Hotspot in Johor could bring 'slightly hazy' conditions to Singapore: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 25 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE: A hotspot in southern Johor could bring "slightly hazy" conditions to Singapore if the winds change, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on Monday (Feb 25).

The hotspot was detected about 30km to the east of Singapore, NEA said.

"Prevailing winds over Singapore have been blowing from the northeast, but a change in the wind direction could bring slightly hazy conditions to Singapore," it added.

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Malaysia Heatwave: MetMalaysia issues 'Level 1' alert for 10 areas nationwide

Hashini Kavishtri Kannan New Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) issued a Level 1 alert yesterday for ten areas in the country amidst the ongoing nationwide heatwave.

According to MetMalaysia’s official website, the Level 1 areas are Chuping (Perlis); Kubang Pasu, Kota Setar and Sik (Kedah); Hulu Perak, Kuala Kangsar and Kinta (Perak); Maran (Pahang); Kepong (Kuala Lumpur); and Muar (Johor).

The alerts were issued after the ten areas experienced maximum temperatures of between 35°C and 37°C for three consecutive days.

MetMalaysia’s weather overview for the month of Feb also reported that most of Peninsular Malaysia experienced dry conditions, with rainfall of less that 150mm.

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Indonesia takes steps to prevent wildfires ahead of El Nino

Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

JAKARTA (THE JAKARTA POST/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - The Indonesian government has declared 16 provinces in the country prone to forest and land fires ahead of the upcoming El Nino, a climate pattern linked to warming waters in the central and eastern areas of the equatorial Pacific Ocean.

Such weather phenomena are known to trigger an extension of the dry season in Indonesia, which can increase the risk of wildfires.

An official with the Office of the Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister, Bambang Sugeng, said the emergency declaration that certain areas were wildfire-prone was made as a warning for these regions to stay alert to prevent forest and land fires.

"We are prioritising some provinces, such as South Sumatra, Jambi, Aceh and Riau," Mr Bambang said after a meeting in South Sumatra recently. He added that most of these regions have vast areas of peat land that could easily burn during the dry season.

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Indonesia: Governor calls on people to cultivate peatlands for farming

Antara 25 Feb 19;

Pontianak, W Kalimantan, Feb 25 (ANTARA News) - West Kalimantan Governor Sutarmidji has called on people to utilize peatland areas in the region to plant horticulture commodities as part of the efforts to prevent land and forest fires in the region.

"People will surely be able to prevent fires from arising in the land after they begin cultivating it for farming," Sutarmidji stated here on Monday.

He cited the example of North Pontianak`s farmers, who have produced some 30 tons of different vegetables daily from 800 hectares of land.

"In fact, many types of crops can be cultivated in peat soil, such as the Pontianak sweet taro, which is known for its good quality," he added.

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Cambodia: Poachers kill elephant in wildlife sanctuary

AFP 25 Feb 10;

An elephant has been found dead with its tusks and tail sliced off in a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia, where wild elephant numbers have dwindled to just a few hundred due to poaching and deforestation.

The Southeast Asian nation has emerged in recent years as a key transit hub for the multi-billion dollar illicit wildlife trade, with demand for products made from tusks, pangolin scales and rhino horns high in China and neighbouring Vietnam.

According to the Mondulkiri Project, an animal rescue NGO, there are about 400 elephants in the wild in Cambodia, and about 50 held in captivity.

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Best of our wild blogs: 25 Feb 19

Singapore Bird Report – January 2019
Singapore Bird Group

Flora and Fauna of Tampines Eco Green Park
Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

16 Mar (Sat): TeamSeagrass joins Celebrating Singapore Shores at Berlayar Creek
TeamSeagrass

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Singapore’s farming revival: 'Tech is the only way to go'

CYNTHIA CHOO Today Online 24 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE — Singapore’s agriculture sector is no longer what it once was.

But far from being a sunset industry facing obsolescence, the sector is actually in the midst of a rejuvenation, fuelled by cutting-edge science and technology, and given fresh relevance by the urgent need to boost food security amid rapid climate change.

Local farmers say they are doing their best to adopt the latest technologies to raise their efficiency and productivity, and forming collaborations with partners who can help them scale up their operations and go global.

Venture capital firms, known more for betting on the next Alibaba or Grab, are starting to get in on the action, investing in innovative agrifood tech start-ups.

While the sector is fast becoming a hive of innovation, farm operators and experts say more can be done to support its future growth: The nurturing of young Singaporeans to ensure a pipeline of agritech talent and the promotion of local produce among consumers.

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Saving water less of a concern for younger residents: Study

Tee Zhuo Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

SINGAPORE - A culture of saving water has become watered down here, going by a government study.

A focus group study by national water agency PUB and government feedback unit Reach revealed that younger Singaporeans and permanent residents (PRs) appear to be less concerned about the sustainability of the country's water supply than older residents aged 55 and above.

The findings were released ahead of a new campaign to get Singaporeans to save water.

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Malaysia: Dry spell to last until end of March

New Straits Times 25 Feb 19;

THE sweltering heat that enveloped many parts of the country is expected to last until the end of next month.

The Malaysian Meteorological Department said the hot weather was a normal occurrence that marked the end of the monsoon sea son.

This will be accompanied by low rainfall, with temperatures expected to soar between 34°C and 36°C instead of the normal range of 32°C and 34°C.

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Malaysia: Tawau firefighters save beached dolphin

ABDUL RAHEMANG TAIMING New Straits Times 24 Feb 19;

TAWAU: Firefighters rescued a dolphin that was stranded at the beach near Bha Zhong commercial centre here at noon.

The 1.7m adult sea mammal was found by the public.

District Fire and Rescue chief Sharudy Delamin said they were alerted at 12.05pm and had despatched seven officers, machinery and emergency medical service van.

He said the dolphin was trapped in shallow water.

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Malaysia: Illegal plastic recycling plants - 'Operators shifted to other states'

Dawn Chan New Straits Times 24 Feb 19;

SHAH ALAM: THE authorities are hot on the heels of illegal plastic recycling factory operators who have taken the move to “decentralise” their activities following a major crackdown in Selangor.

In the past year, numerous massive coordinated enforcement operations mounted by the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (MESTECC) and joined by the local authorities, as well as about six to seven agencies, including Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB) and the Department of Environment (DoE), have forced operators to shut down their illegal businesses in Selangor and move elsewhere.

Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said there was information that the illegal operators that imported plastic waste from countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand had shifted their operations to other states throughout the country.

It is learnt that there are now such activities in Negri Sembilan, Kedah and Johor.

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Indonesia: 100 soldiers flown to Riau to help fight land, forest fires

Antara 24 Feb 19;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - A company of 100 soldiers from the Army`s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) arrived in Riau province on Sunday to help fight forest and land fires in Rupat Island.

The soldiers will join the province`s forest and land fire control task force in combating forest and land fires on the island, the Wira Bima military resort command said in a press statement.

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