Preparation by Vietnam Mitigates Impact of Typhoon Ketsana

Helen Clark, IPS 3 Oct 09;

HANOI, Oct 3 (IPS) - Three days may have been a small window of opportunity, but it was enough time to save thousands of lives.

Approximately 200,000 people were evacuated by emergency services just before typhoon Ketsana made landfall on Vietnam’s central coast on Sep. 29, after blowing across the South China Sea from the Philippines, where it unleashed a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours.

Ketsana hit Manila and surrounding areas on Saturday, Sep. 26, leaving 246 people dead and more than 107,000 families homeless. Damage was estimated at 5.6 billion pesos (118.6 million U.S. dollars), according to the National Disaster Coordinating Council.

"The fact that the typhoon hit the Philippines gave Vietnam time. (Relocating) 200,000 people in two days saved many, many lives," Ugo Blanco, programme officer of the disaster mitigation arm of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), told IPS via phone. This downgraded problems to "low to middle impact" from the "deadly" typhoon, he said, which has to date killed over 400 people in the Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia.

"The Vietnamese government has done a tremendous job preparing for the storm. They’ve been tracking the storm for several days, evacuating people from high-risk areas, closing schools and taking necessary precautions to keep casualties as low as possible," wrote Peter Newsum, the country director of CARE International on a Sep. 30 blog on the aid organisation’s website.

Residents of the Ketsana-hit areas in Vietnam took their own precautions as well, such as sandbagging their roofs, a common practice in areas where typhoons and tropical storms are regular misfortunes.

Ketsana is the worst disaster to hit the communist state in years. It has left over 100 people dead and 120 million U.S. dollars worth of damage. Vietnam floods killed some 750 people in 1999 while typhoons Xangsane and Durian both left at least 70 dead in 2006.

At least 14 are still missing in the central coastal and highlands regions in the wake of Tuesday’s typhoon whose winds reached up to 167 kilometres an hour. Over 17,000 houses were destroyed and close to 4,000 classrooms damaged. According to state media reports, 10 provinces were affected and some 200,000 hectares of cropland were destroyed.

Professional photographer Nguyen Trong Tung, who lives in the capital, was visiting a friend when the storm hit. "The rains moved all the trees and the wind was so loud. It was raining all the time."

"The devastation is unbelievable, though at least the river’s gone back to where it belongs," says Steve Harrison, a resident of Hoi An, a popular tourist spot on Vietnam’s south central coast. He adds that debris from various landslides floated into the town at the height of the storm, leaving large logs in the town’s main streets.

Foreign tourists in Hoi An were stranded in hotels, sometimes doubling up in rooms after their accommodations became uninhabitable, according to media reports. Rescue workers delivered instant noodles and drinking water via boat.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who visited the affected areas on Sep. 29 and 30, pledged to give 460 million Vietnam dong (28,000 U.S. dollars) in assistance and 10,000 tonnes of rice to the victims. U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton offered Vietnam aid during a visit to Washington by Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. The European Commission has promised 2 million euros (2.9 million U.S. dollars) in aid to Vietnam along with Cambodia and Laos, according to the ‘Thanh Nien News’ daily.

Teams of foreign experts from humanitarian organisations, including Oxfam, CARE, Save the Children, and the UNDP, are set to visit the affected areas to carry out surveys on the longer-term impacts of the typhoon and possible relief and rehabilitation efforts.

Vietnam is now clearing up after floodwaters left by typhoon Ketsana began to recede in some of the flood-ravaged areas. Already the nation is bracing itself for yet another powerful typhoon – codenamed Parma, a category five storm – that could massive damage and casualties it its wake unless adequate disaster mitigation measures are in place.

Typhoon Parma is expected to hit the Philippines Saturday, Oct. 3.

In May 2006 typhoon Chanchu hit the Philippines, killing 41 people. It did not make landfall in Vietnam, but inadequate warnings to fishermen working the South China Sea meant many were lost at sea. Public anger followed.

Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate, and storms are nothing new to the nation. However, the UNDP says that in recent years the frequency and severity of such storms has increased as a result of climate change.

"Vietnam suffers 6.4 typhoons per year (on average)," said Blanco. "This is already typhoon number nine, and we have one or to months until the end of the season. I would say climate change will impact negatively."

According to international organisations like the UNDP have reported that Vietnam is also at risk from rising sea levels, which may leave up to 40 percent of land under water.

Read more!

Asia needs to boost disaster prevention: UN body

Yahoo News 2 Oct 09;

GENEVA (AFP) – More investment in prevention is needed in disaster-prone Asia, a UN body said Friday, as the battered region struggled with an onslaught of deadly storms, earthquakes and a tsunami.

The UN's International Strategy for Disaster Reduction underlined that the continent was highly exposed with its potentially deadly combination of earthquakes and extreme weather events amplified by climate change as well as population growth.

"The tragic deaths in Indonesia, American Samoa, the independent state of Samoa, Philippines and Vietnam highlight the need for governments to invest more in mitigation and prevention measures and early warning mechanisms," the ISDR said in a statement.

They needed to ensure that "all countries can be safer against more frequent and severe weather-related events and earthquakes," it added.

In the Philippines, President Gloria Arroyo put the entire nation under a "state of calamity," as millions of people braced for fast approaching Typhoon Parma, with gusts of 230 kilometres (145 miles) an hour.

The government warned Parma would tear down houses in its direct path, barely a week after tropical storm Ketsana left nearly 300 people dead and affected more than three million with the heaviest rains in four decades.

Meanwhile, Indonesia called for international help as rescuers scrambled to find survivors after a magnitude 7.6 earthquake levelled buildings around the city of Padang, claiming lives of at least 1,100 people.

In the Pacific island of Samoa, emergency workers said they had given up hope of finding more survivors from Tuesday's tsunami, that left at least 150 people dead there.

"Many countries in Asia, especially Indonesia, are doing a lot but more has to be done," ISDR spokeswoman Brigitte Leoni told AFP.

She underlined that scientists on the UN's intergovernmental scientific panel on climate change had warned about the growth of extreme weather events and storms with the global warming.

"What we have seen is absolutely consistent with what the IPCC says," Leoni added. The ISDR also pointed to the ring of fire earthquake belt that runs around the Pacific Basin.

The agency is calling on countries to boost preparedness, ensure early warning for their populations, as well as better construction standards for homes, schools and hospitals and urban planning.

Read more!

Goats killed for food aid in drought-hit Kenya

Robert Waweru, Reuters 2 Oct 09;

TURKANA, Kenya (Reuters) - Villagers in northwest Kenya squat in the sparse shade of an acacia tree and watch as aid workers slaughter their prized goats before distributing the meat to hungry people waiting for relief food.

Goats are the economic lifeblood of the minority Turkana tribe, who live around Kenya's second biggest lake and whose homeland is being ravaged by drought for a fifth year running.

Their misery is part of a broader disaster that aid agencies say is driving more than 23 million people in seven east African nations toward severe hunger and destitution.

Most nomadic ethnic groups in Kenya hold on to their animals and refuse to slaughter them even in times of severe drought, viewing them as their most valuable investment. Goat carcasses litter the area, among skeletons of long-dead cattle.

In desperation, Turkana villagers are now selling their precious animals to the European Union's humanitarian wing, ECHO, for prices well below their usual market price.

"The program buys animals from the community, slaughters them here and distributes the meat as relief food," ECHO official Martin Karimi told Reuters.

"They can't sell at market value because the market has collapsed. The animals are very weak and no one is willing to buy."

Since this April, ECHO says it has bought and killed more than 30,000 goats, 1,500 cattle and 20 camels as part of the destocking program, which is designed to help the pastoralists earn some money and also provide much needed food aid.

"It is so painful to see my goats dying ... I have lost count of how many I've lost," said local woman Esther Ekuwon as she waited with other women, some clutching hungry, crying babies, others holding onto emaciated goats ready for the knife.

Goats are more hardy than cattle, so are popular in the arid region. But temperatures of more than 36 degrees Centigrade and lack of water and pasture are still killing the animals.

Villagers say the area has seen no rain for the whole of this year, and that it only rained for one week in 2008.

Seasonal rains are due to start next month. But they are likely to bring only scant relief, and could even make matters worse by triggering floods that would destroy crops and homes, as well as increasing the spread of water-borne diseases.

ECHO is buying one goat for 800 shillings ($10.60), compared to the market rate of nearly 2,000 shillings before. They buy cows for 8,000 shillings and camels at 14,000 shillings.

The details of the animals handed over to ECHO are entered into a database, then the beasts are slaughtered immediately and the meat given to their owner and others who have lost animals.

ECHO hopes that its action will help keep the herders alive and give them a small kitty to start again when things improve.

"One of the reasons we are doing this is, hopefully, when the rains come, they can get new stock," Karimi said.

(Writing by Wangui Kanina; editing by Daniel Wallis and Philippa Fletcher)

($1=75.45 Kenyan Shilling)

Read more!

Malawi windmill boy with big fans

Jude Sheerin, BBC News 2 Oct 09;

The extraordinary true story of a Malawian teenager who transformed his village by building electric windmills out of junk is the subject of a new book, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

Self-taught William Kamkwamba has been feted by climate change campaigners like Al Gore and business leaders the world over.

His against-all-odds achievements are all the more remarkable considering he was forced to quit school aged 14 because his family could no longer afford the $80-a-year (£50) fees.

When he returned to his parents' small plot of farmland in the central Malawian village of Masitala, his future seemed limited.

But this was not another tale of African potential thwarted by poverty.

Defence against hunger

The teenager had a dream of bringing electricity and running water to his village.

And he was not prepared to wait for politicians or aid groups to do it for him.

The need for action was even greater in 2002 following one of Malawi's worst droughts, which killed thousands of people and left his family on the brink of starvation.

Unable to attend school, he kept up his education by using a local library.

Fascinated by science, his life changed one day when he picked up a tattered textbook and saw a picture of a windmill.

Mr Kamkwamba told the BBC News website: "I was very interested when I saw the windmill could make electricity and pump water.

"I thought: 'That could be a defence against hunger. Maybe I should build one for myself'."

When not helping his family farm maize, he plugged away at his prototype, working by the light of a paraffin lamp in the evenings.

But his ingenious project met blank looks in his community of about 200 people.

"Many, including my mother, thought I was going crazy," he recalls. "They had never seen a windmill before."

Shocks

Neighbours were further perplexed at the youngster spending so much time scouring rubbish tips.

"People thought I was smoking marijuana," he said. "So I told them I was only making something for juju [magic].' Then they said: 'Ah, I see.'"

Mr Kamkwamba, who is now 22 years old, knocked together a turbine from spare bicycle parts, a tractor fan blade and an old shock absorber, and fashioned blades from plastic pipes, flattened by being held over a fire.

"I got a few electric shocks climbing that [windmill]," says Mr Kamkwamba, ruefully recalling his months of painstaking work.

The finished product - a 5-m (16-ft) tall blue-gum-tree wood tower, swaying in the breeze over Masitala - seemed little more than a quixotic tinkerer's folly.

But his neighbours' mirth turned to amazement when Mr Kamkwamba scrambled up the windmill and hooked a car light bulb to the turbine.

As the blades began to spin in the breeze, the bulb flickered to life and a crowd of astonished onlookers went wild.

Soon the whiz kid's 12-watt wonder was pumping power into his family's mud brick compound.

'Electric wind'

Out went the paraffin lanterns and in came light bulbs and a circuit breaker, made from nails and magnets off an old stereo speaker, and a light switch cobbled together from bicycle spokes and flip-flop rubber.

Before long, locals were queuing up to charge their mobile phones.



Mr Kamkwamba's story was sent hurtling through the blogosphere when a reporter from the Daily Times newspaper in Blantyre wrote an article about him in November 2006.

Meanwhile, he installed a solar-powered mechanical pump, donated by well-wishers, above a borehole, adding water storage tanks and bringing the first potable water source to the entire region around his village.

He upgraded his original windmill to 48-volts and anchored it in concrete after its wooden base was chewed away by termites.

Then he built a new windmill, dubbed the Green Machine, which turned a water pump to irrigate his family's field.

Before long, visitors were traipsing from miles around to gawp at the boy prodigy's magetsi a mphepo - "electric wind".

As the fame of his renewable energy projects grew, he was invited in mid-2007 to the prestigious Technology Entertainment Design conference in Arusha, Tanzania.

Cheetah generation

He recalls his excitement using a computer for the first time at the event.

"I had never seen the internet, it was amazing," he says. "I Googled about windmills and found so much information."

Onstage, the native Chichewa speaker recounted his story in halting English, moving hard-bitten venture capitalists and receiving a standing ovation.

A glowing front-page portrait of him followed in the Wall Street Journal.

He is now on a scholarship at the elite African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Mr Kamkwamba - who has been flown to conferences around the globe to recount his life-story - has the world at his feet, but is determined to return home after his studies.

The home-grown hero aims to finish bringing power, not just to the rest of his village, but to all Malawians, only 2% of whom have electricity.

"I want to help my country and apply the knowledge I've learned," he says. "I feel there's lots of work to be done."

Former Associated Press news agency reporter Bryan Mealer had been reporting on conflict across Africa for five years when he heard Mr Kamkwamba's story.

The incredible tale was the kind of positive story Mealer, from New York, had long hoped to cover.

The author spent a year with Mr Kamkwamba writing The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, which has just been published in the US.

Mealer says Mr Kamkwamba represents Africa's new "cheetah generation", young people, energetic and technology-hungry, who are taking control of their own destiny.

"Spending a year with William writing this book reminded me why I fell in love with Africa in the first place," says Mr Mealer, 34.

"It's the kind of tale that resonates with every human being and reminds us of our own potential."

Can it be long before the film rights to the triumph-over-adversity story are snapped up, and William Kamkwamba, the boy who dared to dream, finds himself on the big screen?

WINDS OF CHANGE
2002: Drought strikes; he leaves school; builds 5m windmill
2006: Daily Times writes article on him; he builds a 12m windmill
2007: Brings solar power to his village and installs solar pump
Mid-2008: Builds Green Machine windmill, pumping well water
Sep 2008: Attends inaugural African Leadership Academy class
Mid-2009: Builds replica of original 5m windmill

Read more!

Cyprus unveils mammoth wind farm

Sarah Ktisti, Reuters 2 Oct 09;

NICOSIA (Reuters) - Cyprus has moved closer to reaching the European Union's renewable energy target by 2020, with the birth of the first wind park on the island.

Expected to be operational by the summer of 2010, the 200 million euro ($290.7 million), 82 megawatt (MW) wind farm will be the largest of its kind in the Mediterranean region.

"It is a very big project. Normally in Europe - especially in Greece and Spain - they consider 20 to 30 MW a huge project, so 82 MW is a massive project. It is the biggest in the region," Akis Ellinas, chairman of D.K. Wind Supply Ltd., told Reuters in an interview ahead of the ground breaking ceremony on Thursday.

Financing for the project was secured by British company Platina Partners, with the European Investment Bank providing 50 percent of the loan under a conventional project finance structure.

Once operational, the site -- which is the first to benefit from the new 20 year fixed rate tariff recently approved by the Cyprus government and the EU Commission -- will be home to 41 turbines, equivalent to producing 10 percent of the island's total energy generation capacity.

Split into two phases encompassing 140 MW in total, the 16 square km Orites wind farm, located on a mountain to the west of the island in the Paphos district, is the first private sector power project on the island.

"It was very difficult because we faced governmental people who had no idea what energy or wind farms meant. Some people thought it was a monster, others, something from space," said Ellinas, a businessman whose brainchild this wind park is.

Traditionally seen as a summer holiday destination, with scorching hot summers, the Mediterranean island has enough wind capacity to keep the towering white windmills turning to power 50,000 households, save 100,000 tons of carbon emissions and produce 120,000 Kilowatt hours of energy annually.

"Cyprus is not among the windiest areas in the world. I'd say we have something in the region of 6 meters per second and around 1,600 hours annually. But with new technology, like the Vestas 2MW V90 turbines which we are installing at the moment to the project, it helps," said Ellinas.

"That represents almost 3 percent of Cyprus's requirements toward EU regulations and targets," Ellinas said.

(Editing by James Jukwey)

Read more!

States push into global climate talks over forests

Peter Henderson, Reuters 1 Oct 09;

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - States and provinces with half the world's tropical forests told their national governments to act fast on deforestation, forcing their way into international climate talks that they said were moving too slowly.

Eleven governors from Brazilian, Indonesian and U.S. states and provinces issued a call for leadership to their presidents to stop deforestation that accounts for a fifth of the world's greenhouse gases.

Such states stand to gain from a system to provide financial rewards for conserving and propagating forests, which is seen as a relatively inexpensive way to address global warming.

But the complexity of such a system overwhelmed negotiators of the Kyoto climate change treaty, which left out forests.

When the successor to Kyoto is debated in Copenhagen in December, national negotiators will find themselves rubbing elbows with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and other "subnational" leaders who gathered in California this week.

"Our collective efforts are the first at any level of governance to move into what might be called the 'proof of concept' stage," for forest conservation, the states said in a letter to the national leaders.

"At the same time, we are concerned that the U.N. negotiations are moving too slowly and that the different national efforts on climate and forests in Brazil, Indonesia, the United States and other countries are proceeding in relative isolation without adequate coordination," they wrote.

They called for their countries' presidents to form a task force to speed up talks and to include the regional leaders.

The letter was produced at a governors' conference sponsored by Schwarzenegger. Local leaders plan on Friday to sign an accord to work together on clean transportation, lobbing their national governments to implement climate change legislation and to share plans for adapting to changing climate.

"If we wait for everybody to get it right, we've got it wrong," said British Columbian Premier Gordon Campbell said in an interview at the talks.

Expectations have diminished that Copenhagen will produce a new treaty. "I think everyone is right to be skeptical, but we should all be hopeful," Campbell said.

He pointed to joint efforts by some Canadian and U.S. provinces, including B.C. and California, to create a carbon emissions cap and trade scheme that would limit total pollution and allow emitters to trade rights to pollute.

The letter included governors of Amapa, Mato Grosso, Acre, Amazonas and Para in Brazil, California, Wisconsin and Illinois in the United States, and Aceh, Papua and East Kalimantan in Indonesia.

Read more!

Most people in the UK in denial over climate change, according to psychologists

The majority of people in Britain are in denial about the risk of global warming in our lifetimes, according to a new study into the psychology of climate change.
Louise Gray, The Telegraph 3 Oct 09;

The Met Office has warned that if the world continues to burn fossil fuels at the current rate temperatures will rise above four degrees C in the next fifty years.

This will cause sea level rise, droughts, floods and mass collapse of eco-systems.

However Clive Hamilton, Professor of public ethics at the Australian National University, said the majority of the population is still in denial about the risks of climate change.

He compared the situation to the psychology of the British and German populations before the Second World War and said the only way to make people change their behaviour is to "ramp up the fear factor."

Prof Hamilton applied traditional psychological reactions to the threat of future risk.

In a paper presented to an Oxford University conference this week, he said people react in three different ways to a frightening situation: denial, apathy or action.

In the case of climate change, he said a minority of people in Britain are in complete denial and refuse to believe man-made greenhouse gases are causing the temperatures to rise. He said a smaller minority are taking action by lobbying Government and adapting their lifestyles through driving less, not eating meat and generally living a low carbon lifestyle.

However, Prof Hamilton said the majority of people use "maladaptive coping strategies" such as ignoring the situation, blaming someone else or simply having a good time.

He said people do this to cope with the anxiety.

"This means telling ourselves the scientists are probably exaggerating - if it was that bad surely the Government would be doing something," he said. "Or telling ourselves it is a long way off so I will worry about it then or if I change my light bulbs it will not be my fault. It can mean blaming other people like the Chinese for building more coal-fired power stations or pleasure seeking by driving fast cars, eating exotic food and living the high life."

Prof Hamilton said scientists have played down the risks of global warming for fear of overloading people with information.

"There is a widespread belief in the scientific community that the public cannot handle the truth and so they have been pulling their punches. Global warming is unique amongst environmental problems - which are often exaggerated - in that it is now clear that the scientists have been understating the true implications."

In December more than 190 countries will meet in Copenhagen to try to thrash out a new international deal on climate change. For any agreement to be struck it is likely that rich countries will have to agree to cut carbon emissions by consuming less energy.

Prof Hamilton said scientists now have a duty to inform the public about the risks of climate change so action is taken and people are ready to adapt their lifestyles.

"There is a view we should not scare people because it makes them go down their burrows and close the door but I think the situation is so serious that although people are afraid they are not fearful enough given the science," he said. "Personally I cannot see any alternative to ramping up the fear factor."

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 2 Oct 09

Asian Paradise-flycatcher bathing
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Migratory Season Has Started
from Life's Indulgences

Work on International Cruise Terminal at Marina South begins
from wild shores of singapore

New Guidesheet – The Hidden World of the Fungi
from Raffles Museum News

Boomz! The Big Boys are Back!
from Raffles Museum News

Crawlfish
from The annotated budak and the hermit's haiku and more

Dugong’s last moments a frantic fight for survival
from wild shores of singapore

Corporate Social Responsibility in Singapore: Awareness and Implementation from AsiaIsGreen

Read more!

Bishan Park canal reshaped into river

$76m project will turn concrete canal into meandering waterway
Victoria Vaughan, Straits Times 2 Oct 09;

IT MAY not be the Mekong but Singapore's first river relocation project is set to make waves at Bishan Park.

The concrete of the Kallang drainage canal will be torn up and the waterway brought into the park as a meandering river, complete with gentle slopes and plant-covered banks.

Costing about $76 million, the flagship project is part of the Active Beautiful Clean Waters (ABC Waters) programme from Singapore's water authority PUB, in collaboration with the National Parks Board.

The stretch of canal currently runs along the length of the park.
During its conversion into a 3km- long river, it will be worked on in sections to minimise disruption for the park's three million annual visitors. It will be completed in 2011.

The project, ABC Waters@Kallang River-Bishan Park, aims to be environmentally sustainable. The old concrete from the original canal will be recycled to help stabilise the new river banks, and any trees displaced by the construction will be replanted in the park or recycled and used as part of the river banks.

Last December, work began on a 60m test-bed project at the park to study the plants and materials most suitable for lining the banks of the new river.

This is the first time soil bioengineering - the combination of plants with traditional engineering - has been used in a tropical climate.

One of the designers of the new river, Mr Herbert Dreiseitl, founder of city planning firm Atelier Dreiseitl Asia, explained that an important lesson learnt from the test bedding was that 'some of the plants grow too fast in the tropical climate, this will lead to high maintenance costs - so we won't be using them'.

The river and planting project will halve the speed of rain torrents, which currently run through the park at about 7.2kmh, or at a jogging pace.

This will help cut down on surges into the canal system during heavy rain, which can lead to flash floods.

'We expect the river to be safer than before. We will be using non-slippery surfaces by the side of the river. and the shallow valley will mean it will flow very slowly,' added Mr Dreiseitl, who is working with engineering firm CH2M Hill Singapore on the project.

Barriers will still be in place at steep banks but gentle slopes will allow park goers to dip their toes at the water's edge, fish and see the rich biodiversity - frogs, dragonflies and fish - found in the test-bed area.

The foliage along the banks also serves as a filtration system for the water, extracting phosphates and nitrates, as well as some heavy metals, leading to cleaner water flowing into Marina Reservoir.

Mr Yap Kheng Guan, PUB's director of the 3P Network, said: 'There are so many blue spaces in Singapore; if we can turn them into interesting spaces, we are really adding a new dimension to Singapore life.

'When people enjoy the river, they want to keep it clean. We have seen this at Kolam Ayer (the ABC Waters pilot project completed in April last year).'

The upgraded park will also feature a river promenade, which can play host to events, and three new playgrounds - an adventure playground for active teens, a bubble playground set in sand for young children and a water playground.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will officially launch the project tomorrow at the Teck Ghee Lantern Night to be held in Bishan Park 2.

From A to B to C

The Active Beautiful Clean (ABC) Waters programme began in February 2007. The 20-year plan is halfway through its first five- year phase.

COMPLETED PROJECTS
# Kolam Ayer Waterfront
# Bedok Reservoir floating stage, fishing deck and seating gallery.
# MacRitchie Reservoir's entrance now has a green carpark and warm-up deck.
# Marina Barrage.

SOME ONGOING PROJECTS TO BE COMPLETED NEXT YEAR
# Sengkang Floating Island in Sungei Punggol.
# Rower's Bay and Family Bay at Lower Seletar Reservoir.
# Jurong Lake family water playground.
# Pandan Reservoir fishing deck and viewing platform.
# Alexandra Canal outdoor classroom with urban wetlands.

FORTHCOMING PROJECTS
# Rochor Canal
# Geylang River
# Sungei Ulu Pandan
# Sungei Pandan
# Sungei Tampines
# Sungei Api Api
# Siglap Canal - River Campus
# Siglap Canal - Kembangan Steps

The current five-year phase will see 28 projects underway.

Bishan Park undergoes $76m facelift
Ong Dai Lin, Today Online 2 Oct 09;

Singapore - One of Singapore's most popular parks is about to blossom - with a river promenade, cafes, themed playgrounds and diverse wildlife to give it vibrancy.
This will be the new face of Bishan Park after the 35-metre wide canal beside it is transformed into a river that meanders through the park - the first time a canal will be naturalised and integrated into a park in Singapore.

When completed in 2011, it will also be linked to the Kallang River.

To give the 3km man-made waterway the natural feel of a river, soil bio-engineering techniques - the use of plant materials and traditional engineering methods - will be employed for the first time in Singapore. There will be greenery and rocks along the river walls to prevent soil erosion and to beautify its banks. The greenery will also provide a natural habitat for wildlife.

This revamp is being commissioned under the Public Utilities Board's (PUB) Active, Beautiful, and Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme, after a 60m stretch of Bishan Park was converted into a river waterway as a test bed for the project last December. One of the biggest challenges, said PUB's 3P network director Yap Kheng Guan, was to decide which plants to use, as these need to survive river water currents.

The $76-million project is undertaken in conjunction with the redevelopment of the 20-year-old park by the National Parks Board. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will launch the project tomorrow.

PUB is also working on eight other projects under its ABC Waters Programme. These include the building of a floating island in Sengkang to link residents from one bank of Sungei Punggol to the other via a floating bridge. Another eight projects in areas including Rochor Canal, Geylang River and Sungei Pandan are slated to start next year.

Bringing Kallang River into Bishan Park
Government Press Release 2 Oct 09;

Marking a first in Singapore, the concrete canal in one of Singapore’s most popular parks will be converted into a natural meandering river under national water agency, PUB’s ABC Waters Programme.

The transformation of Singapore into a City of Gardens and Water is well underway under PUB’s Active, Beautiful, Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme. Reaching mid-point in the initial five-year phase, construction will soon commence for one of the programme’s flagship projects at Bishan Park.

A joint collaboration between the national water agency and the National Parks Board (NParks), ABC Waters@Kallang River-Bishan Park will see the conversion of the concrete canal into a natural meandering river, seamlessly integrated with the park for the first time in Singapore. When completed in 2011, this will create more green and blue spaces in one of the most popular parks in Singapore, enhancing park users’ experience while still fulfilling its structural function.

Mr Tan Nguan Sen, PUB’s Director of Catchment and Waterways, said, “By seamlessly integrating Kallang River into Bishan Park, the waterway will be made more accessible to people. During dry weather, water flow will be confined to a narrow stream in the middle of the river, and park users will be able to walk along the water’s edge, bringing people closer to water.”

Mr Yeo Meng Tong, NParks' Director of Parks Development added, "Given the opportunity presented by the transformation of the canal beside Bishan Park into an accessible and landscaped waterway, NParks will introduce more community spaces and amenities including water-themed play, into the park for all to enjoy. We will also ensure that the park retains spaces for quiet relaxation, as well as areas for popular group exercises."

The additional facilities in Bishan Park include a River Promenade, suitable for events, community gatherings and festive celebrations. There will be three new playgrounds, each with a distinctive theme. The Adventure Playground will have a range of climbing play facilities for active teenagers, and younger kids will be enticed by the Bubble Playground, a cosy corner with rubber mounds set in a sea of sand. Children who love getting wet will enjoy the Water Playground, where they can learn to appreciate and value water through interacting with it.

Bioengineering techniques in Bishan Park: A natural way to build

The use of soil bioengineering techniques – or the combination of plant material with traditional engineering –is an ideal solution that combines soil retention function with aesthetics and ecological considerations in the creation of a natural river with landscaped banks. This is the first time these techniques will be applied in urbanised Singapore, and a test bed was constructed earlier this year to test out the various techniques in the nation’s tropical climate (see appendix).

“As a strong new impulse for the future, an infrastructure that can be appreciated and accessed by citizens which at the same time respects the environment in a sustainable manner also brings about a subtle change in behaviour and thinking,” Mr Herbert Dreiseitl, Founder and Partner from Atelier Dreiseitl asia adds on. “And it is through this change that we can begin to create places which are vibrant, healthy and full of socio-cultural liveliness. Bishan Park has already the beginnings of this, and bringing the river and water element back to the people, will further enhance the place.”

“To integrate the redesigned Kallang River with the park, the interface between the two zones between park and river, urban and nature is carefully considered and designed in a manner to commensurate with the naturalistic character of the river,” said Mr Dreiseitl who worked out the park and river design with his team in collaboration with CH2M Hill Singapore Pte Ltd for the engineering.

The new Bishan Park will also be home to diverse wildlife with habitats created to encourage certain species to settle and thrive. For example, reed beds will promote dragonfly communities and seasonal nectar-producing flowers will entice butterflies so people will be able to observe rich biodiversity.

ABC Waters design features: A natural way to clean

Plants with natural cleansing properties to treat water, known as ABC Waters design features, have been carefully chosen and will be used at a cleansing biotope in the park as well. These features will beautify the surroundings as well as maintain the water quality of the ponds in the park and the river naturally without the use of chemicals. In addition, a portion of its water is recycled for use for shallow water play in the Water Playground.

“As with all ABC Waters projects, a lot of thought went into planning the new park design. Workshops and consultations with various 3P (people, public, private) partners were held to ensure that the project is developed in a sustainable manner that enhances our living environment and enriches our quality of life. At the same time, we hope that everyone will play a part to keep the park and waters clean, especially since two-thirds of our island will soon become water catchment,” said Mr Tan.

Introduced in 2006, the ABC Waters Programme aims to transform Singapore's reservoirs and waterways beyond their functional uses, into beautiful and clean streams, rivers and lakes, creating new community spaces for people to enjoy recreational activities. Projects have been completed at Kolam Ayer, Bedok Reservoir, MacRitchie Reservoir and Marina Barrage, making these areas vibrant hotspots for the community. In addition, nine projects have commenced at water bodies including Lower Seletar Reservoir, Jurong Lake and Alexandra Canal, with 8 more projects slated for commencement by 2010.

For more details, please refer to appendix or visit www.pub.gov.sg/abcwaters

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will be marking the commencement of the project at Bishan Park at the Teck Ghee Lantern Night cum Commencement of ABC Waters@Kallang River-Bishan Park Ceremony held this Saturday, 3 Oct 2009 at Bishan Park II.

Bishan Park to get a river by 2011
$76 million project is part of masterplan to turn waterways into venues for recreation
Cai Haoxiang, Straits Times 4 Oct 09;

Come 2011, children celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival will be able to carry lanterns along a 3km river running through Bishan Park.

In launching Singapore's first river relocation project at the park yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong asked residents to care for the waterway.

The river is the first of its kind in Singapore, he said.

It is created by diverting the Kallang drainage canal through the park, and reforming it from concrete waterway to winding river.

PM Lee urged residents: 'When it rains in the estates, that bit of litter, plastic bag or cigarette butt which you just dropped will be washed into the drains, the streams, the canals, into the river and the reservoir and finally PUB will have to spend money to pick it up and clean up the water before you can drink it.'

The $76 million Bishan Park project is part of a masterplan launched in 2006 to transform Singapore's 15 reservoirs, 32 major rivers and 7,000km of waterways into beautiful spaces for recreation.

By 2011, 28 projects islandwide will be completed.

Four are ready. They are popular venues for recreational activities and community events, he told some 200 residents.

For instance, the Marina Barrage, opened in October last year, has been enjoyed by more than half a million visitors.

Soon, people will also enjoy the revamped Bishan Park which will feature a river promenade and spaces for quiet relaxation or exercise.

Planners for the revamped park are are Public Utilities Board and National Parks Board.

There will be three new playgrounds - an adventure playground for active teenagers, a sand playground for young children, and a water playground.

Wildlife enthusiasts can look out for frogs and fish or visit a dra-gonfly pond - or watch for special plants planted along the river banks, which will cleanse the flowing water.

PM Lee said he hoped youth and community groups across the island will be involved in caring for parks and waters. They can host activities to get people closer to the water to enjoy it, and spread the message of environmental protection, he suggested.

PM Lee, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, also watched Chinese song and dance performances and mingled with residents at Teck Ghee's annual Lantern Night in the park.

PM Lee launches Kallang River-Bishan Park project
Cheryl Lim, Channel NewsAsia 3 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has launched the Kallang River-Bishan Park project, part of the Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) Waters Programme.

The programme is a masterplan to transform Singapore's water catchment areas into community spaces for recreational activities.

The Kallang River-Bishan Park project, the first of its kind in Singapore, will integrate the existing canal with the park.

Upgrading works will be carried out, including the installation of three new playgrounds – Adventure Playground, Water Playground and Bubble Playground.

New community areas, such as a river promenade, quiet spaces in the park and a dragonfly pond, will also be created. Moreover, the park will be linked to Marina Reservoir by a park connector.

Speaking at the launch on Saturday, Mr Lee said everyone must play their part to keep the environment clean.

"We need everybody to cooperate and help keep our parks and waters clean. In fact, our estates have to be clean too because when it rains in our estates, that litter or plastic bag which you just dropped will be washed into the drains, will be washed into the streams, into the canals, the river and into the reservoir and finally, PUB will have to spend money to take it out and clean up the water before you can drink it," he cautioned.

The Kallang River-Bishan Park project is one of more than 20 under the ABC Waters Programme to be carried out by 2011. Three pilot projects at Kolam Ayer, Bedok Reservoir and MacRitchie Reservoir are already completed.

Another project, the Marina Barrage, has been well-received, attracting more than half a million visitors since its opening last year. Nine other projects are currently under construction, with eight others slated to start in 2010.

- CNA/so

Read more!

Singapore to be 'living lab' for sustainable growth

Fiona Chan, Straits Times 2 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE aims to become a 'living lab' to test new ideas and technologies in sustainable development, said National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan yesterday.

Mr Mah told the Global Social Innovators Forum that a key way to come up with such innovations is through more collaborative efforts - both between the public and private sectors here as well as between Singapore and other countries.

'Sustainable development for Singapore in the decades ahead cannot depend on legislation or efforts by the state alone,' he said at the opening of the three-day forum in Fusionopolis.

'More than ever, we require collaborative innovation across the private, public and people sectors to think of new solutions to help Singapore overcome our resource limitations and to reduce the environmental footprint of future growth.'

In the area of energy efficiency, for instance, there is 'tremendous potential for cross-sector collaboration', whether in more energy-efficient industrial processes, cleaner and greener vehicles, or green buildings, said Mr Mah.

To catalyse this process, the Building and Construction Authority has set aside $5 million to encourage local developers to link up with foreign partners and develop building designs that can improve energy efficiency by at least 50 per cent.

The Government has also created a $100 million fund to help existing owners upgrade and improve the energy efficiency performance of their buildings, said Mr Mah.

Singapore is also doing its part on a global scale by contributing to cross-border partnerships that aim to develop sustainable cities. The Tianjin eco-city in China, a joint effort between Singapore and China to create an 'environmentally friendly, socially harmonious and resource-efficient city', is one such example.

The minister also stressed that sustainable development is 'an ongoing effort with no end point'.

'No city has a monopoly of good ideas,' he said. 'We can all do our part by sharing good workable ideas to make our cities more sustainable.'

The Global Social Innovators Forum, started in 2006 by Singapore-based non-profit organisation Social Innovation Park, aims to help by bringing together social entrepreneurs and key leaders from the private, public and non-profit sectors to share their ideas and experiences.

The theme of this year's forum, featuring speakers including futurist Alvin Toffler and Wal-Mart chairman Robson Walton, is collaborative innovations in ensuring sustainable development.

Read more!

Tremors felt in parts of Singapore after second Sumatran earthquake

Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia 2 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE : Singaporeans felt another round of tremors after a second major earthquake of at least 6.6 magnitude rocked Indonesia's Sumatra island on Thursday morning.

Police said some 74 buildings were affected. All have been inspected and found to be unaffected by the tremors. An expert also said that although aftershocks are common, they will have minimal or no impact in Singapore.

Things have returned to normal for those working at Tong Eng Building, off Cecil Street in Singapore's central business district. But earlier in the day, workers felt tremors, and those on higher floors rushed for safety.

One worker said: "About 10 o'clock, there was some shaking (lasting) about less than one minute, it was a very short one. Yesterday's... was more serious, that one took about 2-3 minutes."

Another said: "So far from what I see, it is ok. Tong Eng Brothers... the boss came down to check the building, to see if there is any cracks at the corner of the building."

Authorities said they received more than 60 calls from the public about tremors in other locations.

These included Beach Road, Teban Gardens, Pasir Panjang, Toa Payoh, Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Sengkang, Punggol, Sims Drive, Marine Parade, Tanjong Rhu, Woodlands, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong West.

But there were no reports of injury.

During tremors, members of the public who are indoors should take cover under a table and keep away from items made of glass or any hanging objects. Those who are outdoors should remain in the open, away from buildings.

They should check for any visible sign of structural defects on buildings, such as new cracks, once the vibrations have stopped. If there are none, it is generally safe to remain in the building. Evacuation is only necessary when there are visible signs of structural defects.

The Police said buildings in Singapore are designed to established building codes and are sufficiently robust to withstand tremors caused by distant earthquakes.

The National Environment Agency confirmed an earthquake occurred at about 9.52am in Southern Sumatra, approximately 480 kilometres southwest from Singapore.

Experts said the earthquake is likely linked to Wednesday's temblor - and more aftershocks are expected.

Professor Kerry Sieh, Professor of Geology, Earth Observatory of Singapore, NTU, said: "There will be more aftershocks, but it can go either way - about whether they are going to be felt in Singapore.

"If there are going to be earthquakes felt in Singapore and aftershocks from the earthquakes, they are probably 6.2 or 6.3 or so; if they are smaller than that, it probably would not be felt."

Tiger Airways has suspended all flights to and from Padang until further notice.

All affected Tiger Airways passengers travelling to and from Padang within the next seven days will have the option of a free flight change to a date within seven days from the original departure date.

SilkAir said it is monitoring the situation, and has not delayed or cancelled any flights bound for Indonesia. - CNA/yb/ms

Singapore feels new quake tremors
Straits Times 2 Oct 09;

A second earthquake, less intense than Wednesday's, hits off southern Sumatra

MORE tremors were felt in Singapore yesterday as a second major earthquake of magnitude 6.8 struck off the coast of southern Sumatra.

The authorities received over 60 calls from the public, who reported feeling tremors in parts of the island, including Beach Road, Woodlands, Ang Mo Kio, Marine Parade and Jurong West, at 9.52am.

The second round of tremors felt here was much less intense than the tremors on Wednesday evening, and lasted for only a few seconds.

Police said inspections at 74 buildings yesterday evening showed no signs of structural cracks.

The checks are in addition to the 234 buildings inspected on Wednesday evening.

A senior executive engineer at the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Mr Stephen Mok, said more than 40 engineers had been deployed by the BCA to private residential homes, commercial buildings and schools island-wide since the first tremors were felt here, after a quake of 7.6 magnitude rocked the west Sumatra city of Padang.

Tremors were also felt in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor.

Experts said aftershocks were a common occurrence after a major quake but would have a minimal impact on Singapore.

Professor Kerry Sieh, director of the Earth Observatory of Singapore at Nanyang Technological University, said more aftershocks could be expected over the next few days and even months, although anything below a magnitude of seven was not likely to have any major impact here.

Singaporean Norlailah Kadola, who has more than 20 relatives living in Padang, has been frantically calling, but has not been able to reach anyone.

The administrative clerk, 54, said: 'We keep calling but there's no response. The lines are cut off. If we can reach one, we will at least know what's happening.'

Indonesian Junaidi Muhamad Zen, 43, who works here as an engineer, managed to contact his family in Padang only after multiple tries. Only his sister's mother-in-law remains uncontactable so far.

'Most of them were at home. They ran out of the house then went back inside when the conditions were more stable,' said the Singapore permanent resident.

With the airport in Padang closed to commercial flights, Tiger Airways flights to and from Padang have been suspended until further notice.

Those affected included an Indonesian couple, who did not realise their flight had been cancelled until reaching Changi Airport yesterday morning.

Ms Ira, 36, said she wanted to be with her relatives in Padang even though they were all safe.

AMRESH GUNASINGHAM, TEH JOO LIN & CAROLYN QUEK

Read more!

Haze continues in Singapore with PSI of 57

Lynda Hong, Channel NewsAsia 1 Oct 09;

SINGAPORE: Singapore continued to be affected by haze on Thursday.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) at 4pm stood at 57, which was within the moderate range but slightly higher than Wednesday's level of 53.

The NEA said the air quality is expected to remain within the moderate range (PSI 51 - 100) until at least Friday.

- CNA/ir

Heavy rain clears haze in Sarawak
The Star 2 Oct 09;

KUCHING: An unexpected mid-morning downpour helped to clear the haze that enveloped the state capital in the morning.

A Meteorological Department weatherman said the 10am rain that lasted for nearly an hour, was in most of the western part of the state including Sibu.

He said most parts of Sarawak experienced extremely hot weather, which hit 37°C on Wednesday with the air quality in several divisions being at unhealthy level.

The haze was caused mainly by over 300 hotspots in neighbouring Kalimantan.

Bernama reported the Air Pollutant Index (API) for Bintulu and Samarahan being 105 and 101 respectively at 11am yesterday.

The Department of Environment in its website said 35 areas had good readings, including Putrajaya (21), Shah Alam (24), Petaling Jaya (26), Alor Setar (25), Jerantut (26) and Kangar (27).

Twelve areas with moderate readings are Kota Tinggi (57), Larkin Lama (55), Muar (51) dan Pasir Gudang di Johor (65), Balok Baru, Kuantan, Pahang (52), Kapit (66), Kuching (96), Miri (94), Sarikei (86), Sibu (90) Seri Aman in Sarawak (87) and Labuan (65).

Read more!