Indonesia: Central Sulawesi disasters killed 4,340 people, final count reveals

Ruslan Sangadji The Jakarta Post 30 Jan 19;

Central Sulawesi Governor Longki Djanggola on Wednesday revealed the result of the administration’s final count of victims in recent deadly disasters in the province, noting that the powerful earthquake and subsequent tsunami and soil liquefaction last September had claimed 4,340 lives.

According to the governor, the final count was specified in a gubernatorial decree on earthquakes, tsunami and liquefaction victims in September 2018 and in a letter forwarded to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) for the disbursement of financial assistance for survivors.

Almost half of the fatalities, namely 2,141, occurred in Palu, which was most affected by the earthquakes and tsunami, while 289 people died in Sigi regency, 212 in Donggala regency and 15 in Parigi Moutong regency. As many as 667 people have been declared missing, while another 1,016 bodies were unidentifiable.

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EU proposes ban on 90% of microplastic pollutants

European Chemicals Agency draft law aims to cut 400,000 tonnes of plastic pollution
Arthur Neslen The Guardian 30 Jan 19;

A wide-ranging ban on microplastics covering about 90% of pollutants has been proposed by the EU in an attempt to cut 400,000 tonnes of plastic pollution in 20 years.

Every year, Europe releases a bulk amount of microplastics six times bigger than the “Great Pacific garbage patch” into the environment – the equivalent of 10bn plastic bottles.

The phasing out proposed by the European Chemicals Agency (Echa) would remove 36,000 tonnes a year of “intentionally added” microplastic fibres and fragments, starting in 2020.

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Best of our wild blogs: 30 Jan 19

The Turtle and the Parrotfish
The Hantu Bloggers

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PUB test-project that uses food waste to generate electricity to be expanded

NAVENE ELANGOVAN Today Online 29 Jan 19;

SINGAPORE — National water agency PUB plans to scale up its two-year pilot plan with the aim to eventually use food waste to generate electricity once Tuas Nexus opens in 2025.

Tuas Nexus comprises the Tuas Water Reclamation Plant and Integrated Waste Management Facility, which are located at the western tip of Singapore. They are expected to be able to process up to 400 tonnes of used water sludge and food waste — 10 times more than what is processed at the Ulu Pandan Water Reclamation Plant now.

This process creates biogas, which is rich in methane and can be converted to electricity.

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Best of our wild blogs: 29 Jan 19

29-30 Jan: Eco-fest at NUS UTown 2019
Green Drinks Singapore

CRL Phase One to open in 2029 with 12 stations – Channel NewsAsia
Love our MacRitchie Forest

Chinese New Year Resolution – Let’s ‘KonMari’ our lifestyle for the environment!
Mei Lin NEO

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Malaysia: Forest connectivity crucial to survival of Sunda clouded leopard, say experts

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 27 Jan 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Lack of forest connectivity in Sabah threatens the vulnerable Sunda clouded leopard.

Even though Sabah is a stronghold of the species, Dr Andrew Hearn of Oxford University’s wildlife research unit said it is found at very low population densities.

There are only one to five animals for every 100sq km of forest.

“Such rarity, coupled with the fact that their forest home is shrinking and becoming increasingly isolated may expose these beautiful cats to the negative effects of population isolation, as individual animals struggle to disperse across the landscape,” he said in a joint statement.

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Malaysia: 1,200 reef balls deployed to conserve marine life in Sarawak waters

Goh Pei Pei New Straits Times 28 Jan 19;

KUCHING: The Sarawak Forestry Corporation (SFC) placed 1,200 reef balls in the Belawai-Paloh waters and Miri-Sibuti Coral Reefs National Park last year to conserve the environment and marine resources.

SFC chief executive officer Zolkipli Mohamad Aton said the flagship project was aimed at supporting turtle conservation and marine life protection.

“This year, we have identified an area in Kuala Lawas for the same purpose (reef ball deployment). However, we are still finalising the details,” he said at a media appreciation luncheon.

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Indonesia: Dozens killed as bad weather continues to loom across the country

The Jakarta Post 28 Jan 19;

Hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides and strong winds have hit several areas across Indonesia. Dozens of people have been killed and thousands displaced in the last week.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that according to rainfall patterns in the last 20 years, January and February were the peak months for hydrometeorological disasters.

“The rainy season has begun in almost all regions in Indonesia, with a tendency for extreme rain,” BMKG spokesman Taufan Maulana told The Jakarta Post on Monday. “There are also other factors, such as tropical cyclones, problems with urban spatial planning and the government’s readiness to minimize the impact of extreme weather.”

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Best of our wild blogs: 28 Jan 19

Open for registration – Love MacRitchie Walk with NUS Toddycats! on 9 February 2019 (Sat)
Love our MacRitchie Forest

Return of the Angled Castor
Butterflies of Singapore

The less known tales of the web
Love our MacRitchie Forest

The Idyllic Days of Changi Creek and Villages
Remember Singapore

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Wild boar euthanised after accident with lorry in Bukit Batok West

Timothy Goh Straits Times 26 Jan 19;

SINGAPORE - A wild boar was euthanised after suffering spinal injuries in an accident with a lorry in Bukit Batok West on Thursday night (Jan 24).

This is the second reported fatal accident between a lorry and a wild boar this month, with a similar incident less than two weeks ago in Punggol.

The wife of a motorist who witnessed Thursday's accident sent a video of the injured boar to citizen journalism website Stomp.

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Malaysia: Research centre restoring giant clams into the ocean

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 26 Jan 19;

KOTA KINABALU: A research centre here aspires to educate more people to leave natural filter species alone for sustainable marine ecosystem.

Marine Ecology Research Centre (MERC) ambassador Lizio Godfrey Mosigil was referring to giant clams which play a role in filtering the system, just like mangrove forests and other similar species.

“If Giant Clams are missing from the system, it will leave some impact or different chain reactions.

“That is why the centre has put focus on propagating and putting back giant clams into the ocean,” he said.

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Indonesia: 90 percent of orangutans live outside preserved forests - BKSDA

Antara 25 Jan 19;

Pontianak, (ANTARA News) - Some 90 percent of the orangutan population are living outside preserved forests and are exposed to conflicts with humans, according to the Natural Resource Conservation Agency (BKSDA) of West Kalimantan.

"To protect the orangutan population, we need a joint commitment to preserve its habitat," an official of the agency Lidia Lili stated here on Friday.

Orangutans are currently only found in the rainforests of Kalimantan and Sumatra, and some in Malaysia, Lili pointed out.

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