In Indonesia, Natural Disasters Are a Security Concern

‘Crucial Importance’ Incidents such as the recent Banjarnegara landslide are more than just humanitarian and economic calamities
Bantarto Bandoro Jakarta Globe 18 Dec 14;

Heavy rain has triggered many catastrophes that cannot be addressed by one party alone. What we saw in Jemblung in Central Java’s Banjarnegara district is a fatal landslide, evidence that humans cannot resist the forces of the nature. This is one of the worst landslide disasters recorded in Indonesia in recent years.

The landslide claimed the lives of nearly 80 people, while dozens remain missing. Around 570 people have also been displaced from their homes.

Local infrastructure was badly damaged in the landslide, preventing rescue teams from reaching certain areas.

Economic activities have also been interrupted as many lost their workplaces and livelihood.

The Banjarnegara landslide highlights the country’s vulnerability to disasters as well the government’s slow reaction, if not total inability, to effectively deal with such chronic catastrophes.

The media has reported the landslide comprehensively and no day passed without discussion of the event.

A Jakarta Globe story published earlier this week titled “Most of Indonesia at risk of landslide,” says among other things that around 9 percent of the country’s 250 million people live in an area at very high risk of natural disaster.

This suggests that Indonesia’s government must consider disasters, be it landslides, heavy floods or earthquakes, from a much more comprehensive perspective. The response of the government in addressing these disasters must make full use of all resources available.

Indonesia has experienced natural disasters from minor floods to devastating tsunamis. In response to the vulnerabilities and risk of disasters, a presidential decree established the Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (known as BNPB) in 2008.

The existence of BNPB is necessary to help the government respond to national disasters, but it alone is not sufficient to manage and address the widespread impact of future disasters the country will certainly face.

It is not clear if the government’s security planners consider disasters from a comprehensive perspective of national security.

The government in Jakarta tends to responds to natural disasters with actions framed as disaster relief and assistance, rather than through a security lens.

Armed conflict, war or trafficking of small arms and light weapons, to mention just a few, are some of the conventional security hazards constantly reviewed by the security planners to update preventive steps for the security of the nations.

On the contrary, several non-traditional security threats, that can have as disastrous an impact on human security as the more conventional threats, are often overlooked by the agency concerned.

Some of these non-traditional security threats to Indonesia such as flooding, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis and the recent landslides highlight the need for the government of President Joko Widodo to frame the response through a security lens.

Human vulnerability — especially to natural disasters — must be part of the nation’s security agenda.

The devastating Banjarnegara landslide should not be seen as merely the BNPB’s business. How other government agencies respond to environmental threats and disasters is a key issue and how the response is securitized is of crucial importance.

Because Indonesia has many areas that are prone to natural disasters, it is perhaps not an exaggeration if the government reveals elements of securitization such as landslides identified as existing threats; a multiplicity of securitizing actors, such as the BNPB and other disaster-related government agencies; and the complexity of various agencies — both central and local government.

Thus, when the landslide drew a large number of rescue teams dispatched by various national agencies, the securitization of the landslide conformed to the particular “logic of security” found in security studies, but separated it from a singular type of actor and threat, as is usually found in traditional security issues.

Landslides and other forms of natural disasters can be perceived as threats to human security and the environment, as well as other aspects of national security. The BNPB and the government agencies, such as the military, National Police, and the coordinating office for law, politics and security, are the securitizing actors that play central roles in mitigating the security impact of landslides.

When President Joko Widodo visited the site he was reported as saying the landslides should provide lessons for us on the importance of a balanced environment, suggesting blame on those who convert lands into farms.

The government’s short- and long-term response to the landslide should not only target rebuilding a balanced environment, or only be based on disaster-relief considerations.

Given the severe casualties in landslides, it is not wrong to suggest that Joko should start framing his government’s policy response through a security lens.

When his responses are securitized, the presidential communication would focus on non-traditional security concerns such as human or environmental security issues.

This suggests that, for natural disaster response such as the recent landslide, human security and other aspects of this should significantly influence the framing of the issue at the presidential level.

Bantaro Bandoro is a senior lecturer at the Indonesian Defense University’s School of Defense Strategy, in Sentul, Bogor

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Major coral bleaching in Pacific may become worst die-off in 20 years, say experts

Warm sea temperatures are causing massive coral reef die-off across the Northern Pacific in what could be the start of an historic bleaching event around the world
Karl Mathiesen The Guardian 19 Dec 14;

Scientists warn extreme sea temperatures could cause a “historic” coral reef die-off around the world over the coming months, following a massive coral bleaching already underway in the North Pacific. Experts said the coral die-off could be the worst in nearly two decades.

Reports of severe bleaching have been accumulating in the inbox of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Coral Reef Watch programme since July.

A huge swathe of the Pacific has already been affected, including the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Hawaii, Kiribati and Florida. Some areas have recorded serious bleaching for the first time.

“On a global scale it’s a major bleaching event. What it may be is the beginning of a historic event,” said Coral Reef Watch coordinator Dr Mark Eakin.

In the Marshall Islands, bleaching of unprecedented severity is suspected to have hit most of the country’s 34 atolls and islands. The Guardian witnessed devastated expanses of coral that look like forests covered with snow.

Warm water will soon begin hitting reefs in the southern Pacific and the Indian Ocean as the seasons and currents shift. Eakin said coral watch modelling predicts bleaching on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef as early as January.

Bleaching is caused by persistent increases in sea surface temperature. Just 1C of warming lasting a week or more can be enough to cause long-term breakdown of reef ecosystems.

The worst coral bleaching event on record is a mass die-off during 1998. A massive El Niño event combined with climate change to raise global sea and air temperatures to never-before-recorded levels and killed around 15% of the world’s corals.

2014 has already surpassed 1998 as the hottest year recorded - with a mild El Niño still predicted in the new year.

Professor Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a coral reef expert from the University of Queensland, said the current bleaching event was on track to be as bad or worse than 1998.

“Many coral reef scientists are expecting something similar to 1997-98 to unfold in the next six to 12 months.”

Eakin said even under a weak El Niño, bleaching could continue until 2016 – lasting twice as long as the 1998 event. High sea surface temperatures due to climate change are making El Niño a less decisive factor in coral bleaching.

“Despite the fact that there’s really not a big El Niño, we’re seeing these patterns of severe bleaching. So what’s happening is, as global temperatures increase and especially as the ocean warms through the increase of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gases in the atmosphere, it’s warming the ocean so that it doesn’t take as big an El Niño to have the same effect on water temperatures,” said Eakin.

Initial analysis of the Guardian’s photos from the Marshallese atoll of Arno showed its reefs could be added to the fast-growing list of seriously affected places. In less extreme temperatures bleached coral may not die completely.

But Karl Fellenius, a coral reef manager from the University of Hawaii said that in the Marshall Islands “it’s looking like the thermal stress was so profound that the corals died within days of getting bleached”.

This does not augur well for the future of the world’s reefs under climate change.

“The real problem is that recovery from a major bleaching event can take decades and these events keep coming back every 10 years or less… [Reefs] just don’t have time to recover,” said Eakin.

The combined effect of rising temperatures and sea levels – corals can only survive near the surface – could mean the end for coral reefs in the next 50 years even if world leaders combine to keep global temperature rise below their target of 2C, said Hoegh-Guldberg, who was lead oceans author for the UN’s definitive climate science report.

“Temperatures projected under even mild climate change scenarios may be too damaging to coral reefs for them to survive beyond the mid to late part of this century.”

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Malaysia: A five-fold rise in disaster victims

RAHIMY RAHIM The Star 18 Dec 14;

GOMBAK: More than half a million Malaysians were affected by disasters in the past 10 years, according to the World Disasters Report 2014.

This represented a five-fold increase from 103,168 people between 1994 and 2003 to 532,851 people between 2004 and 2013.

However, the report, Focus on Culture and Risk, noted that the number of people killed in the country due to disasters decreased from 660 to 310. It revealed that floods, which accounted for 44% of deaths, were the most frequent natural disasters in the world last year. Storms, which caused 41% of deaths, were the second.

The two deadliest natural disasters last year were Typhoon Haiyan, which hit the Philippines in November and killed 7,986 people, and a flood caused by monsoon rain that claimed 6,054 lives in India.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Asia-Pacific zone director Jagan Chapagain said Malaysia was lucky that it was not situated in a disaster-prone area, as almost 90% of natural disasters happened in the region.

“Malaysia can play a big role in supporting other South-East Asian countries as it assumes the chairmanship of Asean in 2015,” he told a press conference at the International Islamic University Malaysia here after releasing the report.

“I hope that it can show huge leadership to neighbouring countries as it also holds a seat in the United Nations Security Council in handling and coordinating humanitarian aid during natural disasters.”

He said international aid agencies should consult local communities hit by natural disasters before introducing any development or humanitarian aid programme.

“We always get feedback from the community first as we want to be accountable and we want to change the hand-out mentality to the empowerment mindset,” Chapagain added.

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UN sends team to clean up Sunderbans oil spill in Bangladesh

Thick tar clogging 350 sq km of delicate mangrove forest and river delta, home to endangered Bengal tigers and rare dolphins

Agence France-Presse The Guardian 18 Dec 14;

The United Nations said on Thursday it has sent a team of international experts to Bangladesh to help clean up the world’s largest mangrove forest, more than a week after it was hit by a huge oil spill.

Thousands of litres of oil have spilt into the protected Sundarbans mangrove area, home to rare Irrawaddy and Ganges dolphins, after a tanker collided with another vessel last Tuesday.

A team from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) has arrived in the capital Dhaka to support Bangladesh’s “cleanup efforts of the oil spill in the Sundarbans”, a statement from the UN said.

Experts have slammed authorities for failing to organise a proper clean-up effort of the oil spill, which has now spread 350 sq km (135 sq m) inside the delicate mangrove forest area.

Until now, the forest department was relying on villagers and fishermen to scoop up the thick tar from the water and river banks with sponges and pans.

The UN team, sent in response to a request from Bangladesh, will help in the ground work in coordination with the government and will also conduct an assessment and advise on recovery and risk reduction measures.

The European Union and United States, Britain and France are supporting the UN effort.

The UN expressed concern over the disaster, urging Dhaka to impose a “complete ban” on the movement of commercial vessels through the 10,000 sq km ( 3,850 sq m) forest that straddles the border between Bangladesh and India and is home to a number of rare animals including the endangered Bengal tigers and Irrawaddy dolphins.

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Tropical deforestation threatens global food production

Chris Arsenault, Reuters Yahoo News 18 Dec 14;

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Tropical deforestation in the southern hemisphere is accelerating global warming and threatening world food production by distorting rainfall patterns across Europe, China and the U.S. Midwest, a study released on Thursday said.

By 2050, deforestation could lead to a 15 percent drop in rainfall in tropical regions including the South American Amazon, Southeast Asia and Central Africa, the study published in the journal Nature Climate Change said.

Much of the logging taking place is to clear land for agriculture. This can cause a vicious cycle, increasing global warming, lowering food production on farms which in turn leads to growers cutting down more trees for farmland, experts say.

"When you deforest the tropics, those regions will experience significant warming and the biggest drying," Deborah Lawrence, a University of Virginia professor and the study's lead author, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Removing trees and planting crops releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming. At the same time, deforested areas are also less able to retain moisture, immediately altering local weather patterns.

The study said if current deforestation rates persist in South America's Amazon rainforest, the region's soy production could fall by 25 percent by 2050.

Logging in the Democratic Republic of Congo or Thailand could also have consequences in other parts of the world, leading to more rainfall in Britain and Hawaii and less rainfall in southern France and the U.S. Midwest region, the study said.

Globally, levels of deforestation are increasing slowly, Lawrence said.

Brazil has brought rates down in a "wonderful success story", she said, while the situation in Indonesia's tropical forests has worsened.

Complete tropical deforestation could lead to a 0.7 degree rise in world temperatures, on top of the impact from greenhouse gases, doubling global warming since 1850.

"Tropical forests are often talked about as the 'lungs of the earth,' but they're more like the sweat glands," said Lawrence.

"They give off a lot of moisture, which helps keep the planet cool. That crucial function is lost – and even reversed – when forests are destroyed," she added.

(Reporting By Chris Arsenault)

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Climate change could cut world food output 18 percent by 2050

Chris Arsenault, Reuters Yahoo News 18 Dec 14;

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Global warming could cause an 18 percent drop in world food production by 2050, but investments in irrigation and infrastructure, and moving food output to different regions, could reduce the loss, a study published on Thursday said.

Globally, irrigation systems should be expanded by more than 25 percent to cope with changing rainfall patterns, the study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters said.

Where they should be expanded is difficult to model because of competing scenarios on how rainfall will change, so the majority of irrigation investments should be made after 2030, the study said.

"If you don’t carefully plan (where to spend resources), you will get adaptation wrong," David Leclere, one of the study’s authors, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

Infrastructure and processing chains will need to be built in areas where there was little agriculture before in order to expand production, he said.

International food markets will require closer integration to respond to global warming, as production will become more difficult in some southern regions, but new land further north will become available for growing crops.

Based on the study's models, Leclere expects production to increase in Europe, while much of Africa will remain dependent on imports.

If climate change is managed correctly, food production could even rise 3 percent by 2050, the study said, as a higher concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has a fertilizing effect on plants.

Managing water resources is expected to be the biggest challenge for farmers steming from climate change.

Water "may become dramatically scarcer much earlier than previously thought", Michael Obersteiner, another study co-author, said in a statement.

(Reporting By Chris Arsenault; Editing by Tim Pearce)

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Authorities investigating oily sheen on Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park river

Chan Luo Er Channel NewsAsia 17 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: The authorities are investigating an oily sheen on the Kallang River in Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park following reports from members of the public on Tuesday (Dec 16).

When Channel NewsAsia visited the park on Wednesday, the water was largely clear, save for several small patches of oil in the river.

Mr Thomas Tan Kok Hin, who works at the McDonald’s outlet next to the river, said the smell of the oil was very strong on Tuesday. “Fishes were flapping about struggling to breathe,” he added.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the sheen could be caused by sediments from the bottom of the river.

A spokesperson from national water agency PUB said that it received a report of oil sheen on the river at about 6pm on Tuesday and sent officers to the site to investigate. Preliminary investigations by the PUB show that the oil sheen is not likely to be kerosene and they have applied dispersants to disperse the oil.

PUB added that on-site checks show no abnormality in water quality and fish behaviour. Water samples have also been collected for further testing and they will continue to monitor the situation closely. The PUB also assured the public that the quality of raw water in reservoirs is monitored and treated to international guidelines before it is supplied to households.

Oily sheen seen on river in Bishan park
Lee Joon Lei The New Paper AsiaOne 20 Dec 14;

Visitors to Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park have been noticing, since Tuesday, what appears to be an oily substance on the surface of the river water there.
Mr Joshua Sng, 34, who is self-employed, said: "I don't know where it came from but it can't be good for the park's ecosystem."

The river smelled like kerosene, said others The New Paper spoke to. One local resident said he could even smell it from his 11th-storey flat.

Residents said they had seen oily patches in the river before, although they were much smaller.

"The substance used to appear in small patches, but the patches were much wider on Tuesday. I even saw fishes leaping out of the water for air," said a resident who declined to be named.

When TNP returned to the scene yesterday, much of the oil-like substances had dissipated.

Officers from the national water agency PUB were also at the scene to take water samples.

NOT KEROSENE

A spokesman said PUB had received a report about the oily sheen around 6pm on Tuesday, adding that it is not likely to be kerosene.

Dispersants had been applied to disperse the oil. Rain yesterday afternoon also diluted any remaining oil.

On-site checks showed no abnormality in the water quality and fish behaviour, the PUB spokesman said.

PUB also said that the water, which flows into the Marina Reservoir, would not have its quality compromised because of the substance.

"PUB would like to assure the public that it has a comprehensive system to monitor the quality of the raw water in our reservoirs, and the raw water is treated at the waterworks to World Health Organisation drinking water quality guidelines before it is supplied to households."

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Singaporean lures Indonesians away from shark fishing

AFP AsiaOne 17 Dec 14;

TANJUNG LUAR, Indonesia - Sharks are hauled ashore every day at a busy market on the central Indonesian island of Lombok, the hub of a booming trade that provides a livelihood for local fishermen but is increasingly alarming environmentalists.

Now a Singaporean is luring the fishermen away from Tanjung Luar market, where an array of other sea creatures including manta rays and moray eels are also sold, by offering them jobs as local guides for the growing number of tourists visiting the island.

"The whole dream is that there's enough tourists coming, not on a daily basis because the corals would be affected, but maybe on a weekly basis," said Kathy Xu, a former teacher who gave up her job to focus on the project.

"Hopefully I can engage more fishermen to do this."

But Xu recognises that she faces an uphill battle to tackle a lucrative industry, which is fuelled by demand for fins, particularly from China, and has transformed the vast Indonesian archipelago into the world's biggest shark fishery.

On a recent visit by AFP to Tanjung Luar, 10 sharks were laid out on the dirty tiled floor before being auctioned off, but an environmental group said on a busy day up to 300 are brought to the market.

"Sometimes there are so many sharks we can't fit them all in here," Ismail, a businessmen who finances local shark fishermen and goes by one name, told AFP.

So far Xu has persuaded a handful of fishermen to work with tourists, mostly from Singapore, taking them snorkelling on beautiful coral reefs and to secluded white-sand beaches, on average twice a month.

She also takes visitors to the market to raise awareness about the impact of shark-fishing in Indonesia, where 110,000 tonnes are caught a year, according to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization.

During a recent tour, 25 Singaporean students aged 13 to 15 watched women transfer fish from colourful baskets into buckets, workers sharpen their machetes and porters haul sharks hung over their shoulders.

"Normally you find out these problems from picture books, saying killing sharks for their fins is bad, but they don't really go further than that and you don't really think about it anyway," said 14-year-old Ray Chua.

World's biggest shark fishery

Despite Xu's efforts, hunting sharks remains a better option for many local fishermen.

"We get much more money from hunting sharks than taking tourists to swim. On a lucky day, I can get 10 times more for catching sharks," said Sulaiman, who goes by one name.

While the fins are sold on to China and other countries where they are considered a delicacy, the rest of the shark is sliced up and its meat and skin made into meatball soup and snacks that have become part of the local diet.

There has even been a recent trend towards eating shark pups, which are being sold in major grocery chains on the main island of Java, said shark protection campaigner Riyanni Djangkaru.

Conservationists have long been raising the alarm about shark-fishing in Indonesia, and point to signs that populations have been declining around Tanjung Luar and across the whole archipelago, which consists of over 17,000 islands.

The Lombok market is one of the few where sharks are openly landed. In other parts of country, fishermen hunt sharks in the open sea, slicing off their fins and dumping them back in the water to die.

However, protection groups point out that careless fishing by tuna trawlers is the biggest killer of sharks.

Far more of the creatures die when they are accidentally caught in trawlers' nets in places such as Bali, central Sulawesi island and in the south of Java, than by fishing, they say.

They say the responsibility to protect the creatures should lie with the government. Only one species of shark, the whale shark, currently enjoys full protection in Indonesia and the few regulations that exist are not properly enforced, they say.

At the moment, it is left to conservationists and others such as Xu to help the world's oldest predator. And while she recognises that her effort alone will not be enough, the Singaporean is happy to do what she can.

"The more I dived the more I got to see the sharks and they just grew on me," she said. "It is just too beautiful, and I don't want my grandchildren to not get this experience."

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Rat infestation near Bukit Batok MRT

Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 17 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: A rat infestation has been spotted in the vicinity of Bukit Batok MRT station. Simulation system operator Ryan Keith, 33, is a longtime Bukit Batok resident, and recorded a video of the rat infestation on Tuesday evening (Dec 16), at the hill just beside the train station.

"I was there for about 10 minutes and I think I saw more than 50 rats," he told Channel NewsAsia. "This spot is near to many eateries, and rats can breed very quickly and bite through wires, so I am quite concerned."

He said he has approached the National Environment Agency (NEA) about the problem, and they told him that "they will look into it".

Channel NewsAsia understands that this is a plot of state land under the management of the Housing and Development Board (HDB), as an agent of the Singapore Land Authority. Channel NewsAsia has approached the HDB for comment.

When Channel NewsAsia visited the area on Wednesday evening, more than 30 rats were seen scurrying about, although residents say that the number may sometimes be higher.

The MRT station is adjacent to several food establishments, including McDonald's and a hawker centre.

Some McDonald's staff Channel NewsAsia spoke to said they are worried that the rats might eventually enter the restaurant.

A pack of stray dogs were also spotted near the rats' nest. Cleaners working at the MRT station said they have seen people feeding the dogs in the evening, despite a large sign that forbids them from doing so. Residents also said that the remnants of the food given to the dogs are eventually eaten by the rats. The rats appear aggressive, and the dogs seem afraid of them.

Some residents are worried about the diseases that these rats and stray dogs may carry, and are calling for the authorities to take action.

"One day, if they run out of food, they will just go to the eateries around here. They might even run to the station and people might get bitten," said a resident Channel NewsAsia spoke to.

Another concerned resident said: "Before, there were just a lot of stray dogs. Recently you can see a lot of mice running all over the place. I think the authorities should do something about this because there are a lot of food stalls here. It is dangerous."

- CNA/ac/dl

Rat ‘infestation’ sighted near Bukit Batok MRT station
Today Online 17 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE — A video of a large colony of rats residing near Bukit Batok MRT station is causing concern among netizens.

Facebook user Ryan Keith Smith yesterday (Dec 16) uploaded videos and photos on his page of what appeared to be several rats scurrying around a grass patch.

Mr Smith said the footage was recorded next to Bukit Batok MRT station. He also published an email he sent last night to the Ministry of Health, the Choa Chu Kang Town Council, the National Environment Agency and several Members of Parliament who serve in the constituency.

In the email he urged the relevant authorities to look into the matter “for the safety of the residents”, especially considering the eateries and supermarkets in the vicinity.

This is not the first complaint of rats in the area. Earlier this month, another report had appeared in local media regarding the “infestation”.

Complaints of rat infestation near Bukit Batok MRT station
AsiaOne 17 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE - First it was 10 rats, then 20 on another day, then one night, commuter Madam Lin spotted more than 30 rats scurrying about the grass patch next to the Bukit Batok MRT station.

Madam Lin, 48, a technician, called Lianhe Wanbao's hotline about the rat infestation last Wednesday. She told the Chinese evening daily about witnessing rats scurrying up and down the grassy slopes beside the station daily for about a month.

She is not the only one. The Straits Times reported today (Dec 17) that another Bukit Batok resident, Mr Ryan Keith Smith, complained about the situation on his Facebook page.

Mr Smith uploaded pictures and a video of the rats on Dec 16.

The harrowing video shows rats running wild in broad daylight.

According to The Straits Times and a screengrab in one of his comments on the page, Mr Smith e-mailed photos of the rats to several parties, including the Choa Chu Kang Town Council, the National Environment Agency and MPs who serve in the constituency.

In the Facebook post showing the colony of rats, he wrote: "Imagine these rats nightly intrusion into all the eateries and supermarkets in the vicinity in order to survive and procreate.

"Our Government would be really proud if these are part of our population headcounts to 6.9 million and counting... Am sure Hong Kah North Town Council needs the help of Pied Piper."

According to Wanbao last week, the grassy slopes have become a "rats' playground", with residents saying the situation has worsened in recent days.

Bukit Batok rat infestation: Pest controllers step in
Xabryna Kek Channel NewsAsia 18 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: Pest controllers sent by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) were seen at a hill just beside the Bukit Batok MRT station on Thursday (Dec 18), in response to reports of a rat infestation.

More than 10 pest control officers from Star Pest Control were seen trapping the rats in cages, after they first arrived at around 8am. Star Pest Control manager Bernard Chan said they had sent two teams of people to treat the burrows where the rats were living in, and a few were caught when they ran out of the burrows.

"We were treating the burrows this morning, so a few of them ran out," said Mr Chan. "The 'active time' for the rats will be in the evening, when you will see more coming out."

"For the later part of the day, when we finish up the operation, we will eliminate the rats ... we will just kill them," he added, when asked what will happen to the trapped rats.

When Channel NewsAsia visited the area on Wednesday evening, more than 30 rats were seen scurrying about, although residents say that the number may sometimes be higher. The MRT station is adjacent to several food establishments, including McDonald's and a hawker centre.

RODENT SITUATION AN "ISOLATED CASE"

However, a sales assistant at Bakery Point, Ms Eileen Ng, told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday that business was not affected by the infestation and no rats were found on its premises.

A Bukit Batok resident, Ms Gina Cheng, also downplayed the infestation as an "isolated case", adding that she did not think the rats would go to other parts of Bukit Batok. However, she pointed out that the stray dogs might be most affected by the rat infestation.

"I'm more concerned about the safety of the stray dogs," said Ms Cheng. "They are certainly the victims here - they have nowhere to go except this hilltop. The rodents issue, yes, the town council has to settle, but more so (address) the safety of the stray dogs."

"It could be because some residents here feed the dogs in an irresponsible way, so the rodents go after the leftover food," she added.

On Tuesday, Bukit Batok resident Ryan Keith had recorded the rat infestation at Bukit Batok on video, saying that he saw more than 50 rats in 10 minutes.

- CNA/av

About 15 rats caught so far at Bukit Batok infestation: Pest controllers
Marcus Mark Ramos and Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 18 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: "About 15 or 16" rats have been captured so far at the site of the Bukit Batok rat infestation, according to pest controllers sent by the Housing and Development Board (HDB).

News of the rat problem started circulating online on Wednesday (Dec 17), sparked by a netizen's video of many rats scurrying around the area.

The problem stems from the feeding of stray dogs, according to a joint statement from the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Jurong Town Council.

The resulting food scraps have attracted rodents and encouraged their infestation, the statement said. The infestation had been "kept under control" due to measures such as fencing to keep stray dogs away from common areas, and notices to remind the public not to feed the stray dogs.

However, the issue resurfaced in recent months due to "continuous indiscriminate feeding of the dogs in the area by feeders," the statement said.

"We have intensified our pest control measures to eradicate the rodents and in response to public complaints on aggressive stray dogs, we are continuing with stray dog control operations. However, for these efforts to be effective, the feeding of stray dogs needs to cease," the statement added. "Strict enforcement measures will be taken, and we hope the public will understand and support these measures."

Some food stall operators Channel NewsAsia spoke agreed that the infestation has escalated in the past month. They often find rats at food disposal spots, and have also seen people feeding stray dogs in the area, with the food remnants eventually eaten by rats.

According to Mr Afendi, Senior Manager of Operations at PestBusters, the rodents found at Bukit Batok are commonly known as sewer rats. They may grow up to 40cm in size, and also reproduce very quickly. Cutting their food supply is key to stopping this.

Said Mr Afendi: "The more food they can find, the faster the (rate) of the infestation will be. Rodents are very territorial, and they multiply very fast. As such, they would have to look for other food avenues."

To eradicate the issue of the infestation, Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC David Ong said the authorities have to stop the indiscriminate feeding of stray animals. The site of the rat infestation falls under Mr Ong's area.

"I think we need to educate more of the public not to feed these stray animals indiscriminately, like tossing food over the fences or lay food in the open. Second, of course, we also need to get the NEA to step up in terms of enforcement to make sure we do not have littering of food in the area," Mr Ong told Channel NewsAsia.

PEST CONTROLLERS' PROGRESS ON BATTLING INFESTATION

Star Pest Control manager Bernard Chan told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday evening (Dec 18) that the 'search and trap' team mainly used their hands and equipment such as nets to capture the rats, as luring them with conventional rat traps was "not very effective".

Mr Chan added that the rats did not appear as often on Thursday due to the rain. The field is also "very slippery" as a result of bad weather, making it hard for the pest controllers to chase after the rats. After the rats were caught, glue was used to prevent them from escaping, Mr Chan said.


The pest control team started work at 8am on Thursday. Rat poison was applied to the burrows at 9am, and a second layer was applied at 6pm, as the rain might have washed the first layer away. "The poison will take about three to five days to kill the rats. If the rat activity starts to subside, that means the treatment is successful," said Mr Chan.

Many netizens have expressed concerns about the use of rat poison, as dogs have been known to accidentally ingest the poison. To this, Mr Chan said: "We have already thought about this before carrying out the procedure. The rat poison is not exposed. We made sure to only put the rodenticide in the burrows, so the poison is underground where all the rats are hiding. The stray dogs will not be able to eat the poison by accident."

The pest control operation is expected to continue over the next few days, he said.

RAT INFESTATION DRAWS CROWDS

Meanwhile, the rat infestation appears to have become a little bit of a draw for crowds. When Channel NewsAsia visited the site on Thursday evening, a crowd of about 40 had gathered to watch pest controllers try to trap rats and treat burrows, with many of the onlookers taking photographs.

Mr Sundram Subbramaniam, who is not a Bukit Batok resident, said he happened to be in the area and decided to catch the pest controllers in action.

"I have been seeing this in the news and on social media, and since I am coincidentally here to drop off a letter today, I just wanted to see what was happening at the moment," he said. "I would like to salute all these pest control people for the great job they have done with the infestation so far. They continued to catch the rats despite the bad weather."

- CNA/dl

Bukit Batok rat infestation due to people feeding stray dogs, say authorities
OLIVIA HO Straits Times 18 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE - Rat infestations will not stop unless people stop feeding stray dogs and leaving food around for the rodents to feast on.

The authorities said that even though they have been carrying out anti-pest operations, the problem won't go away unless people stop feeding the stray dogs in Bukit Batok, a joint statement released on Thursday by the Housing Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA), and Jurong Town Council stated.

"We have intensified our pest control measures to eradicate the rodents and in response to public complaints on aggressive stray dogs, we are continuing with stray dog control operations. However, for these efforts to be effective, the feeding of stray dogs needs to cease. Feeders should also not interfere with stray dog control operations and tamper with traps and other equipment," said the statement.

The group of government agencies also said that the indiscriminate feeding of stray dogs in the area by the public has led to leftover food scraps.

"This has in turn attracted rodents and given rise to their infestation," they said.

The statement warned: "Rodents will proliferate whenever food sources are available, due to improper disposal of food or leftovers from the feeding of strays. Rodent control measures will fail as long as the root cause is not resolved."

According to the statement, the rat-busting operation was supplemented by other measures that targeted the feeding of stray dogs. These include putting up fencing to keep the dogs away from the common areas, conducting stray dog control operations and putting up notices to remind the public not to feed the dogs.

The land on which the infestation occurred is state land, managed by HDB for the Singapore Land Authority.

Extermination of rats at Bukit Batok to take up to a week
ROBIN CHOO Today Online 18 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE — The extermination of the rodent infestation near Bukit Batok MRT Station is expected to take up to a week, said pest controllers working on the problem after a video of rats scurrying in the area went viral this week.

In a joint response to media queries, the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and Jurong Town Council said the feeding of stray dogs in the area needed to be stopped in order for the rodents to be eradicated.

The agencies said that since late last year, the public has been indiscriminately feeding the stray dogs, leaving food scraps that attracted rodents, which gave rise to the infestation.

The infestation was kept under control through multi-agency efforts, including the putting up of fences to keep stray dogs away from common areas and signs that reminded the public not to feed them, said the joint statement. Anti-rodent measures were also carried out.

However, the agencies said the issue resurfaced in the recent months due to continued indiscriminate feeding. “We have intensified our pest control measures to eradicate the rodents and, in response to public complaints on aggressive stray dogs, we are continuing with stray-dog control operations,” said the agencies.

Mr Ricky Yeo, president of Action for Singapore Dogs, said that while there were a small handful of “independent” feeders who do not practise responsible feeding, the rodent infestation should not be blamed on stray feeding. Feeders from his organisation and other local animal welfare groups do practise responsible feeding, he said.

Mr Yeo explained that responsible feeding was a means to capture and sterilise stray dogs and that it involved feeding the dogs only at a certain time at the same spot to create a routine, as dogs are habitual creatures. “Feeders must clean up the place after feeding,” he added.

Jurong GRC Member of Parliament (MP) David Ong said there were no laws against the feeding of stray animals, but added that the public should not do it irresponsibly. He yesterday also attributed the vermin problem to the indiscriminate feeding of stray animals. Food sources at the MRT station could have also attracted the rats, he said.

Mr Ong told TODAY that the issue would be a persistent one. “(We need to) step up vigilance and get (the) public to stop indiscriminate feeding.”

Extermination work began yesterday morning and lasted through the day. Curious onlookers crowded the vicinity as more than 10 exterminators worked to rid the area of the vermin.

Food and beverage establishments in the vicinity said they had been affected by the infestation. Mr Tan Pok Hong, assistant supervisor of a nearby coffee shop, said: “The (rat problem) started one to two months ago; (I) began only to see a lot more recently.”

Despite efforts to trap the rats, Mr Tan said he still found them scurrying around in the morning, gnawing on plastic containers and defecating in dark corners.

Rat extermination at Bukit Batok may take longer than expected: Pest controllers
Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 19 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: The extermination of the rats in Bukit Batok may take longer than expected, said pest controllers on Friday (Dec 19). They had earlier predicted that the process would take a week, but it is likely to drag on because of the wet weather.

Mr Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control, said. “This morning, there was rain. At the moment, we do not see a lot of rat activity. We have to wait for the rain to subside. We trapped more than 40 rats yesterday. If the weather conditions are better, we will see a better picture."

As of Friday evening (Dec 19), about 70 rats have been killed. Pest controllers were sent in on Thursday morning after news of the rat problem started circulating online, sparked by a netizen's video of many rats scurrying around the area.

BUKIT BATOK RESIDENTS APPEAL TO AUTHORITIES TO TACKLE FEEDING OF STRAY DOGS

Residents affected by the rat infestation problem in Bukit Batok have appealed to the authorities to tackle the root cause of the problem: the indiscriminate feeding of stray dogs.

Some have also called for something to be done about the strays.

The National Environment Agency (NEA), the Housing and Development Board (HDB), the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) and Jurong Town Council issued a joint statement that said multiple measures have been put in place to address the problem.

But residents say people continue to leave food for the stray dogs near Bukit Batok MRT station, despite clear signs that forbid them from doing so.

A resident said: "The feeding of stray dogs should be stopped because the dogs will leave behind all the food and the rats will come and eat it and they propagate. This year, I have taken the train from this station almost every day. I see a lot of dogs. Some aunties are like commandos - they feed the dogs and move away very quickly."

Another resident agreed: "The main reason (for the infestation) is because people keep on feeding the stray dogs. One party is trying to get rid of the dogs but the other party is trying to feed it. Hopefully, we can do something about the stray dogs. They make a lot of noise, especially in the evening."

Some animal welfare groups Channel NewsAsia spoke to said that feeding the strays has to be done responsibly. Ms Cheong Mei Yi, Outreach officer of Save Our Street Dogs, said: "You can prepare food and feed them, but you have to stay or come back and clear away the food the dogs did not finish, because that attracts a lot of other pests like cockroaches or rats."

The authorities are also appealing to the public not to leave food for strays. They said action will be taken against those who do so.

- CNA/ek/dl

Bukit Batok rat infestation larger than initially thought: Pest controllers
Hetty Musfirah Abdul Khamid, Channel NewsAsia 20 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: Pest busters who are trying to contain the rat infestation beside Bukit Batok MRT said on Saturday (Dec 20) they believe the infestation is affecting a bigger area than expected.

They added that efforts are being hampered by bad weather while new traces of food which can attract the rodents, have been discovered.

Thirty pest controllers have been combing the hill beside Bukit Batok MRT station to tackle the rat infestation. More than 140 rodents have been caught as of day three of the operation and more rats have been found further inside the forested area.

"We can go further deeper into the hill and other parts behind the hill as well and we do notice that there are activities over there," said Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control. “We have created some simple road paths for the workers to access and conduct their work, and currently we are setting up more trappings.”

Authorities say food left behind for stray dogs have contributed to the rat infestation. Despite calls for more responsible behaviour, new traces of food have been found.

"For the last two days, because we are conducting operations here, the dog feeder actually detoured and went behind the hill,” said Mr Chan. “Last night, we discovered that they are throwing the food just behind the hill, which is a restricted area. We have also discovered that the amount of food that the dog feeder is providing the dog is quite a large amount, something about 10 kilogrammes."

The pest busters say the rats caught are roof rats, though they were earlier identified by another pest buster as sewer rats. Roof rats have been known to cause damage to properties.

"They are definitely good climbers and also good jumpers and their movement is much faster than sewer rats,” said Mr Chan. “If the population is not under control, if the population is overgrown, I think the rats will start to migrate into the stations and can cause more damage, not only to the properties' cables, but also migrate to the food establishments.

“Based on their behaviour, they will also need to gnaw something to sharpen their teeth and they might cause damage to the facility. We have seen this before, where they have bitten through the phone cables, land lines or even live wire as well in other places actually like in commercial buildings.”

Pest controllers say the operation may take more than a week to complete.

- CNA/ec

Bukit Batok rats to be flushed out by Christmas: Pest controllers
Nur Afifah bte Ariffin, Channel NewsAsia 21 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: More than 170 rats have been caught so far as the operation to clear out the infestation in Bukit Batok enters its fourth day on Sunday (Dec 21).

The sloped area where the rats were initially spotted is now under control, and pest controllers have moved to tackle the forested area at the back.

Showers over the past few days have caused some delays, but the first phase of the operation is expected to be completed by Christmas day, when all the rats would have been flushed out from their burrows.

Some rats are caught alive, while others will surface later after they have eaten poisonous bait laid by the trappers. The dead rats are then sprayed with insecticide to kill fleas, which carry diseases, and are later disposed of by the pest controllers.

"The basic KPI is that we will not be seeing any more rat movement on the hilltop where the public can see,” said Star Pest Control manager Bernard Chan.

The pest controllers say they will be installing surveillance devices inside the forested areas during the second phase of operations which will allow them to continue monitoring the area.

- CNA/ec

Bukit Batok rat infestation: Stage 1 of extermination complete
Loi Kar Yee, Chinese News and Diane Leow Channel NewsAsia 24 Dec 14;

SINGAPORE: The first stage of eradicating the rat infestation at Bukit Batok is complete, according to pest controllers working on the area. The operation had begun a week ago on Dec 18, and was initially projected to take longer due to rainy weather.

Mr Bernard Chan, manager of Star Pest Control on Wednesday (Dec 24) told Channel NewsAsia the first phase of the operation has concluded with "reasonable results". He said the rat population is now "under control" as only one camera out of 20 installed in the area has captured photos of rat activity.

Photos of rats were snapped between 7pm to 8pm on Tuesday. The infrared cameras, which were installed in areas of the forest where the rats are most active, takes photographs when movement is detected. At least one stray dog was photographed as well.


Mr Chan added that the team will be moving into phase two of the operation from Thursday afternoon. Pest controllers will monitor areas that did not record rat activity previously to ensure that the rat population does not migrate to other areas, he said.

"There will be 30 monitoring points using cameras or other devices, such as simple monitoring stations with non-poisonous food bait for the rats. We will deploy that in the evening and in the morning, if there are signs of the food being bitten by the rats, then we will know they are still present."

He added that infrared video cameras will be installed in phase two of the exercise. Phase 2 of the operation is expected to last a fortnight. "After these two weeks of the second phase, we will resume normal maintenance," Mr Chan said.

- CNA/dl


Rat infestation at Bukit Batok over: Pest controllers
Abhishek Ravikrishnan Channel NewsAsia 6 Jan 15;

SINGAPORE: The rat infestation episode at Bukit Batok seems to be over - according to Star Pest Control, which carried out the extermination process.

The second phase of the process, which focused on monitoring the situation in the area, ends on Wednesday (Jan 7).

Said Mr Bernard Chan, Manager at Star Pest Control: “For the past two weeks, we have installed between 10 to 30 surveillance cameras on a few occasions, which can also work at night by using infra-red technology. With images that we have captured, we observed that there is no more rat activity.”

Authorities had said earlier that the rat problem could be due to people feeding stray dogs in the area, and leaving food for the rodents to feast on. Some residents said that stray dogs can still be seen in the vicinity, but none were spotted when Channel NewsAsia visited Bukit Batok MRT on Tuesday afternoon.

Star Pest Control said it will continue to monitor the situation, but it does not believe that the infestation is likely to recur.

"We did observe that there are some feeders still feeding strays. However, we also see that the relevant authorities like AVA and NEA officers are around to advise the feeder. I think the situation definitely can get better. believe everyone is aware now. And everyone will be putting extra effort to ensure that this will not happen again,” Mr Chan said.

- CNA/dl/el

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Malaysia: Prices of greens and fish soaring

KATHLEEN ANN KILI The Star 18 Dec 14;

JOHOR BARU: The monsoon season has caused the prices of vegetables and fish to shoot up over the past five months.

Checks by The Star showed that vegetable prices increased by between 40% and 50% while fish prices had risen by 10% to 20% since August.

Vegetable seller Halimah Majid, 73, who has been a trader at the Tebrau market for the past 32 years, claimed that the price of vegetables would increase further until February.

“Vegetable supplies from Batu Pahat, Kulai and Bentong have been low because most of the crops were destroyed due to the rainy season,” she said.

She said tomatoes, which were usually sold at about RM4 per kg, now cost between RM5 and RM6 while the price of cucumber had increased from RM2.50 to RM3 a kilo.

She added that the price of red chillies rose from RM8 to RM10 while cabbage had increased from RM4 to RM4.50.

Another vegetable seller Bah Ah Lan said that where the supplies came from also affected the prices.

“Vegetables from Cameron Highlands are higher due to the (flood) damage to the crops.

“But my supplies from Yong Peng are not affected and prices remain stable,” she said at the Larkin market here.

Fishmonger Seet Bak Chua said the price of ikan selar (yellowtail scad) and kembung (mackerel) were the most affected.

“Fishermen are unable to go out to sea due to the rough seas and this has affected supply.

“But the prices of fish bred in farms are unaffected,” he said at the Tebrau market.

Poultry prices have not been affected by the monsoon season.

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