Malaysia: Four water treatment plants to resume operations after ammonia scare

The Star 5 Apr 19;

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Four water treatment plants (WTP) that were shut down after high ammonia content was detected in Sungai Johor, have resumed operations with water supply restored in stages, says the National Water Services Commission (SPAN).

The water treatment plants involved are Sungai Sayong, Semangar and Sungai Johor while the Tai Hong plant will start operation on Friday (April 5) night.

"The closure of the water treatment plants caused water supply disruption to 171,500 consumer accounts in Kota Tinggi, Kulai and Johor Baru.

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Thailand: Drought dries up hope

Bangkok Post ReliefWeb 31 Mar 19;

Villagers plead for government help while dams recede to record-lows

Villagers in tambon Krathum Rai of Prathai district of Nakhon Ratchasima province are in despair after water in a 25-rai pond dried up and the water levels in their last-resort supply, artesian wells, also started to dwindle.

"We're begging the government for urgent help," Sakun Suepsamran, the kamnan of tambon Krathum Rai, said.

Since the pond dried up, just three artesian wells have kept 2,000 residents in three villages supplied with tap water. However, with no rainfall, villagers find it more difficult to pump the water from underground, leaving them with grim prospects.

Prathai is among the districts in this northeastern province that have been hardest hit by the drought.

The Northeast of the country is currently the area most affected by the drought, while many other districts are going through similar struggles as water levels in ponds and rivers plunge.

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Best of our wild blogs: 5 Apr 19

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PUB’s waterworks in Johor stops operations after high ammonia levels found in Johor River

Today Online 4 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE — PUB’s waterworks in Johor stopped treatment operations on Thursday (April 4) afternoon due to high ammonia levels found in the Johor River, Singapore’s national water agency said.

The stoppage of treatment operations at the Johor River Waterworks disrupted its water supply to Singapore and some parts of Johor.

Water supply in Singapore is not affected, PUB said, as it has stepped up production at the desalination plants and waterworks here to meet demand.

“PUB is monitoring the raw water quality in Johor River closely and will resume abstraction and treatment of raw water when water quality is suitable,” the water agency said.

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Malaysia: 17,000 households in Kulai go dry after ammonia pollution in Sungai Sayong

mohd farhaan shah The Star 4 Apr 19;

JOHOR BARU: High-level of ammonia pollution in Sungai Sayong has disrupted water supply to about 17,000 households in Kulai.

Johor International Trade, Investment and Utility Committee chairman Jimmy Puah Wee Tse said a reservoir at a bio-composite centre next to an oil palm refinery in Sedenak burst, causing the ammonia-contaminated water to flow into Sungai Sayong, which is one of the creeks that supplies raw water to Sungai Johor.

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Singapore seizes record haul of pangolin scales enroute to Vietnam

Reuters 4 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore has seized 12.9 tonnes of pangolin scales found in a shipping container destined for Vietnam, the biggest seizure of its kind globally in five years, authorities said on Thursday.

The scales of pangolin, the world’s most poached animal, were found on Wednesday packed in 230 bags in the container along with 177 kg (390 lb) of elephant ivory.

“The shipment was declared to contain frozen beef and was on the way from Nigeria to Vietnam,” Singapore Customs and the National Parks Board said, estimating the total value of the animal parts at more than $38 million.

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PUB to begin tunnelling as part of Phase 2 in building 'used water superhighway'

Aaron Chong Channel NewsAsia 4 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: National water agency, PUB, started tunnelling work on the second phase of building what it calls the “used water superhighway for the future” on Thursday (Apr 4).

When it is ready, the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System (DTSS) will collect and transport water from the whole of Singapore to three water reclamation plants in Changi, Kranji and soon Tuas for treatment. It is part of PUB’s efforts to move Singapore towards becoming more self-reliant in its water needs.

Speaking on the sidelines of a media briefing on Wednesday, DTSS Phase 2 director Yong Wei Hin said the DTSS, which is scheduled to complete in 2025, will support 55 per cent of Singapore’s water needs in the long-term via NEWater.

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Malaysia: Dead dolphin found washed ashore on Kedah beach

Zuliaty Zulkiffli New Straits Times 4 Apr 19;

ALOR STAR: The carcass of a dolphin was found washed ashore at a beach near Alor Ibus, Jalan Kuala Tebengau, here, yesterday.

Rantau Abang Fisheries Research Institute's Marine Mammals branch chief Mohd Tamimi Ali Ahmad said the marine mammal carcass was found about seven kilometers from where a dead whale was discovered.

He said checks revealed the adult dolphin belonged to the Irrawaddy dolphin species or its scientific name is Orcaella Brevirostris. It measured 2.5 meters in length and weigh about 250 kilograms.

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Malaysia: Plans to relocate Pasir Gudang factories - Don’t take the easy way out, groups urge Johor govt

mohd farhaan shah The Star 5 Apr 19;

JOHOR BARU: The state’s plan to relocate factories within the Pasir Gudang industrial area to other suitable districts have come under fire from non-governmental organisations and political leaders.

Malaysian Nature Society vice-president Vincent Chow said the suggestion from Mentri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian showed it was a lazy man’s approach that does not solve environmental issues in the state.

“It will not solve anything but would create more environmental problems in the future if the government goes ahead with their plan,” he said when contacted here yesterday.

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Malaysia: Drought hits hard, Bomba Sarawak to the rescue with emergency water supply

stephen then The Star 4 Apr 19;

MIRI: Spaoh district in southern Sarawak has been hit by drought, and the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department has deployed emergency supplies of treated water following appeals for help from residents.

Sarawak Bomba, in its latest updates Thursday (April 4), said some 22,000 litres of treated water have been sent via a Bomba tanker.

“This is the second day that Spaoh has been without water.

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Malaysia: UK scientists find world's first 100m tall tropical tree in Danum Valley

Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 4 Apr 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Scientists from the University of Nottingham and University of Oxford, United Kingdom, have found the world’s first 100m tall tropical tree in Danum Valley Conservation Area, Lahad Datu.

The previous record of 96.9m was held by a Shorea faguetiana tree from the Dipterocarpaceae family in Tawau Hills Park last year. According to a National Geographic report the team which is working with Southeast Asia Rainforest Research Partnership (SEARRP), has named the tree “menara”, which is Malay for tower.

The tree is longer than a soccer field and weighs approximately 81,500kg.

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Great Barrier Reef suffers 89% collapse in new coral after bleaching events

Study shows dramatic fall in baby coral numbers but also change in type of coral
Lisa Cox The Guardian 3 Apr 19;

The number of new corals on the Great Barrier Reef crashed by 89% after the climate change-induced mass bleaching of 2016 and 2017.

Scientists have measured how many adult corals survived along the length of the world’s largest reef system and how many new corals they produced in 2018 in the aftermath of severe heat stress and coral mortality.

The results, published in Nature, show not only a dramatic reduction in new coral recruitment compared with historic levels, but also a change in the types of coral species produced.

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