Malaysia: Singapore’s help sought to find Sungai Kim Kim pollution suspect

remar nordin The Star 25 Mar 19;

JOHOR BARU: Johor police are working with their Singaporean counterparts to track down a man in his 30s in connection with the Sungai Kim Kim chemical waste pollution case.

The man is believed to be the owner of a used tyre-processing company allegedly involved in the pollution incident in Pasir Gudang.

State police chief Comm Datuk Mohd Khalil Kader Mohd said the man was on the wanted list and police were waiting for the Singa­porean autho­rities to arrest him.

He added that seven out of the 11 people detained in relation to the Sungai Kim Kim toxic waste dumping had been released on police bail after investigations revealed that they did not have any relation to the case.

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Malaysia: Rising dengue cases, drying taps and heatwave

rahimy rahim The Star 25 Mar 19;

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are having to battle dengue cases on the rise even as they face drying taps from the current heatwave.

Dengue cases have shown a dramatic spike this year – up by about 150% from last year – and besides a change in the virus serotypes that is fuelling the increase, the weather pattern is of no help either.

Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye said changes in weather patterns could have made it easier for the Aedes mosquitoes to breed in stagnant water.

He said that with the hot dry spells sandwiched by short bouts of rain, the mosquitoes’ larvae could hatch more easily.

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Indonesia: Authorities rescue injured orangutan in oil palm plantation in Aceh

Apriadi Gunawan The Jakarta Post 24 Mar 19;

A team comprising members of the Aceh Natural Resources Conservation Agency, the Human-Orangutan Conflict Response Unit (HOCRU), the Orangutan Information Center (OIC) and the Wildlife Conservation Center Indonesia Program (WCS-IP) found a female orangutan in Namo Buaya village, Subulussalam, Aceh, on March 19. The orangutan, named Pertiwi by the team, was found near where a different orangutan was found with air rifle pellet wounds on its body.

The head of the Sumatra Lestari Orangutan Foundation (YOSL-OIC), Panut Hadisiswoyo, said Pertiwi was rescued without administering anesthesia since it might harm her vital organs due to her underweight condition.

“Our team managed to rescue the injured orangutan. Her condition is very worrying. Looking at her underweight body, we suspect that she was malnourished,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

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Best of our wild blogs: 24 Mar 19

Coney Island a.k.a Pulau Serangoon
Offshore Singapore

Three Archdukes
Butterflies of Singapore

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Fire breaks out at ExxonMobil's Jurong Island refinery; no injuries reported

Channel NewsAsia 23 Mar 19;

SINGAPORE: A fire broke out in a refinery tank on Jurong Island on Saturday morning (Mar 23).

ExxonMobil said the incident happened at about 9.45am.

"The fire involved residue within the tank, which at the time of the fire was empty and undergoing maintenance," said the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

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Malaysia: Dry weather to last until May; water shortage in 6 states

Bernama New Straits Times 23 Mar 19;

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is expected to continue experiencing hot and dry weather until May, says Water, Land and Natural Resource Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar.

He also said that six states - Negri Sembilan, Johor, Perak, Kedah, Pahang and Kelantan - are expected to face water shortage due to the dry weather and lack of rainfall.

In a statement today, the minister said several locations have not received rain for over 30 days, including Hulu Perak (56 days) and Setiu, Terengganu (31 days).

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Indonesia: Russian accused of trying to smuggle drugged orangutan from Bali

Ni Komang Erviani The Jakarta Post 23 Mar 19;

Dewa Delanata, head of the airport’s quarantine office, said the orangutan had been drugged and placed in a basket.

"The Russian deliberately used an inhumane method to take the orangutan to Russia," the official said on Saturday.

The Russian has been identified as ZA.

The quarantine officer and airport security found the orangutan at the international departure area at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, Dewa said. "At first, we thought it was a monkey. The officers were afraid to open the basket, as they thought the monkey would be aggressive and run loose in the departure area.”

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Indonesia: YOSL-OIC seizes and rescues 10 orangutans during January-March period

Juraidi, Fardah Antara 23 Mar 19;

The Lestari Sumatran Orangutan Foundation-Orangutan Information Center (YOSL-OIC) has seized and rescued at least 10 orangutans in the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh during the January-March 2019 period.

"Give space to other creatures to exist because our Earth is not only for human beings to live, but also for other creatures, such as orangutans. Orangutan is not a dangerous animal, so when you see orangutans entering a plantation, please contact us
Medan, North Sumatra (ANTARA) - The Lestari Sumatran Orangutan Foundation-Orangutan Information Center (YOSL-OIC) has seized and rescued at least 10 orangutans in the provinces of North Sumatra and Aceh during the January-March 2019 period.

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Best of our wild blogs: 23 Mar 19

Pesta Ubin 2019 workshop
wild shores of singapore

St John's Island shores after one year of closure
wild shores of singapore

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Green label soon for firms' water-efficient equipment

Effort to help businesses like hotels, eateries conserve water to start from this April or May
Shabana Begum Straits Times 23 Mar 19;

Water-efficient equipment such as commercial dishwashers will soon carry a green label, in an effort to help businesses such as hotels and restaurants conserve water. This is the latest move in Singapore's push to ensure that taps here do not run dry for future generations.

Speaking at the GoBlue4SG night carnival at Marina Barrage yesterday to mark World Water Day, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli, who was joined by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor, reiterated the need for households and industries to commit to using less water.

He said: "Water demand here is projected to double by 2060, and that is also around the time when our water agreement with Malaysia ends." The water agreement will expire in 2061.

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Johor expecting water treatment plants in next three to four years to reduce reliance on Singapore

Asia One 22 Mar 19;

JOHOR BARU - The state hopes to have several new water treatment plants to enable it to better manage its resources and not be reliant on buying water from Singapore.

Johor Menteri Besar Osman Sapian said the state government is sharing and providing ideas to the federal government on ways to reduce dependence on treated water from Singapore.

"I have brought forward proposals that would be helpful for the federal government to realise this aim.

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Malaysia: All 111 schools in Pasir Gudang to re-open on March 31

The Star 22 Mar 19;

JOHOR BARU (Bernama): All 111 schools in the Pasir Gudang area closed following the Sungai Kim Kim chemical waste pollution incident will re-open on March 31.

Johor Education Department deputy director Azman Adnan said

work to clean-up the schools would be carried out first, with the cooperation of the Parent-Teacher Association.

“Those involved in the cleaning-up will be the parents, communities, government agencies, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. Students won't be involved.

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