Dengue cases in first quarter of 2019 rose by three times compared to last year

Tan Tam Mei Straits Times 21 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE - There were three times as many dengue cases across Singapore in the first three and a half months of this year compared to the same period last year, and the mosquito population remains high.

Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor said on Sunday (April 21) that there were 2,457 dengue cases in that period, compared to 678 last year.

As Singapore goes into its warmer months, which is traditionally the peak dengue season, Dr Khor cautioned residents to remain vigilant in preventing mosquitoes from breeding to mitigate the risk of dengue.

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Malaysia: 40ha of forest near Kuantan on fire

Bernama New Straits Times 21 Apr 19;

KUANTAN: Some 40ha of forest near the Sultan Ahmad Shah Maritime Academy (AMSAS), near here, has been burning since Thursday.

Gebeng Fire and Rescue Department chief Syed A. Jamaludin Syed Mohamed said the fire was detected at 4pm by a patrol team.

He said only four hectares of the affected area had been doused.

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Corals in Gulf of Mannar feel the heat

Hariprasad A R THOOTHUKUDI The Hindu 21 Apr 19;

Around 2.5% bleaching witnessed during underwater study

Coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar region, which were recovering well since the last mass coral bleaching witnessed in 2016, have once again started bleaching due to rising temperatures this summer.

During an underwater study by the Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), the extent of bleaching was estimated to be 2.5%, of which 2% was partially bleached while 0.5% has suffered full bleaching.

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Best of our wild blogs: 21 Apr 19

More Than Words
Flying Fish Friends

What are the millenials up to lately?
BES Drongos

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Recycling makes you feel less guilty but doesn’t change how huge our plastic problem is

Singapore’s focus should be on reducing recycling needs and prioritising efforts that encourage a less consumerist lifestyle to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, says Singapore Institute of Technology’s Assistant Professor Seck Tan.
Seck Tan Channel NewsAsia 20 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: Plastic products are heavily used in Singapore.

A study by the Singapore Environment Council last year found that Singaporeans use at least 1.76 billion plastic bottles, bags and other disposable items yearly, of which only less than 20 per cent are recycled. The rest becomes discarded trash, left to burn or be put in landfills.

Worldwide, humans have created over 9.2 billion tonnes of plastic since the 1950s, scientists revealed in 2017, and only 25 per cent were recycled.

The popularity of plastic stems from its wide-ranging functions that satisfy consumer needs.

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Malaysia: Three dams in Johor fall below critical mark

razak ahmad The Star 21 Apr 19;

PETALING JAYA: Three dams in Johor, which supply raw water to treatment plants that serve about one million people in the state, are below the critical mark.

This comes about as the hot weather dries up parts of the country despite the occasional thunderstorms in other areas.

The National Water Services Commission (Span) said the water level at the Lebam dam was at 15.9% while the Upper Layang dam was at 21.8% and Pulai 2 dam at 36.1% as of Thursday.

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Malaysia: Haze in Miri hits 'unhealthy' 188-API reading

Bernama New Straits Times 19 Apr 19;

MIRI: The Air Pollutant Index (API) for Miri city reached an unhealthy level early this morning, with a reading of 188 at 5am.

The rising API reading for Miri obtained from the Department of Environment started last night with a level of 117 beginning 8pm.

However, by 6am today, the reading at the Industrial Training Centre in Kuala Baram, the area which is worse-hit by open fires in bush, estates and peat areas, had dropped to a moderate level of 56.

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Best of our wild blogs: 19 Apr 19

20 Apr (Sat): FREE Talk on "Spawn Stars"
Celebrating Singapore Shores!

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DBS to cease financing of new coal power plants

Straits Times 19 Apr 19;

But it will honour existing commitments as it steps up funding for renewable energy projects

DBS Bank has decided to cease financing new coal-fired power plants in any market, after honouring existing commitments, the second Singapore bank to do so.

South-east Asia's largest bank is also stepping up financing of renewable energy projects.

DBS' latest move is an about-turn from an earlier policy of financing new coal power plants with strict emissions controls in citing the need for a transition period in some parts of Asia, and comes after OCBC Bank said the financing of two Vietnamese coal-fired power plants would be its last.

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OCBC Says Coal Plants It's Financing in Vietnam Will Be Its Last

Chanyaporn Chanjaroen and Dan Murtaugh Bloomberg 16 Apr 19;

Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp., Southeast Asia’s second-largest lender, said two Vietnamese coal-fired power plants will be the last it finances as it increases funding for renewable projects.

“We won’t do any new coal-fired power generation plants in any countries, except for the power projects that we are already in, or we have committed to,” Chief Executive Officer Samuel Tsien said in an interview at its Singapore headquarters Monday. “We hope that by doing this, we are encouraging the governments to do facilitating, arrangements for the countries to move from coal to renewable.”

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Majority of respondents in poll support initiatives that encourage BYO practices: MEWR

Matthew Mohan Channel NewsAsia 18 Apr 19;

SINGAPORE: The majority of respondents in a new poll support initiatives that encourage people to “Bring Your Own” (BYO) reusable bags and bottles in Singapore, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said on Thursday (Apr 18).

Almost 90 per cent of the 1,300 respondents who took part in an online poll last month are supportive of this, MEWR said. The poll was conducted as part of the final phase of consultations on the inaugural Zero Waste Masterplan.

A majority of respondents also indicated strong support for ideas to make it more convenient to donate excess unexpired food, recycle electrical and electronic equipment, and the designing of recycling information labels on blue recycling bins, said Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor.

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Malaysia: Sumatran rhinos extinct in the wild

kristy inus The Star 18 Apr 19;

KOTA KINABALU: Studies have confirmed that the Sumatran rhinoceros is effectively extinct in the wild after they were no longer sighted in Sabah, says state Tourism, Culture and Environ­ment Minister Datuk Christina Liew.

She said the studies were conducted at the Ulu Segama Forest Reserve and Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.

They were carried out by the ministry, through the Wildlife Department, in collaboration with NGOs like the Borneo Rhino Alliance and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Malay­sia.The studies looked at the population of the Sumatran rhinoceros in both areas as well as in the Ulu Malua Forest Reserve which were previously identified to have a population of these animals.

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