Seagrassy Changi shore after recent coastal works
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Best of our wild blogs: 5 Aug 16
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Collision of VLCC and Container Ship in the Singapore Strait, off the Sisters Islands Marine Park
MPA Media Statement 4 Aug 16;
Collision of Panama-flagged VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) and Container Ship in the Singapore Strait
No injuries or oil pollution reported
At about 2355 hrs on 3rd Aug 2016, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was notified of a collision involving Dream II VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) and MSC Alexandra (Container Ship) in the Singapore Strait, about 3 km South-East of Sebarok Island. Both are Panama-flagged vessels.
Prior to the incident, MPA's Port Operations Control Centre provided traffic information and alerted the shipmasters of Dream II and MSC Alexandra of the risk of collision.
Dream II sustained damage to her bow whilst MSC Alexandra sustained damages on her port quarter hull. Both vessels are in stable condition and safely anchored in Singapore.
MSC Alexandra reported that 10 empty containers fell overboard during the incident, 4 onto the deck of Dream II and the rest into the water.
Upon notification, MPA immediately issued navigation broadcast to warn vessels of the presence of floating containers in the vicinity of the incident site. MPA has deployed survey and salvage teams to recover the containers.
There were no injuries or oil pollution reported.
Container carrier MSC Alexandra and VLCC Dream collided in Singapore Strait
SVILEN PETROV Maritime Herald 4 Aug 16;
The very large crude carrier Dream collided with container ship MSC Alexandra in Singapore Strait on 2 nautical miles southeast off Sebarok island. The both vessels were proceeding on crossing routes, as the tanker was proceeding through the separation scheme in western direction, while the container ship MSC Alexandra was entering into the scheme from Singapore. The collision happened due to serious violation of the ColReg rules for vessels running on crossing routes. Following the collision, the crude carrier Dream suffered serious damages of the bow, while the container ship MSC Alexandra suffered damages in the port board. Also a dozen of empty containers fell overboard from the deck of MSC Alexandra. Fortunately there is no report about injuries and water pollution.
The local authorities started investigation for the root cause of the accident. According to preliminary information, responsible for the collision was the duty officer of very large crude carrier Dream, who was neglecting the ColReg rules, as container ship MSC Alexandra was proceeding from the right board and have to be released by the tanker to enter in the separation scheme. On other side, the lack of communication and misunderstanding from the both duty officers was in the root cause of the collision.
The both ships were detained at the anchorage off Singapore and will need of repairs and inspection before return in operations. The VLCC and container carrier are in stable condition without danger for their seaworthiness.
MSC AlexandraThe container ship MSC Alexandra (IMO: 9461374) has overall length of 365.80 m, moulded beam of 52.00 m and maximum draft of 12.00 m. The vessel has deadweight of 165,908 DWT, gross tonnage of 153,115 GRT and capacity to carry 14,000 TEU. The container carrier was built in 2010 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea. The owner and operator of the vessel is Mediterranean Shipping Company. During the accident the container ship MSC Alexandra was en route from Singapore to Chiwan, China.
The VLCC Dream (IMO: 9356593) had deadweight of 319,999 DWT and gross tonnage of 164,241 GRT. The ship was en route from Beilun, China to Port of Khark, Iran under ballast. The vessel was built in 2008 by Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering in South Korea. The owner and operator of the VLCC Dream is Greek company Arcadia Shipmanagement.
Update on Collision of Panama-flagged vessels VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) and Container Ship in the Singapore Strait
MPA media release 7 Aug 16;
Update on Collision of Panama-flagged vessels VLCC (Very Large Crude Carrier) and Container Ship in the Singapore Strait
All containers in Singapore waters retrieved; Port operations is unaffected
During the incident involving Dream II VLCC and MSC Alexandra (Container Ship) on 3rd August, 10 empty containers fell overboard. Of these, five fell overboard onto the deck of Dream II VLCC and another five fell into the sea. Four of the containers that sank in Singapore waters have all been recovered at 0930 hours on 6th August. The owner’s local Protection & Indemnity club representative of MSC Alexandra is making the necessary arrangement to retrieve the fifth container which sank in Indonesian waters.
MSC Alexandra is currently berthed at PSAC’s Pasir Panjang Terminal to discharge her remaining containers before proceeding to a shipyard to carry out permanent repairs, whilst Dream II is safely anchored in Singapore and is making preparation for repairs.
There were no injuries or oil pollution reported. There is no disruption to shipping traffic in the Singapore Strait and Port operation is also unaffected. MPA is investigating the incident.
Collision highlights big tanker spill risk
Steve Matthews Tanker Shipping 9 Aug 16;
Last week there was a collision in the Singapore Strait involving the National Iranian Tanker Co’s 320,000 dwt very large crude carrier (VLCC) Dream II and the Mediterranean Shipping Co’s 14,000 teu container ship MSC Alexandra. Both ships were damaged but there were no reported injuries or pollution. Five empty containers from the MSC Alexandra fell on to the deck of the tanker and another five empty containers fell into the sea.
It is 37 years since the worst ever tanker oil spill took place in July 1979. It followed a collision between two VLCCs, Atlantic Empress and Aegean Captain in the Caribbean, resulting in the loss of 27 lives and 287,000 tonnes of crude oil being spilled.
Since that low point, spills from oil tankers have consistently and dramatically reduced, both in terms of serious incidents and the total oil spilled. The average number of serious spills per year has declined sharply during a period when marine transport of oil has risen to more than 10 billion tonne miles a year.
It is 20 years since Sea Empress spilled 72,000 tonnes of oil after running aground off Milford Haven in the UK and 14 years since Prestige spilled 63,000 tonnes of oil in the Atlantic off Spain in 2002.
The last spill of a major size involved Hebei Spirit which spilled 11,000 tonnes in South Korea in 2007.
The last year in which more than 100,000 tonnes in total was spilled from tankers was 1994.
The fall has been particularly dramatic since the mid 1990s. In the 21 years from 1995 to 2015 less oil was spilled from tankers than in the three preceding years from 1992 to 1994, and almost the same as in the single year of 1991 which saw two massive tanker pollution incidents.
In a wider industry context even the biggest ever tanker spill was put into the shade by the Deepwater Horizon oil platform disaster in 2010 which saw more than 400,000 tonnes spilled into the Gulf of Mexico.
In the six years from 2010 to 2015 a total of 33,000 tonnes was spilled from oil tankers.
In 2015 there were two significant spills, one in Singapore and one in Turkey, and a total of 7,000 tonnes spilled, which was the highest total since 2010 though still low historically.
The good record has continued so far in 2016 with few, relatively small, spills from tankers, including one in Malaysia and one in Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, oil platforms have continued to suffer spills, for example in May the Shell Brutus platform spilled 300 tonnes of crude in the Gulf of Mexico.
The biggest cause of oil tanker spills over the years has been collisions and groundings, accounting for more than half the total. Advances in navigational safety systems, double hull designs and better training and operating procedures plus strict vetting, new legislation and port state control, have all contributed to this massive improvement.
Any oil spill, no matter how small, is harmful and with environmental protection taking an ever higher profile it would only take one major spill to set the whole industry back. Last week’s collision shows that the risk is still there.
It is therefore vital to ensure that the progress in recent years continues and that the big spills that were commonplace in the 20th century are condemned to history in the 21st.
Photos of the damage
#collosion @ Singapore vlcc dream2 & msc Alexandra.... all crew safe #ship afloat @anchorage pic.twitter.com/KrghvzwyEs— saumil thanki (@saumilthanki) August 4, 2016
#MSC ALEXANDRA #damaged & lost 10 #containers after contact with #crudeoil tanker DREAM II off #Singapore last night pic.twitter.com/eBB1x5fx6Z— ROB PERKINS (@lloydscasualty) August 4, 2016
Collision track from Vessel Finder
A view of the damaged to the container ship taken by Yujie Zheng on 9 Aug 2016.
Related post
Ship collision near the Sisters Islands Marine Park, 3 Aug 2016 on wild shores of singapore
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Malaysia: Lack of awareness to blame, too, for water pollution
AHMAD FAIRUZ OTHMAN New Straits Times 4 Aug 16;
The Johor government will continue to pursue legal action against those responsible for the ammonia pollution that led to the temporary closure of three water treatment plants and caused water supply disruption in several areas a week after Hari Raya.
To date, two factories — a palm oil mill and a fertiliser processing factory — have been investigated for their links to the case. Both facilities were issued notices by the Department of Environment (DoE) to temporarily suspend operations and put in mitigation measures.
However, the 60-day suspension notice on the palm oil factory, owned by a government-linked company, was lifted two weeks after the facility complied with the DoE’s orders to take remedial measures to contain the overflow of treated palm oil mill effluents. The suspension notice on the fertiliser factory still stands.
Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said following the investigation papers opened by the DoE against the factories, the companies will have to wait for the legal process to take its due course. Johor cannot afford cases of pollution to affect its precious water catchment areas.
The state is still reeling from the large-scale water supply disruption that occurred in several districts last year due to the low water levels in two dams as a result of the hot and dry weather.
The recent disruption affected 600,000 people in Johor Baru, Iskandar Puteri and parts of Kulai.
Having another water crisis in Johor will not augur well for its residents. The sudden disruption that occurred during the month-long celebrations of Hari Raya was too much for them. Many vented their anger on water utility SAJ Holding’s Facebook page.
The state government is taking note of the unhappiness, and is not letting up on its intention to take legal action against culprit or culprits that caused the pollution.
There is also an urgent need to ensure that all levels of society, be they administrators, business owners and residents, work together to protect water catchment areas.
Ayub put it more bluntly when he spoke to this reporter as he lamented the lack of awareness among the people, including businesses and factory owners about the need to monitor the effluents that are released into rivers.
“There is a lack of awareness and knowledge among the people, including certain manufacturers who have blatant disregard in
managing waste.
“There is no urgency in their attitude. In addition to cases of pollution, certain sections of the community continue to throw rubbish into rivers.
“We cannot solely lay the blame on enforcement authorities. We complain when there is no water supply, but we must understand that it could be our own actions that may have contributed to the pollution that leads to water disruption,” Ayub told the New Straits Times.
The state government must look into the case of ammonia pollution with a fine-tooth comb while also looking into all aspects that may have contributed to it.
Some of the areas that were affected by the recent ammonia pollution have been known to have a moderate level of pollution.
Ayub also said the fact that the area had not seen rain for about a week might have made it worse when there was an overflow of effluents from the factories.
It is time for the state government and the DoE to monitor this issues around the clock or at least during dry weather conditions as the risk of such situations affecting water supply becomes greater.
This will complement the move announced last year by the Johor Water Regulatory Body or Bakaj to fence up the state’s water catchment areas in a bid to control any form of encroachment into these vital areas that contribute to Johor’s water supply.
The enforcement on the part of local authorities will also go a long way in protecting Johor’s water resources
Already, there has been a directive to four local authorities — Kota Tinggi District Council, Kulai Municipal Council, Kluang Municipal Council and Simpang Renggam District Council — to register all factories in the Sungai Johor river basin to help in the enforcement effort.
This was decided at a meeting that involved the representatives from 35 factories along the river in Kota Iskandar recently.
It must be noted that about 65 per cent of the state’s water supply is sourced from Sungai Johor. Seven dams draw raw water from the river and its tributaries.
Hopefully, these efforts will bear fruit and ensure that Johor receives continuous water supply for decades to come.
Ahmad Fairuz Othman is NST Johor bureau chief. When not working, he loves driving along the coastal highway and trunk roads of Johor. A lover of food, music and theatre, he recommends everyone to try Johor’s version of 'ais kacang' which is drenched in chocolate sauce
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Indonesia: Sumatran Tiger Hides Seized in Raid
Ratri M. Siniwi Jakarta Globe 3 Aug 16;
Jakarta. Jambi Provincial Police teamed up with the Jambi Province Natural Resources Conservation Agency seized two Sumatran tiger hides and ten other preserved protected animals in Sumatra from a local couple.
State news agency Antara reported the two suspects, identified as 49-year-old Muhammad Nasution and 45-year-old Warsilah, were arrested at their South Jambi sub-district home on Tuesday (02/08).
The couple allegedly run a ring buying protected wildlife and reselling secondary products, such as preserved skins, for hundreds of million of rupiah to upper class consumers.
During the raid, police found preserved animals, including a clouded leopard, a bobcat, a pangolin, the head of a spotted deer, five Sambar deer heads and two Sumatran tiger hides.
The police also found evidence of wildlife being preserved in the backyard of the home.
Sumatran tigers are highly threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, with a significant decrease in their population over the years. Recently, World Wildlife Fund Indonesia revealed there are only 371 Sumatran tigers left in the wild.
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Indonesia: Javan Leopards Reportedly Poisoned in W. Java
Aditya Rohman & Ratri M. Siniwi Jakarta Globe 4 Aug 16;
Jakarta. After preying on cattle belonging to residents in Cipangparang village in the Sukabumi district, West Java, two Javan leopards have reportedly been killed by poisoning.
Kusmara, head of the Bogor Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), said the two leopards roamed the conservation area before making their way into the settlement.
“The death of the two endangered species is still being investigated by the West Java Natural Resources Conservation Agency and we suspect that the leopards have been poisoned by the residents after seeing many of their cattle were being preyed by the wild animals,” Kusmara told state-run news agency Antara on Wednesday (03/08).
The officials are still searching for the remains of the leopards and have coordinated with the community after they were notified of the deaths.
BKSDA has encouraged residents to report the incidents, rather than kill the endangered animals.
“The Javan leopard is one of the protected wildlife species, under the Law of the Conservation of Natural Resources,” Kuswara said.
The Javan leopard is found in a number of conservation areas, including in Mount Gede Pangrango National Park, Mount Halimun Salak National Park and in the Cikepuh Wildlife conservation area in West Java.
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Indonesia: Sun bears bother villagers in Jambi
Jakarta Post 4 Aug 16;
Residents of Pematang Buluh village, Betara district, West Tanjungjabung regency, Jambi, are being pestered by two male bears that have roamed around their village for the past couple of weeks. The bears prey on livestock and cooking oil belonging to residents.
Pematang Buluh village chief Kamaruddin said residents had caught the two bears eating chicken and cooking oil. They entered homes by prying open the kitchen door. “The bears ventured into human settlements because honey bees have moved to the Srensen area on the Jambi-Riau border. Bears can no longer obtain honey to eat,” Kamaruddin said on Wednesday.
He added that the two bears often appeared from night until the small hours of the next day.
“They are often seen crossing the village road,” said Kamaruddin, adding that the bears were a major nuisance, with 80 chickens disappearing over the last couple of months, and the bears becoming bolder in entering homes.
Local man Aka said he had once heard noise from his kitchen and saw a bear. He found two wooden boards pried off and immediately repaired the kitchen wall.
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Toxic blue-green algae adapt to rising CO2
University of Amsterdam ScienceDaily 4 Aug 16;
A common type of blue-green algae is finding it easy to adapt to Earth's rising CO2 levels, meaning blue-green algae -- of which there are many toxin-producing varieties -- are even more adept at handling changing climatic conditions than scientists previously supposed. A team of microbiologists at the University of Amsterdam (UvA) are reporting this finding in the journal PNAS this week, and point here at implications for clean drinking water, swimming safety and freshwater ecosystems.
The research team, led by Professor of Aquatic Microbiology Jef Huisman, trained their microscopes on Microcystis, a type of blue-green algae that proliferate in lakes and reservoirs in summer. The team analysed the genetic composition of cyanobacteria (blue-green algae's scientific name), observing Microcystis in both the lab and the Kennemer lake, under CO2-rich and poor conditions. 'Before this, the adaptive potential of these harmful cyanobacteria in response to increasing CO2 concentrations had never been studied systematically, even though this can help us predict how algal blooms will develop in future', explains Xing Ji, a PhD researcher on the team.
In both the lab and the lake, cyanobacteria's genetic makeup changed in response to increasing CO2 concentrations. 'It's a textbook example of natural selection', says lead author Giovanni Sandrini. 'Cyanobacteria absorb CO2 during photosynthesis to produce their biomass, and we observed that the strain best equipped to absorb dissolved CO2 eventually gains the upper hand.'
Some Microcystis strains have a slow but efficient carbon uptake system that enables them to squeeze out the last bit of CO2 from the water even at very low concentrations. Those strains become dominant in low CO2 conditions. By contrast, other strains have a fast uptake system that allows them to take up dissolved CO2 at very high rates when in high concentrations. 'We discovered that these high-speed strains enjoy a major selective advantage in CO2-rich water', Sandrini continues. 'Given the rising atmospheric CO2 values, these strains are poised to thrive.'
Bathing and drinking water
Cyanobacteria's adaptation to rising CO2 is cause for concern. That's because Microcystis can produce microcystin, a toxin that causes liver damage in birds and mammals. In high concentrations, cyanobacteria also disrupt freshwater ecosystems, killing fish and aquatic plants. In the Netherlands, blue-green algal blooms regularly put swimming areas off limits.
Ji personally experienced just how harmful these bacteria have already proved to be in 2007, when he was living in eastern China, where cyanobacteria covered the entire surface of Lake Taihu, a 2000-km2 lake, and led to a drinking water crisis affecting five million people. 'I watched my mother arguing with other supermarket shoppers who all had their sights set on the last bottles of drinking water. It's precisely because I'm aware of how poor water quality can impact society that I am happy to be doing research that can yield relevant insights.'
This study was conducted by the University of Amsterdam and funded with a TOP grant from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO).
Story Source:
The above post is reprinted from materials provided by University of Amsterdam. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Journal Reference:
Giovanni Sandrini, Xing Ji, Jolanda M. H. Verspagen, Robert P. Tann, Pieter C. Slot, Veerle M. Luimstra, J. Merijn Schuurmans, Hans C. P. Matthijs, Jef Huisman. Rapid adaptation of harmful cyanobacteria to rising CO2. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016; 201602435 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1602435113
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Moving from tension to symbiosis in a distinctive city
EUGENE K B TAN Today Online 4 Aug 16;
For decades now, meticulous urban planning has enabled Singapore to attain a high quality of living, delicately balancing the inherent tension between the economy and the environment, which includes our natural, built and cultural heritage. This will get harder as competing demands grow and land scarcity remains our abiding national fate.
In recent years, the demolition of old landmark buildings and cemeteries to make way for new housing estates and roads, and the growing preference for high-rise buildings over old neighbourhoods, have sparked a bout of national soul-searching.
In a similar vein, the angst, anxiety and anger over the population policy — and whether rapid immigration affects Singapore’s national identity — have raised questions over whether the balance between economic and social concerns has been properly struck.
Can Singapore have economic progress and retain as much of the environment as well as its identity and character? Does one have to trump the other?
To regard the economy and the environment as a zero-sum proposition, comprising two distinct sets of rights, interests and stakeholders, is a false dichotomy. Trade-offs invariably connote domination (where one prevails over the other) or compromise (where both give in to maintain harmony).
Instead, we should aim to attain an optimal, rather than maximising, outcome in our policy choices. In the former, a decision is made on the basis that the economy and environment are collectively not worse off, and overall benefit to society increases. In a maximising outcome scenario, either the economy or the environment is preferred with the other made worse off.
Singapore’s water policy is a good example of making optimal choices despite constraints. If the authorities had traded off water self-sufficiency against other pressing economic imperatives because of land-size limitations, we would not only be less confident of our own national security but would not have forged ahead with developing water technology that we now sell to the world.
This shift requires making policies with a multi-generational horizon and pricing the intangible. With a focus on the long term, extreme pendulum swings in policy options are avoided.
Policymaking, however, is under pressure to move faster in this digital age of instant gratification, answers and solutions. Partly socialised by the “change as modernisation” mindset, Singaporeans also expect rapid economic progress and ever-higher standards of living.
Yet, we also yearn for constancy and familiarity in our surroundings and lament the disappearing heritage — both natural and man-made. We know what we have gained, but we also increasingly question whether we really know what we have lost. How can Singapore reconcile such policy conundrums between long-term and short-term goals, and between progress and preservation?
There are no easy answers. But if the economy constantly trumps the environment, then policy strategies and interventions are not likely to give sufficient weight to concerns of social justice and inequalities since such intangible concerns do not lend themselves easily to placing an economic value on.
Furthermore, the “haves” either own or are better placed to access finance, land and other resources that would render them better placed to benefit from a policy framework that privileges economic-driven cost-benefit analysis.
The abiding focus on economic value often leads to costs being socialised but the benefits privatised. In such a scenario, policy decision-making is unlikely to consider, among other things, time horizons beyond current norms or move beyond pure economic concerns.
Neither would due attention and weight be accorded to intangibles nor would negative externalities be properly accounted for. Not everything, such as biodiversity and social equality, has a ready price tag.
However, if the environment constantly trumps the economy, that would also be problematic as development could be unnecessarily hindered.
An interesting case study is the proposed MRT Cross Island Line (CRL), which has to take into account several issues.
The authorities have to decide whether to build the CRL route directly through the central catchment nature reserve, or around it. The direct-alignment option entails constructing a 2km-long, 40m-deep tunnel beneath the nature reserve.
This translates to savings in travelling time on the CRL, but its environmental effects are uncertain. On the other hand, the skirting alignment will not cross under the nature reserve, but measuring 9km, will require building longer tunnels and extra ventilation facilities as well as additional compulsory acquisition of land.
Although not required, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was carried out for the first time in MRT construction. The first phase of the study was published earlier this year, noting that construction work could be carried out with “moderate impact” on some parts of the nature reserve. The second phase of the EIA is expected to be completed by the end of this year. With valuable information from the EIA, we can better assess the impact of both alignment options, enabling all relevant considerations to be factored into decision-making.
In this regard, we should adhere to the precautionary principle, which enjoins us, even with the lack of scientific certainty, to respond to identified threats of serious or irreversible damage to the environment or human health by not postponing cost-effective measures that can help prevent or reduce environmental degradation or damage to human health.
How the authorities come to a final decision on the CRL and how much weight is placed on the EIA will be closely watched.
Following an EIA, the developer of the Mandai eco-tourism hub announced last week changes to the development plans to reduce the developmental impact on the area. This could be the start of a putative model for policymaking in the future where environmental studies are conducted for major development projects.
The quest to balance economic growth with environment concerns and social character is not a mere luxury but a growing imperative. As it seeks its place in the league of global cities while promoting a sense of belonging among its residents, Singapore needs to focus more on what it is that makes the city distinctive as well as a home for everyone.
With the benefit of strong state finances combined with relatively sound environmental policies and institutions, Singapore is well positioned to tackle both economic and environmental challenges in a holistic manner without the convenient resort to trade-offs and being held captive by the need to always opt for the lowest-cost option. And if trade-offs are necessary, there must be proper checks and balances to ensure an appropriate balance is struck between competing issues of progress and preservation.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Eugene K B Tan is associate professor of law at the School of Law, Singapore Management University.
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Tackle future challenges with same spirit as Singapore's pioneers: Lawrence Wong
Liyana Othman Channel NewsAsia 3 Aug 16;
SINGAPORE: Major plans to transform Singapore's urban landscape - like the High-Speed Rail linking Singapore with Malaysia and Jurong Lake District projects - are in the pipeline, but along with that, comes new challenges.
The key to tackle these challenges, according to Minister of National Development (MND) Lawrence Wong, is to "continue to press forward with the same spirit as Singapore's pioneers". He was speaking at MND's National Day Observance Ceremony on Wednesday (Aug 3).
Mr Wong added that Singapore's Golden Jubilee may have passed, but its Golden Age still lies ahead.
Awards were given out to MND agencies, as a nod to significant and innovative projects that contribute towards the vision of making Singapore "an Endearing Home and Distinctive Global City".
Twelve projects were chosen this year, including the inscription of Singapore Botanic Gardens as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore's efforts to tackle plankton blooms after the devastating episode which wiped out 500 tonnes of fish in the Johor Straits in February last year, and Urban Redevelopment Authority's car-free zone pilot.
Another project that won was the HDB Greenprint @ Yuhua pilot, which was completed in November last year. Some of the benefits from the pilot are cooler homes, thanks to vertical greenery which reduced the surface temperature of HDB blocks by as much as 7 degrees Celsius. The surround temperature has also been brought down by up to 1.6 degrees Celsius with the aid of green roofs.
In addition, energy-efficient infrastructure like lifts and street lamps, and using solar energy to power common services within blocks, can save 1.81 GWh per year - enough to power up to 370 4-room flats.
Dr Johnny Wong, Group Director (Building & Research Institute), HDB said Yuhua was chosen as it was a mature estate of about 30 years, and there are more elderly residents living in the area.
“We wanted to take up the challenge to see ... if we introduce green features, how can we engage the elderly residents so that they buy into eco-living and let them know how their lives can be enhanced with these green features and how they can help the environment. It’s a little bit easier to when we introduce and educate the younger population. But we also want the elderly to be involved in this movement,” Dr Wong added.
"MND's work has defined and shaped our Singaporean way of life, be it our unique HDB living, our garden city or our beautiful skyline. So, our agencies in the MND family and our policies touch the lives of many Singaporeans, and we should continue this work in shaping our future for the next 50 years", said National Development Minister Lawrence Wong.
- CNA/xk/dl
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Indonesia: President Jokowi orders pause to cement projects
Ina Parlina The Jakarta Post 3 Aug 16;
Not gonna take it: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo receives a group of women, known as Kartini Kendeng, and other male protesters at the State Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.(Courtesy of State Palace)
The people of the Kendeng Mountains in the northern part of Central Java can now breathe a temporary sigh of relief following an order from President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo that further environmental impact analyses would be needed before cement factory operations and mining could start in the area.
Following his meeting with the Kendeng women, who are known in the media as the Kartini of Kendeng and grabbed headlines for planting their feet into cement pulp to protest the construction of cement factories in their area, Jokowi said that the analyses are to ensure that the construction of cement factories in the karst topographical region would not damage the environment.
The residents of Kendeng have been fighting for years to stop the development of the factories they believed would threaten their livelihoods and their sources of water. Some companies, including state-owned PT Semen Indonesia, are expected to open factories in the area soon. Construction of PT Semen’s factory is 95 percent complete.
On Tuesday, Jokowi Widodo ordered relevant ministries to start the study, known as a strategic environmental assessment (KLHS), an environmental assessment that regional administrations have to carry out before issuing permits for land or forest management, as stipulated in the 2009 law on environmental management and protection.
With Jokowi’s order, any future mining activities in the areas can only be conducted after the environmental study yields its final results, although construction of factories in the area can continue.
The President has tasked Presidential Chief of Staff Teten Masduki to lead the study that also involves a number of ministries, including the Environment and Forestry Ministry, and local administrations in the area.
“Probably the study will wrap up after one year,” said Teten, who accompanied Jokowi during the meeting and has previously engaged in a meeting with the Kendeng people.
“The result of the study will become a reference for us all, whether the local administrations, the central government, investors, or the locals,” Teten added.
Both Jokowi and the Kendeng farmers, according to Teten, engaged in a discussion in the Javanese language during the meeting.
Jokowi also urged Semen Indonesia to start conducting comprehensive dialogues with the Kendeng people and the local administrations.
Responding to Jokowi’s decision, representatives from the Mt. Kendeng Society Network (JMPPK) said that people from the area to be affected by the cement plants, people in Rembang, Pati and Grobogan, could now play a larger role deciding the fate of the mining activities in the karst region.
“The local residents are ready to engage in dialogue [with all relevant parties],” said one of the Kendeng farmers, Gunretno.
Gunretno said that the Kendeng people had never been consulted regarding the plan to open cement factories in the area.
Semen Indonesia corporate secretary Agung Wiharto said his firm would wait for official notification from the government before making any decision related to the Kendeng issue. The company plans to conduct trial operations in October this year before commercial production starts next year.
Other cement firms such as PT Sahabat Mulia Sakti, a subsidiary of the big cement company PT Indocement, PT Vanda Prima Listri and PT Imasco Tambang have announced plans to build cement plants in Pati, Grobogan and Blora.
In November 2015, Semarang State Administrative Court (PTUN) annulled the plans to construct a cement plant in Pati as they violated the regional regulation on spatial planning. However, other development plans are still being processed.
Jokowi Meets Cement Factory Protesters, Implements Strategic Environmental Assessment
Ratri M. Siniwi Jakarta Globe 3 Aug 16;
Jakarta. Months after an unusual two-day demonstration against a planned cement factory construction at the State Palace, Jakarta, several female protesters and representatives finally met President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to discuss the future of their Mount Kendeng homes in Rembang district, Central Java, on Tuesday (02/08).
In April, nine brave women encased their feet in cement blocks and were determined to meet the president since. The women were famously dubbed as kartini Kendeng, (women from Kendeng). Last week, the women continued to protest against the cement plant construction by setting up a makeshift tent outside the State Palace in Jakarta.
Jokowi met 17 representatives from Kendeng, along with an academic from Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB), Dr. Soeryo Adiwibowo, at the State Palace.
Although the discussion did not lead to a permanent halt of the construction of the cement plant in Kendeng, Jokowi finalized a decision to perform a strategic environment assessment (SEA) in the Mount Kendeng area to facilitate the integration of environmental issues and ecological sustainability.
The implementation of the SEA will then be coordinated by the Presidential Staff Office, where the Ministry of Environment and Forestry will take part as the committee head.
During the assessment process, targeted to be sorted in a year, the government has promised that all mining permits will be suspended.
According to the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH), the government has also committed to engage in a multi-party discussion throughout the entire assessment process.
“We know that the decision does not cancel the mining permit and stop the construction, but with the [strategic environment] assessment, we are convinced that the Mount Kendeng area will not be destroyed only for the sake of a cement plant construction or for any other extractive industries,” LBH said in a statement on Wednesday.
The people of Kendeng have stated they will continue to fight to conserve their homes and environment.
Government urged to issue regulation on karst ecology
The Jakarta Post 6 Aug 16;
The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) urged the government on Friday to issue a government regulation on karst ecology to ensure the preservation of karst areas.
“The regulation should be a legal 'umbrella' for karst areas and for utilization of karst resources for common interests without violating human rights,” Komnas HAM commissioner Muhammad Nurkhoiron said, adding that the government started consulting the commission about the regulation in 2015.
Komnas HAM recorded that around 8 percent of 1.9 million kilometers of Indonesia’s land was karst terrain, and social conflict often occurred over developing and utilizing karst regions and resources due to a lack of transparency between companies and local people about the utilization of such regions, he added.
As an example, the people of the Mount Kendeng area in the northern part of Central Java have been fighting for years to stop the development of cement factories they believe would threaten their livelihoods and their sources of water.
President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo ordered a postponement in the development of the factories on Tuesday and an evaluation carried out.
Komnas HAM staff member Mimin Dwi Hartono noted that an energy and mineral resources ministerial decree issued in 2011 on karst regions did not stipulate the utilization and preservation of such areas. Therefore, it is believed that the issuance of a government regulation would minimize conflict between local people and enterprises. (wnd/bbn)
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Indonesia: Managed turtle breeding helps maintain wild population
Ruslan Sangadji The Jakarta Post 3 Aug 16;
With an output of about 10,000 baby turtles a year, the breeding of green turtles in the regency of Tolitoli in Central Sulawesi is seen as a promising move to maintain the population, said a local officer.
“In the near future, we will release some 100 of the baby turtles to the sea,” Tolitoli Fisheries and Maritime Agency head Hardiyan said on Monday.
He said the breeding of the green turtles in the regency was conducted in cooperation with locals people over awareness that the population of the reptiles was continuing to decrease over time because of illegal hunting.
He said his office had allocated some Rp 32 million this year to empower the people of Sese village, North Dampal district, Tolitoli, to breed green turtles.
The funds, he said, came from the state budget of the Coastal and Marine Resource Management Center and were handed over to the local community group that was given full authority to disburse them.
“The budget was for the maintenance of the green turtle population in the village,” Hardiyan said.
There are currently four regions in the regency that have been breeding green turtles. The other three are Galumpang village in Dakopemean district, Lingayan Island and Ogotua village in North Dampal district.
The green turtle breeding on Lingayan Island, one of the outmost islands in Tolitoli, was conducted because its population of the protected animals was declining and neared extinction because of extensive illegal hunting.
“The turtles are caught for trade,” said Bachtiar, chairman of Lingayan Environment Lovers.
He said the hunting of green turtles was extensive in the regions because both their eggs and meat could be sold for high prices. He predicted that between five and seven turtles were killed every month for that purpose.
He said during the seasons when green turtles laid eggs on beaches, people usually got ready on shore to wait for the reptiles.
“They usually use fishing rods with special hooks to catch the turtles,” he said.
Other turtle species that have been hunted because of their high economic value included the hawksbill sea turtles on one of Tolitoli’s outermost islands. They are hunted for their eggs, meat and scales.
“My prediction, the perpetrators [will be found to have] come from Kalimantan and Donggala regency,” he said.
Hendro, a naval officer at the Tolitoli Naval Base, said he often found green turtles traded openly. “Two months ago we seized four green turtles from a broker here,” he said.
Lingayan Island directly borders with Malaysia. With 64 families living on it, the island has been in the list of underdeveloped subdistricts despite its rich potential.
Apart from turtles, Lingayan is also the habitat of a bird species resembling the maleo, which locals call the molong. The bird is black and is as big as a maleo. It is currently estimated to only have about 50 left in its population.
The breeding of the green turtles in Tolitoli regency, Central Sulawesi, has shown a promising yield, currently producing more than 10,000 baby turtles a year, a local officer said.
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