Best of our wild blogs: 4 Nov 13

Singapore's shores in a magazine for Singapore school children
from wild shores of singapore

Birdwatching in Bidadari (November 3)
from Rojak Librarian

More Observations on Red Junglefowl Behaviour
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Two More Nymphalinae Make it 308!
from Butterflies of Singapore

Long-tailed Macaque
from Monday Morgue

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Drainage system at Marine Parade Central market and food centre to be overhauled

Channel NewsAsia 3 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE: Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said the market and food centre at Marine Parade Central will be closed for a few weeks early next year for its drainage system to be redesigned and overhauled.

The measure is meant to resolve recent problems of flooding at the market and food centre, which was built 37 years ago.

The market and food centre is located at the lowest point of Marine Parade Central.

Mr Goh, who is an MP for Marine Parade, made the comments in his Facebook page on Sunday afternoon following a visit to the centre in the morning.

The government's water and environment agencies, as well as grassroots leaders and the town council of the ward were with him on the visit.

Mr Goh said they will discuss with stallholders the best time to close the market and the issues that may arise from the closure.

As a temporary measure, kerbs will be built to keep rain water from flooding the aged drainage system.

Mr Goh noted that apart from not having enough capacity to cope with the high volume of rain water during heavy rains, the sewer pipes suffer from wear and tear. Improper discharge of waste from stalls has also added to the oil sludge and silt.

The market is a sold centre, with the lease expiring in October 2017, Mr Goh said. Stall holders had also turned down upgrading twice.

"But we decided that from the point of flooding, sanitation and sewerage drainage, the overhaul of the present drainage system cannot wait until the lease expires in October 2017," he added.

In nearby Chai Chee, the two pumps installed to ease flooding during heavy rains are reported to be serving their purpose.

Writing on his Facebook page on Sunday afternoon, Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin said both pumps kicked in when it rained.

He said water levels, which rose for about 15 to 20 minutes, subsided soon after.

Mr Tan, who is also an MP for Marine Parade which includes the Chai Chee area, thanked workers at the location, and volunteers who kept an eye on the flood situation.

- CNA/ac

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Malaysia: Study to harvest horseshoe crabs for medicinal purposes

Horseshoe crabs a lifesaver
Avila Geraldine and Laili Ismail New Straits Times 4 Nov 13;

BIOLOGICAL RESOURCE: Sabah govt and varsity carrying out research on local species for use in medical field

KOTA KINABALU: HORSESHOE crabs may not be a popular dish here, but its blood is highly sought after for its medicinal value.

This unique resource promises to put the country on the pharmaceutical map.
Horseshoe crabs are used by the pharmaceutical and medical industries to prevent products from being contaminated by endotoxins.

These products include intravenous drugs, vaccines, and implantable medical as well as dental devices for humans and animals.

At present, Limulus polyphemur, an American horseshoe crab species, is widely used to produce the endotoxin detection kit.

Three of the four crab species in the world, namely Tachypleus gigas, Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda and Tachypleus tridentatus, can be found in the coastlines of Malaysia.
The Tachypleus tridentatus, especially, is abundant in Sabah waters.

Experts said this particular species was mentioned in British Pharmacopeia (the official collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances), as a source of Ameobocyte Lysate, a highly sensitive compound that is used to detect endotoxin contamination.

Recently, the state government, through the Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC) and Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT), signed a research agreement to study the population of Tachypleus tridentatus and the species' foraging areas in Pitas, Kuala Penyu, Tawau and Lahad Datu.
SaBC allocated RM60,000 for the university to conduct an 18-month research in areas where the local horseshoe crab population is reportedly centred.

Its director, Dr Abdul Fatah Amir, said the study would be a breakthrough for Malaysia, as no local horseshoe crab had been used for medical purposes.

"Information on the Malaysian horseshoe crab population, size and behaviour is lacking, and, therefore, should be gathered, documented and analysed for sustainable management of these unique resources.

"A better understanding of the range, population size and dynamics, as well as a combination of shoreline survey and tagging programme should be carried out."

Fatah said the information gathered at the conclusion of the project would benefit many and allow locals to generate income.

"Normally, these crabs are caught for consumption but it is not a popular delicacy. Sometimes, the crab shells are used as decorations.

"Once researchers have established its potential for medicine, the community will be involved in the harvesting of horseshoe crabs."

He said fishermen could also be involved in supplying horseshoe crabs to the pharmaceutical and medical industries.

Fatah said blood could be drawn from the crab without killing it, before it is returned to its natural habitat unharmed.

He has called on the state government to consider making horseshoe crabs a protected biological resource.

"This will provide the government with accurate data to be used in the planning and development of the endotoxin detection kit industry."

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Malaysia: Fish net size stays

Koi Kye Lee and Balqis Lim New Straits Times 4 Nov 13;

REGULATION: Fishermen given notice of ruling 3 months earlier

PUTRAJAYA: THE ruling requiring fishermen to use fishing nets with mesh size bigger than 38mm stays.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said the regulation, which was enforced on Friday, was to protect marine resources, not spoil the livelihood of trawler fishermen.

He was commenting on groups of fishermen in Selangor, Perak and Penang who were refusing to go out to sea in protest of the regulation's enforcement.

Ismail said the fishermen, who collectively own some 400 boats, could carry on with their protest as the Fisheries Department and Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority (LKIM) had given them a heads up on the ruling three months earlier.

"They know that the regulation has always been part of the Fisheries Act 1985. They know why it must be enforced. We will not withdraw this stance."

Ismail said fishermen who had been using nets with meshes smaller than 38mm were hauling in a lot of fry which could affect the country's fish supply in the future .

"These fry cannot be sold at markets and end up being used as fertiliser. Malaysia is only following the footsteps of other countries, including Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam, which had already enforced a similar ruling."

He added that only 10 per cent of fishermen were using nets with mesh smaller than 38mm.
LKIM chairman Datuk Irmohizam Ibrahim said the ongoing protests by fishermen in the three states had not caused a dip in the country's fish supply.

"The new ruling was to ensure sustainability of marine life, and these fishermen should be more responsible and aware that their action would cost the country and the people dearly in the long run."

Irmohizam said the fishermen had ample time to prepare themselves for the enforcement of the ruling. He said LKIM would not hesitate to engage new fishermen and import more fish should the need arise.

"There is no reason to worry about supply as we have more than 90,000 fishermen."

The regulation has existed since 1967, but it has not been implemented due to opposition from fishermen. Additional reporting by Phuah Ken Lin

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Best of our wild blogs: 3 Nov 13

Night Walk At Venus Drive (01 Nov 2013)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

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NEA volunteers should patrol with volunteer constabulary, say observers

Hu Jielan Channel NewsAsia 2 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE: The government recently said it plans to look into how to catch litterbugs more effectively with the help of volunteers from the community. One possible idea is having them patrol with the Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC).

At the moment, volunteers with the National Environment Agency (NEA) have the power to book litterbugs and report them to authorities.

Some members of the public told Channel NewsAsia that it was good to have them around to help keep the environment clean.

One of the ideas to strengthen the volunteers' role is to issue them the same warrant cards as regular NEA officers, which would give them the power to issue summonses to litterbugs.

However, there are many challenges as a volunteer. Randy Wong, a volunteer with the NEA, said: "I think the most challenging part is handling everyone's different mentalities. For example, there may be cat lovers who do not clean up the area. But if you understand their point of view, it'll be much easier to persuade them."

- CNA/ac

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'Biocement' could help build underground structures in Singapore

Eileen Poh Channel NewsAsia 2 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE: Building structures underground in Singapore may be made easier if a study to strengthen weak rocks below ground is successful.

It is one of four projects under the Ministry of National Development's S$8 million Sustainable Urban Living R&D Programme which seeks solutions in expanding Singapore's land space.

The projects touch on areas such as underground space utilisation, land reclamation technology and space optimisation.

Underground construction poses several challenges -- cracks in rocks is one of them. Such cracks can cause instability and water seepage problems.

However, this may soon be resolved with a new material called 'biocement', which is simply bacteria with chemicals in water.

The solution will act as a glue to seal cracks in rocks or bond sand particles.

Water containing bacteria, urea and calcium ions are injected into cracks in the rocks. The bacteria breaks down urea and forms calcite and after about two weeks, the calcite deposits harden and fill the cracks.

This method, if successful, can replace the current use of cement to fill the cracks at half the cost.

Associate Professor Tan Soon Keat from the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU), said: "It is almost like a liquid, like water itself. So where water can flow, (the biocement) can also flow there. So even if it is a hairline crack, it will follow through."

Assoc Prof Tan and his team at NTU have shown that biocement works under lab conditions.

Assoc Prof Tan added: "We have done the laboratory-scale test and it has worked out. But it has actually not been done in the real-scale. The proof is to do it in... the actual application, that is when we have a test site."

That is what the professor and his team will be focusing on next in a project funded by the Ministry of National Development. The testing stage of the project will take a few years.

- CNA/ac

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Malaysia hit hard by dengue virus

Tashny Sukumaran The Star 3 Nov 13;

PETALING JAYA: The country saw the highest number of dengue cases in a single week this year with 1,680 cases recorded from Oct 20 to 26, with Selangor bearing the brunt of the assault by the Aedes mosquito.

Selangor had the largest increase with 1,142 cases, up by 272 cases from the previous week.

From Jan 1 to Oct 26, a total of 28,707 cases has been recorded, which represents a 58% increase compared to the corresponding period last year, said the Health Ministry in a statement on Friday.

The Health Ministry is concerned as the weekly cases this year, at more than 900, is more than twice of last year’s weekly average of 400.

The analysis for Selangor (up to June) noted that it hosted 323 of the 408 dengue hotspots nationwide, with 26 high risk areas found in the Petaling district, 19 in Hulu Langat, eight in Gombak and one in Sepang.

The rest of the outbreak areas were located primarily in Johor (37) and Kuala Lumpur-Putrajaya (16), with the rest spread out over the other remaining states.

Johor saw 167 cases of dengue last week, while Perak had 64.

Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya remained steady over the last two weeks with 60 cases.

The good news is that Malacca (71, compared to 92) and Kelantan (33 compared to 38) are some states that had fewer cases last week than the previous one.

The cumulative mortality from dengue so far is 60, up from 29 for the same period last year.

In the statement, Health Ministry deputy director for public health Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman urged Malaysians to cooperate with relevant agencies to destroy mosquito breeding areas.

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Best of our wild blogs: 2 Nov 13

Less bullfrogs but they have started to lay eggs
from Life's Indulgences

Thursday, 7 Nov 2013, 4.00pm @ CR1: Matthew Luskin on “Conserving forest wildlife in oil palm landscapes” from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS

Hot Spot for Butterfly Sighting and Photography Part 2
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

Scaly-breasted Munia eating Pennisetum setaceum ‘Rubrum’ seeds
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Flying with an eagle
from Life's Indulgences

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Haze monitoring system will not prevent fires, say experts

Neo Chai Chin Today Online 2 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE — It provides a platform to identify companies that are using fire to clear land, but the haze monitoring system is not “preventive” against future fires, nor is it enough to tackle wider social and economic challenges standing in the way of sustainable development.

This was the take of environmentalists and academics yesterday at a roundtable organised by the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) which brought together 30 representatives from universities and non-government organisations (NGOs) from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.

The system, developed by Singapore, was adopted for use by the three haze-hit countries as well as Brunei and Thailand last month at the ASEAN Summit. It will feature satellite images of hot spots overlaid with concession and land use maps.

Monitoring deforestation is more important than monitoring the haze, argued Greenpeace’s Forest Campaign head Bustar Maitar. It is crucial to track deforested areas and zones where development should not take place, he said. “I think the discussion here should not be only ... about solving the haze but how to solve deforestation in the region — how to stop people or corporations or banks from preparing ‘fuel’ for every year’s forest fires.”

SIIA Chairman Simon Tay acknowledged that, while it is not enough “on its own”, the haze monitoring system helps to identify other steps forward, such as inter-governmental cooperation and the need for better spatial planning. It could also spur companies to act responsibly, he said.

Mr Bustar and Mr Abetnego Tarigan, Friends of the Earth Indonesia’s (WALHI) National Executive Director, told TODAY the Indonesian public, in general, is not aware of the haze monitoring system. Mr Tarigan said he himself was unsure what data the system would contain and how it would work.

Then there are the practical constraints. Official maps from Indonesian government agencies may not be able to clearly define parties responsible for fires, said the World Resources Institute’s (WRI) forest and landscape restoration Outreach Officer, Mr Andika Putraditama.

Indonesia’s One Map initiative to integrate various land use maps still has some way to go. Maps provided to the WRI by companies are “much better”, but they need to be verified through checks on the ground, he said.

The need for more science, data and better policies was also discussed at yesterday’s roundtable. Data on the health and socio-economic cost of the haze are lacking, as is the science behind some policies, according to some participants.

The scientific basis behind the threshold figure of 3 metres for the ban on development of peatland to kick in is unclear, for instance, said Universiti Malaya Senior Lecturer Helena Varkkey. “The real problem now is policy that comes before science.”

Indonesian climate and sustainability specialist Fitrian Ardiansyah noted the paltry funds dedicated to conservation — he has found that less than 1 per cent of budgets at the local district level in Indonesia are allocated to environmental protection. He also said he would like to see more collaborations among NGOs and their representatives could try to spark “change from within” by perhaps running in elections.

A Chairman’s Statement on Haze and Sustainability from the roundtable will be disseminated by NGO Roundtable participants to relevant ministries in their own countries. Prof Tay said the SIIA will be looking to hold another multi-sector dialogue on sustainable resources from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

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Interim measures being taken to tackle flooding: Tan Chuan-Jin

Channel NewsAsia 1 Nov 13;

SINGAPORE: Acting Manpower Minister Tan Chuan-Jin says interim measures are being taken to tackle flash floods even as the "formal solution" eases into effect.

Posting on his Facebook page on Friday, he said he has met up with the various agencies involved in flood control, adding that he has been briefed on what has been done and the further steps that will be taken.

His comments followed flash floods on 30 October in Bedok and Chai Chee, both in Marine Parade GRC where Mr Tan is an MP.

The sides that he has met include national water agency PUB, the National Environment Agency, the Land Transport Authority and the town council of his ward.

He said they would like to speed things up where possible, but he noted that some of the solutions are "quite major efforts".

Mr Tan added that he has asked the agencies to package the information and disseminate it once it is ready so that the public may know what has already been done.

Mr Tan also said that he has visited the flood sites and will make a few more site visits this weekend.

Citing an example of interim measures, he said a second pump was put in place on Thursday to help deal with the floods in Chai Chee.

In addition, the "road will be raised about 150mm so that cars should be able to clear the waters. We should get this done by end of year. Drains will be widened and deepened. Probably by first quarter of 2014 - at Chai Chee Street," added Mr Tan.

- CNA/ir

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Best of our wild blogs: 1 Nov 13

Sex and the Birds: 3. Fidelity and Promiscuity
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Tay Kheng Soon shares his thoughts with SIF’s Singapore magazine
from Otterman speaks

Scientists: to save the Malayan tiger, save its prey
from Mongabay.com news by Tiffany Roufs

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