30 Nov (Sun): Ubin Day!
from wild shores of singapore
Sat 8 Nov ’14: PhotoWalk
from a.t.Bukit Brown. Heritage. Habitat. History.
Visiting SBWR's otters
from Life's Indulgences
Reservoir Dogs 2 – Boardwalk Empire
from Winging It
Watercock (Gallicrex cinerea) @ Bukit Gombak
from Monday Morgue
Today Online 3 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE — Haze readings, which edged into the unhealthy range yesterday afternoon and continued climbing into the night, are expected to be in the high end of the moderate range or low end of the unhealthy range today.
At 3pm yesterday, the three-hour Pollutant Standards Index breached the unhealthy mark and readings edged up steadily to hit 127 by 9pm, before receding slightly to 126 at 10pm. Any reading over 100 up to 200 is considered unhealthy.
The PM2.5 — tiny particles smaller than 2.5 microns in diameter — levels were also elevated in most regions, with one-hour concentrations ranging from 59 to 82 micrograms per cubic metre at 5pm, said the National Environment Agency (NEA). A 24-hour PM2.5 reading of between 56 and 150 is considered unhealthy.
In an update posted on its website at 5pm yesterday, the NEA said the haziness was smoke blown in by prevailing southerly winds from Sumatra, whose southern part has experienced drier weather, leading to a “sharp increase” in the number of hot spots there. A total of 205 hot spots were detected in Sumatra yesterday, it added.
Last Tuesday, the NEA had said the threat of serious haze appeared to have been averted for the rest of the year, with the onset of the Inter-Monsoon season over the past week signalling the end of the traditional dry period in the region. The Inter-Monsoon period normally lasts from October to November, and is characterised by more rainfall and light winds that are variable in direction.
More than 1,800 hotspots in Indonesia as haze intensifies
WAHYUDI SOERIAATMADJA Straits Times 2 Nov 14;
Haze from forest and plantation fire in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra have intensified, as more than 1,500 hotspots were detected in the two Indonesian provinces.
The Terra Satellite recorded 1,225 hotspots in Central Kalimantan, 344 in South Sumatra, 203 in West Kalimantan, 32 in East Kalimantan and 20 in Lampung on Sunday morning, said Mr Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of Indonesia disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) in a text message to reporters.
In Palembang, South Sumatra visibility fell to 400m at 6am on Sunday.
Haze from South Sumatra was blown to Jambi and Riau, Indonesia's second closest province to Singapore, Mr Sutopo said.
Clearing land by slashing and burning was behind the fires that burned uncontrolled.
Efforts by BNPB to contain the fires have continued, with helicopters, aircraft being deployed in firefighting and cloud seeding operations.
There have been 10,032 water bombing trips involving 24.4 million litres of water to contain fire these past months. Cloud seeding operations have involved 67 tonnes of chemicals to induce rain.
3hr PSI reading crosses into unhealthy range at 3pm
Channel NewsAsia 2 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE: The Republic's air quality reached unhealthy levels on Sunday (Nov 2), after days of relatively clear skies. The three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit a high of 127 at 9pm before inching down to 126 at 10pm.
The three-hour PSI reading moved up sharply after 11am, edging past 100 to 104 at 3pm, after it remained below 70 for the previous few hours.
Last month, the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) had said that there will likely be more rain over Singapore and the surrounding region in the coming weeks, when the traditional dry season comes to an end for the year, but added that Singapore may experience occasional slight haze, on some days due to the accumulation of particulate matter in the air under light wind conditions.
"The Inter-Monsoon period normally lasts from October to November, and is characterised by more rainfall and light winds that are variable in direction. The increased rainfall will help alleviate the hotspot and haze situation in Sumatra and Kalimantan," said the MSS.
- CNA/av
Jakarta Globe 2 Nov 14;
Jakarta. Thick haze, usually caused by forest fires, on Saturday made a comeback in parts of Central Kalimantan that had just experienced a smoke-free week.
The Sampit area East Kotawaringin district was blanketed in smoke so thick that flights had to be diverted.
“The air here in East Kotawaringin district was free of haze for a week, but since Saturday the haze has come back and blanketed Sampit,” Sumi, a resident, told state-run news agency Antara on Sunday.
Fadlian Noor, head of East Kotawaringin’s Communications and Informatics Office, said visibility was just 10 meters — a far cry from the minimum of 2,000 meters for safe flight movements.
“The haze seems to have gotten worse — so bad that flights coming here have had to be diverted,” he said, as quoted by Antara on Sunday.
“Yesterday there was even a flight from Jakarta [to Sampit] that had to be diverted all the way to Surabaya [in East Java] because of the haze,” he added.
Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 2 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE: It is preparation time before the lunch crowd at the industrial area of Tai Seng flocks to Hei Sushi. The restaurant's staff is ready, preparing sushi with fresh cuts of salmon and rice. While doing so, the restaurant ensures very little goes to waste.
Bits of the salmon that do not make the cut for sashimi are used in a salad, or as topping for the Gonkan Sushi dish. Salmon skin is deep fried and pounded into pieces for salmon skin sushi. Fish bones are used as soup stock.
And, Sakae Holdings - the owner of Hei Sushi - has been piloting a treatment plant on its own premises to convert excess fish bones and other food waste into animal feed.
Its chairman Douglas Foo said: "Managing food wastage need not be at the end part of the finished product but as early as working with the farms. So we go and understand how the farms grow their fish, the kind of fish feed being used, the kind of yield - because when you have a better yield, you have less wastage of the cycle of the fish.
"So understanding that portion, all the way to how the cold supply chain is being managed. If the cold supply chain is not robust, you're going to have wastage as well because there could be damaged or unusable goods. Every part of the whole cycle and the whole process is being closely monitored."
While companies like Sakae Holdings are at the forefront of efforts to reduce food waste, it is an issue that continues to plague Singapore as well as countries across the world.
About one-third of all food is wasted, from the moment it is produced to the time it is consumed. According to the United Nations, that is enough to feed two billion people. If it is not recycled, food waste ends up in landfills where it produces methane - a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
Like most developed countries, Singapore's food waste comes from different sources - food manufacturers, supermarkets, hotels and restaurants. Last year, Singapore generated almost 800,000 tonnes of food waste - the highest in recent years. Experts say each individual in Singapore could be producing about 400 grammes of food waste every day.
In 2012, an inter-ministry committee was established to explore ways of reducing food waste. It came up with several recommendations. These included making it mandatory for large companies to report how much food they waste and conducting public outreach efforts. But these have yet to be implemented.
The committee, called the Food Wastage Reduction Working Group, also commissioned a survey in September to understand consumer behaviour and habits. Stakeholders like supermarkets say this is a good step.
In October, NTUC FairPrice came up with a framework to reduce food waste in its supermarkets. The supermarket chain estimates it generated 0.3 per cent of the nation's total food waste last year, the bulk of it is fruit and vegetable waste. Over the years, it has been trying to reduce food waste. Prices of seafood and chilled meat are marked down on the second day on the shelf and disposed of on the third, if unsold.
When it comes to choosing fruits and vegetables, you may be surprised at how your habits may result in food waste. For example, by picking up an orange, pressing it to see if it is ripe or smelling it, you could be damaging the feel and look of the fruit. And if it does not look good, chances are, it will be left unsold, and eventually disposed of. To address this, supermarkets often pre-pack some fruits and vegetables.
Since consumers are more likely to buy produce that looks good, food will have to go through what is known as "cosmetic filtering" before they are put on the shelves. At NTUC FairPrice, staff trim vegetables to get rid of the leaves that are less pleasing to the eye. Those that cannot be saved and remain unsold will be disposed of, even if it is still edible. This is something FairPrice wants to address.
NTUC FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng said: "Going forward, we may have a section where food and vegetables may not look so nice, but certainly very wholesome, and the prices I think should be different. This way, instead of being thrown away and being disposed of, it can still be consumed. Even the things that need to be thrown away, what can be done with it? Some of it could be channelled towards animal consumption, some of it could be used for energy - bio fuels."
"So we want to look at it from every angle, we want to come up with a very structured programme and that is the driving force behind us coming up with this food waste programme."
About 50 FairPrice stores also donate items such as dented cans, vegetables and other products to organisations such as 'Food Bank Singapore' and 'Food from the Heart'. FairPrice says these products are still "wholesome" and edible and are redistributed to underprivileged Singaporeans.
According to official figures, food waste has risen by about 42 per cent since 2007. The biggest contributors are the manufacturing and retail sectors. Green Future Solutions, an environmental consulting company, is planning a campaign to educate businesses on how to cut food waste. It has been running a similar campaign for households.
Green Future says there is no pressure on companies to reduce their food waste. Neither are there clear incentives to encourage them to do so. Eugene Tay, director of Green Future Solutions, said: "Currently there is no legislation saying they have to reduce food waste. They are not penalised by the government for throwing away food, so that has to change."
"For a start, the inter-ministry committee can look at setting up a cross-sector partnership or committee where they can get private sector and NGOs together to set targets and guidelines and look at some policies to reduce food waste. I guess that's a start before we introduce any legislation."
Singapore's recycling rate rose for the second consecutive year to 13 per cent in 2013. But it is below the 30 per cent target which Singapore was supposed to have reached by 2012. Mr Tay said food manufacturers lack knowledge on how to sort waste and there are no clear recycling options for them.
This is also one of the reasons why Singapore's only food recycling plant, IUT Global, shut down in 2011. The plant, which turned food waste into biogas and fertiliser, was operating at below capacity since it opened in 2008.
Mr Tay said: "Without that commercial-scale recycling plant, our recycling rate will probably remain constant for a few years. But if you look at the government's plan, they are going to set up an Integrated Waste Management Facility which will be ready between 2021 and 2024."
The facility will generate biogas from food waste and sewage sludge. Downstream, the Singapore Environment Council launched an anti food-waste campaign in October targeting individuals and households through a video.
Meanwhile, advocates against food waste say individuals can be empowered in simple ways to reduce food waste. For example, one could create a shopping list before stepping out of the house to avoid buying more than what is needed.
- CNA/ir
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 3 Nov 14;
Scientists in Singapore might have found a way to turn throwaway plastic items from an enemy of the environment into an ally.
They have devised a technique to make renewable and biodegradable plastics called bioplastics more commercially viable.
It makes use of lignin - an organic polymer usually found in wood and plants, and traditionally a waste product of paper mills and palm oil plantations - thus killing two birds with one stone.
Project leader Nasir Al-Lagtah from Newcastle University International Singapore said the discovery could make plastics environmentally friendly.
"That would realistically help to reduce our environmental impact," said the lecturer in chemical engineering at the school.
The Singapore Environment Council found last year that the country uses three billion plastic bags a year.
Most plastics today are petroleum-based, and they are strong, low-cost, light-weight and water-proof.
Although bioplastics made from natural resources such as soy and fish protein are more environmentally friendly, their use has been limited because they are not strong enough and tend to absorb water.
Dr Al-Lagtah's laboratory tests showed that lignin reduces water absorption in soy protein-based plastics by up to nearly 80 per cent. It also more than doubles the material's tensile strength - the amount of force the material can resist before splitting apart.
Other researchers have found that lignin likewise improves plastics made with fish protein.
Dr Al-Lagtah said one challenge is how to extract the lignin, as it exists in many forms in various biomass materials.
He is now studying whether bio-waste with a high lignin content can be used directly in the bioplastics, which would do away with the need for extraction. He said several firms that produce large amounts of agricultural waste have expressed interest in the process, but declined to name them because of ongoing talks.
He has produced small amounts of the improved bioplastics, but the immediate goal is a more commercially viable prototype. He expects it to take about a year to 18 months after more researchers come on board.
New Straits Times 2 Nov 14;
THE 2015 Budget, while offering several measures to help the people, is unduly silent on the management of the environment, especially natural spaces.
It is assumed, given that this will be the last budget to be implemented under the 10th Malaysia Plan, that measures provided in the last budget like the Environment Social Governance Index, Conservation Trust Fund, MyCarbon portal, Malaysian Green Foundation as well as other initiatives in the past had contributed towards environmental goals.
Be that as it may, WWF-Malaysia urges the government to bear environmental considerations in mind when implementing the measures of this budget. This is because environmental integrity is at the heart of ensuring that the people benefit from the advances of a developed nation.
The budget has made targeted subsidy allocations for the most marginalised in our society and this is to be lauded. The administration of such subsidies should ensure that environmental impacts are also evaluated to safeguard that, in the long term, these well-intended aids do not end up being perverse measures.
For example, in the case of fishermen, the subsidies should be designed to not only provide assistance but also to ensure that the resource base — the fish stock — that the fishermen depend on for their livelihood is not depleted.
If this should happen, not only will fishermen lose their means to generate income but Malaysians, in general, would lose access to a rich protein source.
Another example is to diversify fishermen’s sources of income with the allocation to accelerate aquaculture, such cage farming of fish, shrimp, mussels and oysters.
This measure should be implemented after taking environmental impacts into consideration. Hence, implementing best aquaculture practices should be one of the criteria attached to disbursing this allocation.
Unsustainable aquaculture practices would not only see the increase in demand for trash fish and fish fry, which in turn would further deplete wild fish stocks, but would also result in other environmental impacts.
Road and highway construction in Sabah and Sarawak, and the upgrading of roads to improve safety is welcome, as is improving connectivity between major cities.
However, any new roads should take into account existing and proposed totally-protected areas (TPAs). Areas like the Maludam National Park and the proposed Batang Lassa National Park (both in Sarawak) should remain undisturbed as they are home to critically-endangered species like the red-banded langur and a breeding ground for the terubok fish.
No highway or major road network should be built within or near the Danum Valley-Maliau Basin-Imbak Canyon conservation corridor and its buffer zone to preserve the corridor’s ecological integrity. Likewise, the upgrading of logging roads should be done with caution. Most logging roads are in forest reserves. Better roads will allow poachers easy access and result in human-wildlife conflict.
Infrastructure projects should not be at the expense of forests that provide vital services for the wellbeing of the people.
In terms of the promotion of new planting and replanting by oil palm among smallholders, again, these incentives should be premised upon the adoption of responsible best management practices.
Investments into electrification should be done hand in hand with greening the energy supply with sustainable and environmentally-friendly renewable sources.
Otherwise, the increase in electricity demand would have to be met by increasing supply from conventional coal power plants. This would negate any emissions’ benefit ensuing from these efforts.
The recent biannual Living Planet Report 2014 by WWF shows that, globally, we are in deficit. Malaysians are consuming more than we should be annually. This deficit, if not acknowledged and addressed, will have far greater consequences than fiscal deficits.
We, as a nation, should advance measures to manage the environment and optimise the resources it generously provides because they are becoming limited.
Datuk Dr Dionysius Sharma, executive director and chief executive director, WWF-Malaysia
Life History of the Lemon Emigrant
from Butterflies of Singapore
Creature of the Month – Robber Fly
from Bugs & Insects of Singapore
Sapphire Flutterer mating
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Night Walk At Pasir Ris Park (31 Oct 20140)
from Beetles@SG BLOG
Morning Walk At Venus Drive (01 Nov 2014)
from Beetles@SG BLOG
Nature Photographic Society (Singapore) Photo Exhibition 8-22 Nov
from wild shores of singapore
Tue 11 Nov 2014: 6.30pm @ Brookhaven – Book Launch of “Dynamic Environments of Singapore” by Dan Friess & Grahame Oliver (NUS Geography) from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS
AsiaOne 1 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE - Poor water quality, run-down infrastructure, extended contact with humans - these were the main criticisms two visiting marine experts had on Sentosa's Underwater World Singapore (UWS), where a pink dolphin was recently discovered to be suffering from skin cancer.
Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute said this was one of the worst facilities she had ever seen for water quality.
"The tank was full of algae and chipped paint, and the water quality was simply below standards," she said in an interview with SPH Razor, adding that while she did not want to attribute the poor water quality as causing the dolphin's skin condition, the poor water quality certainly would not assist it in healing.
"The bad water quality is much worse because they have got a dolphin with a skin condition," she said, stressing that UWS has an extra responsibility to improve the water quality because of the dolphin.
Former Sea World Orlando Florida trainer Samantha Berg noted that the dolphins were subjected to ultraviolet radiation all-day long because of the small amount of shade structure, which would also affect their skin.
Rose highlighted two main problems with the dolphin tank at UWS.
"First, the actual infrastructure is deteriorated, and there is rust and chipped paint which is extremely dangerous for the dolphins. It means that the paint has been chipping off into the water, which is something that requires the dolphins to be moved temporarily while the tank is completely drained and resurfaced," Rose said.
Berg felt that there was not anything that was salvageable from the pool's condition.
Rose said the second problem is the algae growth, which is indicative of potentially high faecal coliform, and that the water was not being kept clean enough.
"That is something UWS can deal with in the short term. Sometimes, all you have to do is manually scrub the walls and get rid of all the algae," she explained.
Berg also raised the question of why the filtration system was not taking out the faecal matter. "Are they not chlorinating it? Is it not chemically balanced? This is a situation that has to be addressed," she said.
"I'm not saying you need sterile conditions, as these animals do live out in the ocean, but you do need clean conditions, and that water is not clean," Rose added.
According to Berg, UWS needs to get in an expert on water quality who can evaluate what's going on with the water quality at the very least.
Berg and Rose were also surprised at the public being allowed to take photographs with the dolphins after the show.
"That dolphin was beached on a shallow ledge for as long as it took all the people to get their photographs taken, and it is very stressful for the dolphins to have gravity acting on them for that length of time," Rose said, while Berg added that she did not think it was appropriate for the animals to be subjected to that.
Rose also added that there was very little supervision of the public as they were standing around a very low barrier.
"This is not just an issue of the dolphins' welfare, but also a public safety issue, and it is something that can be addressed in the short term," she said.
She added that the global industry of dolphinariums have standards, but the enclosure at UWS does not meet those standards.
"There are ways to fix it, some of which are long term and some are short term, and it would be nice if the management was willing to meet to discuss them," she said.
Nevertheless, the two experts concurred in feeling that the dolphin show itself was better than most.
"It was low key and there was a great deal of educational information, relatively limited as to what they do in the wild, but it was informative," Rose said, adding that most shows were total entertainment with a lot of loud music.
Berg added that what they had observed in this brief period is the same problem that all marine parks and aquariums face, which is the inability to meet the social and spatial needs of the animals.
Nabilah Said The Straits Times AsiaOne 2 Nov 14;
It is a warm Friday morning in Pulau Ubin and Mr Sebastian Wong is giving me a crash course on orienteering.
My eyes widen as he brandishes a compass - the last time I used one was probably for a science class in primary school.
Mr Wong, 33, the director of outdoor sports company Osportz that is behind the Ubin Wayfinder navigational race taking place in Pulau Ubin tomorrow, has devised a simple race with four checkpoints to test my skills.
I start to sweat and it is not just because of the weather - the memory of getting lost while driving to MacRitchie Reservoir from Tampines in August, even with a GPS-enabled mobile phone, is still fresh on my mind. (I ended up in Bukit Batok).
I have run multiple marathons and climbed Mount Kinabalu last year, mainly just by following signs or the person in front of me. Orienteering, however, is new to me.
But Mr Wong, who is also the treasurer of the Orienteering Federation of Singapore, assures me that I will be fine.
His passion is evident and he is familiar with the island - he is greeted often by the residents, who recognise him from his multiple recce trips. At least if I do get lost, I will be in good hands.
He teaches me how to "set" my map first. This involves lining up North on the compass with the North on the map.
This ensures that the map is in line with the actual ground you are standing on. Then, he shows me how to keep the map pointing north whenever I move, to keep the map set.
This is where I stumble a bit, having always been reliant on technology. The mobile phone's GPS turns the map automatically when you move, but a physical map has to be rotated manually.
I take a while to practise this, which involves me turning round and round like a vacuum cleaning robot on the blink. All this, before I have even begun the "race".
With that nice start, I look at my first checkpoint on the map. It is next to the sea and I should be looking for a white and orange marker, which is an international orienteering marker used in races worldwide.
Easy peasy, I think to myself. The map is marked with road names, so I figure I just have to follow the signs.
But as we proceed on bicycle (yes, I am mercifully spared from running), I realise there are not that many signs after all.
Instead, I have to keep my eyes peeled for physical landmarks, checking them against the map. When there is a fork in the road, I have to stop and check that I am going the right way.
What I like about the experience is that it is so different from being on mainland Singapore, where we tend to overlook our physical surroundings in the daily bustle.
As I navigate my way around Pulau Ubin, I start to feel a strong sense of connection with the island.
"I see water," I exclaim excitedly as I find the first checkpoint.
I insert the key on my finger into a device called the control marker, which will record my timing and serve as proof that I have been there.
This a special timing device called Sportident, of which Mr Wong is the sole distributor.
The next checkpoint, located on a hill, is more challenging as I have to climb a forested area on foot to find it.
Staying behind me, he gives me some helpful hints on how to read the contour lines on the map and use them to gauge where I am.
Mosquitoes are having a field day feasting on my blood, but I hardly notice them as I focus on finding the next control marker. When I finally catch sight of the orange and white flag, I punch the air in satisfaction. I'm slowly starting to realise how this can be fun.
I also begin to feel a little more confident, correcting Mr Wong when he identifies a road wrongly, pointing to my map as proof.
He seems proud - I am probably like one of the little kids he teaches regularly.
The next two checkpoints are not too hard to find either. But 30 minutes in, fatigue starts to set in, which makes me less alert. Also, it is getting hotter and I am thankful when we end just before noon.
I punch out at the finishing point and receive a slip of paper which tells me I have found four checkpoints in about an hour.
With a sense of accomplishment, I down two bottles of water and hold on to the paper like a medal.
I might stick to my GPS on normal days, but I am encouraged to sign up for another orienteering session soon.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UBIN WAYFINDER
What: With 10 checkpoints spread across 8km, this race is open to individuals and families and groups of up to five members. Registration has closed, but those interested can meet at Pulau Ubin in front of the HSBC volunteer hub to register on the spot.
Where: Pulau Ubin
When: Tomorrow, 8am to 12 noon
Admission: $25 for individuals, $50 for a pair, $60 for a team of three to five members
Info: www.fotograft.com/events/ubin-wayfinder-2014
SINGAPORE ORIENTEERING MEETUP CLUB
What: This club organises orienteering gatherings at least once a month at places, including MacRitchie Park and Bishan Park
Admission: Free
Info: www.meetup.com/Singapore-Orienteering-Meetup-Club/
SAFRA AVVENTURA
What: Organised by Safra Yishun, this yearly event combines multiple disciplines such as running, cycling, kayaking and navigation. Race routes are revealed only on the day of the race.
When: Jan 11, 2015
Admission: $30 for parent-and-child team (up to 10km) and Ultra Kids (up to 15km), $220 for Youth and Sprint (up to 30km), $300 for Ultra (up to 55km)
Info: E-mail lclement@safra.sg
PEOPLE'S ASSOCIATION COURSES
Info: Go to www.one.pa.gov.sg to search for upcoming courses
Compass, map set, go
Nabilah Said The Straits Times AsiaOne 2 Nov 14;
After chalking up about 15 endurance races a year for the past six years, Mr Norhalim Nordin was ready for a change of scenery.
Together with five buddies, the 29-year-old supply chain coordinator signed up for the Nathan Singapore City Race in March, his first free-form race.
The 45km event has no fixed route. Instead, participants have to clear five checkpoints scattered across the island in the shortest time on foot, using a map.
"Free-form races get you to explore places you've rarely been to, instead of the similar routes where half and full marathons are always held," he says.
Without a set route or signs to guide them, participants have to plan the quickest way to get to the checkpoints pre-marked on a physical map, which may sometimes come with clues.
These races are usually competitive and prizes, which include cash or products, are awarded to those who finish first.
Mr Norhalim, whose group took eight hours to complete the race and came in 10th out of 137 teams, likens the experience to a treasure hunt with time pressure.
Others might dub it Amazing Race, after the popular American reality TV series.
The technical term for this activity is "orienteering".
It involves navigating an unknown area to look for clues or checkpoints. Participants use a map and sometimes a compass, to find their way around on foot.
This may be familiar ground for those who have served in the army or were scouts or girl guides in school, but the activity is also becoming popular among the masses.
At least six races organised here this year contain some element of orienteering. Two of them - Nathan Singapore City Race and Ubin Wayfinder - revolve solely around navigational skills and made their debut last year.
The Nathan Singapore City Race, which drew about 3,500 participants last year, saw 4,000 people this year. Organised by sports event organiser Pink Apple, the race has multiple categories with distances that range from 5 to 45km.
Each route features five checkpoints which the organiser describes as "hidden treasures", such as a portcullis (a vertical iron gate) at Labrador Park and Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road.
Ubin Wayfinder, a similar race on a smaller scale, takes place tomorrow at Pulau Ubin. Held by outdoor sports events company Osportz, it will flag off with about 160 racers, up from about 120 last year, and will cover 8km and 10 checkpoints.
Both races can be done solo or in groups.
While conventional races test stamina, orienteering races require map-reading skills, a good sense of direction and, in the case of group challenges, communication skills.
The level of technical skill can differ from race to race. For example, maps might suffice for some but others might require a compass.
The lack of signage, recognisable landmarks and spotty cellphone networks add to the level of difficulty for the participants of Ubin Wayfinder.
Checkpoints for the race have names such as Knoll- North/Fallen Tree, Quarry View or simply Trail.
For those used to relying on GPS, having to read physical maps and compasses can be a big hurdle.
Teacher Ana Wong says with a laugh: "It will be challenging. I'm totally new to Pulau Ubin. Maybe I should read up on how to use the compass."
The 33-year-old is taking part in Ubin Wayfinder, her first free-form race, with a friend she met while attending an orienteering session.
Some existing adventure races also include elements of orienteering, among other things.
For example, the annual Safra Avventura race held in January had a section in the 50km Ultra category that saw participants navigating only with a map through Simpang, a swampy area near Yishun.
Students at Republic Polytechnic are organising a multi-disciplinary race that is about 9km long which incorporates navigational challenges. The race, Avontuur de Republic, takes place next Friday and is open only to its students, alumni and staff.
Student Nelson Chua, 18, one of the organisers, says: "Some aspects of orienteering may be quite dry, especially the theoretical parts. But once people find themselves getting a bit lost, that's when it gets exciting."
But exciting is probably not how Mr Sanjay Radakrishna would describe his real-life predicament when he got lost while trekking alone at Phnom Aural, the tallest mountain in Cambodia, in June.
The 26-year-old National Institute of Education undergraduate made the headlines, surviving only on water for a week after a fall led him to lose his way.
The trek was supposed to take just two to three hours.
With a dead mobile phone and no GPS, he followed a waterfall trail and used the position of the sun as a gauge of direction to find his way back to civilisation.
Mr Sanjay, who has taken part in a few orienteering races previously, said his brain kicked into high gear to look for clues to help him identify which way to go.
"When you are lost, your brain works differently. I realised there are always some clues to help you. For example, if you see rubbish on the ground, you will know that someone had been there," he says, adding that that was how he knew he was close to civilisation.
He says he now takes along food, a waterproof jacket and, if available, a physical map, no matter how short his climbs are expected to be.
He has done 49 climbs since 2003 and will be leading a group of climbers up Mount Rinjani on Indonesia's Lombok island next month.
For those keen to equip themselves with such essential life skills, there are courses and sessions on the basics of orienteering.
For example, a group of enthusiasts who formed the Orienteering Federation of Singapore last year conduct orienteering activities in parks around Singapore for free.
The sessions, which take place about once a month, are organised using Meetup, an online social networking portal. The Singapore Orienteering Meetup Club has 125 members and about 10 people attend each session on average.
Mr Fish Tan, 26, the federation's vice-president who organises the sessions, says: "Some people have the impression that it is a fast-paced sport. But it's a sport that everybody can do. Old people can slowly complete the route."
Young children can also pick up life skills from orienteering. The People's Association has organised two such family-friendly events this year - at Bishan Park and the Japanese Garden.No other orienteering sessions are planned, but a spokesman says it might offer more if there is interest.
Travel consultant Gayathri Shankar, 36, who attended the session at Bishan Park with her six-year-old son Gaurav Panicker, found it a fruitful experience.
"He learnt a lot, such as teamwork, how to read and understand instructions and how you need to follow a system," she says.
They took about an hour to cover more than 30 checkpoints and she may just have a little cartographer on her hands now.
She adds: "We are addicted to maps now. We go to the zoo and he has to get the map first."
Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 1 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE: The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint will be a plan all Singaporeans can be part of and a way to create a home they can be proud of, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking at his constituency Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West's annual Tree Planting Day on Saturday (Nov 1), Mr Lee said the refreshed blueprint will be unveiled next week.
This year, Mr Lee planted a Happiness Tree (Garcinia subelliptica) at Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10. In all, nine trees were planted by MPs and residents of the area.
But he said: "We also have to do more than just plant trees. We also want to make the whole of the environment sustainable, friendly to people, also able to be friendly to the environment as a whole.
“Next week, we will unveil our new Sustainable Singapore Blueprint - the vision, how to make Singapore clean and green for many years to come. It's a plan which all Singaporeans will be part of, it's a way to create a home we can all be proud of."
The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint was launched in 2009 and outlines Singapore's twin objectives to achieve economic growth and a good living environment.
A review of the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint began late last year, and Mr Lee had said then that it will be updated with new initiatives like building more environmentally-friendly hawker centres and reducing Singapore's carbon emissions.
Mr Lee also launched the Ang Mo Kio Town Council's "Cleaner, Greener, Together" campaign, which will tackle issues like dengue, litter and energy conservation. He urged residents to do their part for the environment.
"In Singapore, we have a small place. When you have rubbish, we have to take it somewhere, we can incinerate it, there's still the ash. The ash has to go somewhere. We send it to Pulau Semakau,” he said. “But the island is only so big. If there's too much rubbish and all the ash goes to Semakau and it fills up, then Pulau Semakau will become Bukit Semakau, and we'll have a mountain of ash made in Singapore. I think no need - better we make less ash, it's better for all of us."
Mr Lee added the town council is also working with HDB to identify suitable blocks to install solar panels.
- CNA/by
Updated Sustainable Singapore Blueprint to be unveiled next week, says PM Lee
SHARON SEE Today Online 1 Nov 14;
SINGAPORE — The Sustainable Singapore Blueprint will be a plan all Singaporeans can be part of to create a home they can be proud of, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking to residents from Ang Mo Kio GRC today (Nov 1), where Mr Lee is also MP, he said there are many ideas in the updated blueprint, which will be unveiled next week. “It will lay out the government’s vision to make Singapore clean and green for many years to come,” Mr Lee said.
The blueprint, which was launched in 2009, outlines strategies to achieve twin objectives of economic growth and a good living environment.
A review of the blueprint began late last year, and Mr Lee had said it will be updated with new initiatives like building more environmentally-friendly hawker centres and reducing carbon emissions.
Separately, Mr Lee also launched Ang Mo Kio Town Council’s “Cleaner, Greener, Together” campaign at Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West’s annual Tree Planting Day. A total of nine trees were planted by Mr Lee, MPs of the area and residents. The campaign has five areas of focus, including dengue prevention, saving energy, keeping the neighborhood litter-free and recycling.
“I hope you can do your part - there are recycling bins at every HDB block so please try to use them. Even better, before you buy something, think about whether you really need them. Don’t buy things just because they are on sale. Save the environment and save money at the same time,” Mr Lee said.
He added the town council is also working with HDB to identify suitable blocks to install solar panels.
Dr Koh Poh Koon, who is stepping down as Chairman of the PAP Punggol East Branch, was also seen at the event. Speaking to reporters at the sidelines of the event, he said he was there at the invitation of Mr Seng Han Thong, who is an MP of Ang Mo Kio GRC.
He said this is his first visit to the constituency, adding that he will spend more time on the ground to see what are the areas he can contribute in. CHANNEL NEWSASIA
Recycling, energy-saving to figure in green plan
Lim Yan Liang The Straits TimesS AsiaOne 2 Nov 14;
An updated blueprint to keep Singapore clean and green in the years ahead will be unveiled this week, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
Mr Lee said he would withhold details till the Sustainable Singapore Blueprint is out, but hinted at what it might involve at his constituency's annual Tree Planting Day and start of its environmental awareness campaign.
Residents ought to be more conscious about recycling what they use and conserving energy, from using less air-conditioning to turning off the lights and even broadband when not at home, he added.
"The 'Cleaner, Greener, Together' campaign we are launching here in Ang Mo Kio GRC and Sengkang West SMC will contribute to our national vision," he said in a speech.
The revised blueprint will outline Singapore's environmental priorities and guide its sustainable development until 2030. The original blueprint in 2009 set targets for things like energy efficiency and reducing carbon emissions.
Mr Lee said the new blueprint was "a plan which all Singaporeans will be part of. It's the way to create a home that we can all be proud of".
Yesterday, he harked back to Singapore's original greening efforts, and urged everyone to play their part, noting that it has been more than 50 years since Mr Lee Kuan Yew planted a tree at Farrer Circus for the first Tree Planting Day, which has since become a regular event in all constituencies.
"That was 1963. Fifty years later, we've planted millions of trees all over Singapore," PM Lee said.
"But we also have to do more than just plant trees: we also want to make the whole of the environment sustainable, friendly to people, and also (for Singaporeans) to be friendly to the environment."
Residents should think before they put something away as trash, and look at ways they can reduce waste, he added.
Mr Lee noted that waste and ash from incinerating trash all went to Pulau Semakau. The sole remaining landfill is 8km south of Singapore island and "only so big", he said.
"Pulau Semakau will become Bukit Semakau" should it fill up, he added, alluding to the scary prospect of the island becoming a mound of ash.
Mr Lee, in opening a community garden, also reminded residents that they had a part to play in stamping out mosquito breeding and keeping their town clean.
Also present at yesterday's event was Dr Koh Poh Koon. The defeated People's Action Party candidate in the 2013 Punggol East by-election, who is a surgeon, said he was invited by MP Seng Han Thong and would help out more in Ang Mo Kio.
"I'll probably spend a bit more time on the ground, just to see what are the areas that I can contribute in," he said.
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 1 Nov 14;
Manufacturing companies in Singapore, especially power-guzzling ones like semiconductor firms, are likely to benefit more from installing solar panels to save on electricity costs, a study here has found.
These companies operate throughout the week, even on weekends, and heavy-duty production companies are also likely to have large roofs which can accommodate more panels for economies of scale, according to the study by solar energy firm REC and the Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore (Seris).
In contrast, commerce and trade companies such as warehouses and distribution centres usually do not operate on weekends, which limits the size of their solar power systems, said the researchers.
"Making the system larger would reduce the consumption from the (power) grid during the week, but the excess electricity on the weekend would be wasted," they explained.
REC, with Seris' help, had looked at commerce and trade, manufacturing and heavy-duty production companies here to see whether and how they could profit from installing solar panels on-site and using the energy generated from the sun.
The study did not include condominiums, Housing Board flats and industrial estates where companies share a building, as the rooftop space in these places is smaller and shared.
The researchers said their projections showed the companies could recoup investments in such systems in eight to nine years.
The electricity generated for the rest of the systems' typical 25- to 30-year lifespan would be almost free.
This is even as Singapore's retail electricity prices rose by 9 cents for a kilowatt hour from 2005 to last year, while the average cost of a solar power system fell by almost 40 per cent between 2011 and this year, they noted.
For companies that cannot afford or baulk at the long recoupment period, REC senior vice-president of operations and technology Ter Soon Kim said they can make use of power-purchasing agreements, where companies such as REC pay for and operate solar panels on their roofs.
In return, the companies with the panels on their roofs buy electricity from the solar panel providers at an agreed rate that is usually lower than that charged by utilities.
But Mr Ter said more can be done to boost solar power adoption in Singapore.
For instance, "buildings should be designed to be able to accommodate multiple green features such as water tanks, gardens and solar panels on their roofs, as it is more costly to retrofit the buildings", he said.
Today Online 1 Nov 14;
1990: Then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia’s then Finance Minister Daim Zainuddin signed a Points of Agreement (POA), under which the Malayan Railway station would vacate the land at Tanjong Pagar — later referred to as Keppel — and relocate
The vacated land, together with two parcels at Kranji and Woodlands, would be vested in a joint venture company and developed as residential and commercial land. In exchange, a plot of land of equivalent value in Marina South will be offered to the company.
2010: The POA was followed by an impasse of 20 years, as Singapore and Malaysia could not agree on several of its clauses. In 2010, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak agreed on a landmark land swap deal. The three plots of ex-railway land — Keppel, Kranji and Woodlands — and another three plots in Bukit Timah, would be exchanged for four parcels of land in Marina South and two parcels of land in Ophir-Rochor.
A new company, M+S, was formed to develop the Marina South and Ophir-Rochor parcels. Malaysia’s Khazanah Nasional held a 60 per cent stake in the company and Temasek Holdings held the remaining 40 per cent.
As the Bukit Timah parcels were not covered by the POA, Malaysia agreed development charges were payable for these plots. However, they disputed the charges for Keppel, Kranji and Woodlands. Both sides agreed to settle the matter through arbitration under the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.
SINGAPORE ARGUED:
• Both parties agreed to creating a joint venture to develop the three POA parcels, subject to Singapore’s development laws. This includes the need to obtain planning permission. As a precondition, the laws here require the company to pay development charges.
• During negotiations in and after 2008, Malaysia agreed or appeared to agree that development charges would be payable; therefore it cannot assert otherwise.
MALAYSIA ARGUED:
• A true interpretation of the POA would mean no development charges was payable.
• The POA already specified the nature of the development to be undertaken.
• The granting of planning permission did not enhance the value of the parcels; the value was enhanced under the POA, which obliges Singapore to permit the land be used for development.
• Malaysia never agreed development charges were payable on the parcels.
Arbitral Tribunal decides Malaysia not liable to pay tax on former Malayan Railway land
Today Online 31 Oct 14;
Joint statement on the Award of the Arbitral Tribunal on the issue of Development Charges Relating To The Former Malayan Railway Land Under The Points Of Agreement On Malayan Railway Land In Singapore:
In September 2010, the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia announced that both countries had different views relating to the development charges on the three parcels of Points of Agreement (POA) land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji and Woodlands. Both Leaders agreed to settle the issue amicably through arbitration and agreed to accept the arbitration award as final and binding.
In January 2012, Singapore and Malaysia entered into an agreement, submitting the issue to final and binding arbitration. The Permanent Court of Arbitration acted as Registry in this arbitration. The arbitration proceedings were conducted in accordance with the procedural rules agreed to by Malaysia and Singapore, and before a three person Arbitral Tribunal appointed by the countries.
The Arbitral Tribunal delivered its award on 30 October 2014. It decided that M+S Pte Ltd would not have been liable to pay development charges on the Keppel, Kranji and Woodlands parcels if the said parcels had been vested in M+S Pte Ltd and if M+S Pte Ltd had actually developed the lands in accordance with the proposed land uses set out in the Annexes to the POA.
Both Singapore and Malaysia are satisfied with the arbitral process and affirm that both countries were afforded the opportunity to fully present their case on the issue. Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to abide by and fully implement the decision of the Tribunal. By resolving this matter through third party arbitration, both countries have demonstrated our common commitment to settling disputes in an amicable manner, in accordance with international law. The full and successful implementation of the POA has paved the way for joint development projects and closer collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia. Both countries look forward to working closely together to further strengthen and broaden our bilateral cooperation.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Malaysia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore
PM Lee: Singapore fully accepts the Tribunal’s decision
Today Online 31 Oct 14;
In response to media queries on the award of the arbitral tribunal constituted under the auspices of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (the Arbitral Tribunal) on the issue of development charges relating to the former Malayan Railway land under the Points of Agreement (POA) on Malayan Railway land in Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said:
“This was an issue left over from the Points of Agreement (POA) which was signed in 1990. There was a question of whether development charge was payable on the three parcels of POA land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji, and Woodlands. Prime Minister Najib and I agreed to resolve it through arbitration. This has been done, and the Tribunal has decided that development charge was not payable.
Singapore fully accepts the Tribunal’s decision. It allows us to put this matter behind us. I am happy that Singapore and Malaysia have been able to resolve this dispute in this impartial and amicable way.
The full and successful implementation of the POA in 2011 has paved the way for joint development projects and closer collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia. These include links in transport connectivity, and trade and investment. I look forward to making progress on them, and working with PM Najib bilaterally, and in ASEAN to benefit both countries.”
Tribunal resolves issue involving Malaysia-Singapore joint venture company
The Star/Asia News Network AsiaOne 1 Nov 14;
PETALING JAYA: An international arbitral tribunal has decided that the Malaysia-Singapore joint venture company, M+S Pte Ltd, need not pay a development charge on the three parcels of former KTM Bhd land in the island republic.
The decision came four years after the Malaysian and Singaporean governments decided to refer to the Permanent Court of Arbitration whether the development charge should be imposed on the original land.
The foreign ministries of Malaysia and Singapore in a joint statement yesterday said that both countries were satisfied with the arbitral process and have agreed to abide by and fully implement the decision of the tribunal.
M+S Pte Ltd is a joint venture company 60% owned by Khazanah Nasional Bhd, while Singapore's Temasek Holdings has the other 40% stake.
"The arbitral tribunal decided that M+S Pte Ltd would not have been liable to pay development charges on the Keppel, Kranji and Woodlands parcels if the said parcels had been vested in M+S Pte Ltd and if M+S Pte Ltd had actually developed the lands in accordance with the proposed land uses set out in the Annexes to the POA," according to the statement.
In September 2010, the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia announced that both countries had different views relating to the development charges on the three parcels of Points of Agreement (POA) land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji and Woodlands.
They agreed to settle the issue amicably through arbitration and agreed to accept the arbitration award as final and binding.
In January 2012, Singapore and Malaysia entered into an agreement, submitting the issue to final and binding arbitration.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration acted as Registry in this arbitration.
The arbitration proceedings were conducted in accordance with the procedural rules agreed to by Malaysia and Singapore before a three-man arbitral tribunal appointed by the countries. The tribunal delivered its decision on Thursday.
In Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in an immediate reaction said the decision would allow both countries to put the matter behind them.
"I am happy that Singapore and Malaysia have been able to resolve this dispute in this impartial and amicable way.
"This was an issue left over from the Points of Agreement (POA) which was signed in 1990. There was a question of whether development charge was payable on the three parcels of POA land in Tanjong Pagar, Kranji, and Woodlands.
"Prime Minister (Datuk Seri) Najib (Tun Razak) and I agreed to resolve it through arbitration. This has been done, and the Tribunal has decided that development charge was not payable," he said.
Lee said the full and successful implementation of the POA in 2011 had paved the way for joint development projects and closer collaboration between Singapore and Malaysia.
"These include links in transport connectivity, and trade and investment. I look forward to making progress on them, and working with PM Najib bilaterally, and in Asean to benefit both countries," Lee added.
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