopard (commonly known as the black panther),” said WildCRU.

The rarity of the spotted leopard in areas south of the isthmus of Kra – the narrowest part of the Malay Peninsula in southern Thailand and Myanmar – increased the importance of the Ulu Muda forest reserve as a valuable conservation area, it said.

Both the spotted and the melanistic leopards are of the same species (Panthera pardus), which has been listed as vulnerable by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Besides acting as an important wildlife corridor connecting the fo­rests in Thailand to the Pedu Forest Reserve in Kedah, resear­chers have also found Ulu Muda to be a highly suitable habitat for the clouded leopards due to its good forest cover and high elevation.

“Yet, the density of the population is estimated to be at one individual per 100km sq, lower than that of any other intensively studied sites in Malaysia.

“This could be attributed to illegal hunting and ongoing logging,” it said.

The clouded leopard is also categorised as vulnerable under IUCN.

During the research, scientists came across 54 species within just 120km sq of their camera grid, in­­clu­ding 37 mammals, 15 birds and two reptiles.

Forty-three per cent of the mammals detected (16 species), four bird species and one species of reptiles are considered as near threatened, vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

On April 21, a group of 10 non-governmental bodies including WWF Malaysia, the Malaysia Na­­ture Society from Penang, Kedah and Langkawi and Water Watch Penang, said the area was also home to species such as the Asian elephant, the Malayan tapir, the Malayan sun bear and the serow as well as more than 300 species of birds.

“It is one of the only two areas in Malaysia where all 10 species of Malaysian hornbills are found, including the rare and endangered plain-pouched hornbill,” it said.


Group warns against poaching activities in Ulu Muda Reserve
The Star 11 May 17;

PETALING JAYA: A group of 11 conservation bodies are voicing concern over the future of the Ulu Muda Reserve in Kedah as a wildlife refuge following the recent discovery of poaching activities.

The group said it was clear that poaching and encroachment activities were present in the area, one of only two places in peninsular Malaysia where the spotted leopard could be found.

“Based on studies, poaching can be facilitated by easy access into forests via roads, including logging roads, and this needs to be curbed by immediate attention and intensifying enforcement efforts.

“Failure to do so can lead to localised extinction of many rare and endemic species, the loss of wildlife based eco-tourism and ultimately may result in disrupting the whole balance of the ecosystem services these forests provide,” it said in a joint statement yesterday.

The group, which included WWF-Malaysia, the Malaysian Nature Society from Kedah, Penang and Langkawi, Water Watch Penang, Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (Peka) and Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES), is responding to poaching activities discovered by the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) from Oxford University.

WildCRU had come across evidence of poaching during their recent 18-month study on clouded leopards in the reserve.

“It is also a water catchment area of national significance,” the group said, adding that it also supplied water to industries and rice fields.

It was recently reported in The Star that a new trail of timber lorries had been found, believed to be in use since early this year. Logging is legal.

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