Best of our wild blogs: 13 Jun 17

Pulau Semakau (East) after mass coral bleaching
wild shores of singapore

50 Shades of Spiders by Dr Linda S. Rayor
My Nature Experiences

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Fire breaks out at crude oil refinery on Jurong Island

Today Online 13 Jun 17;

SINGAPORE – A fire broke out at a crude oil refinery on Jurong Island on Tuesday (June 13).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire occurred within a crude distillation unit at the Singapore Refining Company's (SRC) premises on 1 Merlimau Road.

Firefighters from SCDF and the company's in-house emergency response team took over an hour to put out the flames. No injuries were reported.

SCDF said they were alerted to the incident at 9.50am. The SRC’s response team was also immediately activated, and deployed water monitors and several large capacity fire extinguishers to fight the fire.

Several videos posted by Facebook users showed black plumes of smoke rising up beside refinery chimneys.

The SCDF said that the fire at the refinery was extinguished at around 11.10am.

The SRC has yet to comment on the cause of the incident.


Fire breaks out at Jurong Island, no injuries reported
Channel NewsAsia 13 Jun 17;

In a Facebook post, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received reports of a blaze at 1, Merlimau Road, where oil refinery Singapore Refining Company is located at about 9.50am. There were no reported injuries.

In a later update, SCDF said the fire occurred within a crude distillation unit. As of 11.10am, the fire had been extinguished by SCDF and the in-house emergency team, using ground monitors and several handheld jets. SCDF is carrying out foaming operations, it added.

SCDF added that company's emergency response team was activated when its fire alarm sounded. It also deployed water monitors and several large capacity fire extinguishers to mitigate the fire.

An eyewitness who declined to be named said he saw "thick black smoke" from Jurong Port at about 9.50am, but did not see flames. "The smoke subsided after awhile. Minutes later, it started again," he said.

Photos and videos of the incident have been posted on social media, which showed plumes of black smoke rising up next to refinery chimneys.

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Malaysia: Endangered wildlife in Sabah to get extra protection

The Star 13 Jun 17;

KOTA KINABALU: Following the death of one of its three Sumatran rhinos, Sabah will go all out to protect its remaining endangered animals, starting with the Sunda clouded leopard next.

The leopard is endemic to Sabah.

“We do not want to come down to a similar situation where we only start getting serious when there is only a few of a species left, it will be a bit too late then,” said Assistant Tourism, Culture and Environment minister Datuk Pang Yuk Ming.

The state suffered a huge blow to its conservation efforts when one of the last three remaining rhinos was euthanised due to cancer earlier this month, he added.

The flora and fauna of Sabah were the gems that attracted visitors here, bringing in income, Pang said when opening a workshop on ways to protect the species here yesterday.

The workshop, which ends tomorrow, is organised by the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD).

An action plan to protect the Sunda clouded leopard is expected to be drawn up following recommendations based on findings of a five-year extensive research on the animals conducted by DGFC and SWD.

Pang said DGFC – a collaborative research and training facility managed by the Sabah Wildlife Department and Cardiff University – had identified the Sunda clouded leopard to focus on this time.

Pang said tourists from China (being the most number of visitors coming to Sabah) are showing more interest in nature and related tourisms.

He added that the Sabah Parks would be increasing its conservation tax “very soon” in view of its needs to have more programmes towards the protection of the environment.

DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the Sunda clouded leopard deserved its fair share of attention as there are only about 700 left in the wild.

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Mangroves, coral reefs could cut flood insurance premiums: Lloyd's

Reuters 12 Jun 17;

Natural coastal habitats such as mangroves, coral reefs and salt marshes protect communities more effectively against coastal storms than seawalls, and insurers should consider this when pricing flood risk, Lloyd's of London said.

Investment to conserve natural habitats also makes sense for insurers, a report written for Lloyd's said on Tuesday, as it is around 30 times cheaper than building seawalls.

Insurers have paid out more than $200 billion in claims for damages due to coastal floods in the past 10 years.

But they could reduce the amount they pay in claims and offer lower premiums if they considered the impact of natural infrastructure.

"If you are in a more resilient city, compared to a less resilient one, then those risk levels should be taken into account in pricing," said Trevor Maynard, head of innovation at Lloyd's.

Insurers should invest more in habitat conservation to reduce the risks from coastal floods, the report, by the Center for the Blue Economy, the University of California, Santa Cruz and The Nature Conservancy, said.

"Flood risk reduction should be undertaken before the flood occurs, but we currently spend much more on recovery efforts than on risk reduction."

Coastal wetlands remaining in the northeast of the United States saved more than $625 million in flood damages from Hurricane Sandy, around 1 percent of the total flood damages from the 2012 hurricane, previous research for Lloyd's has shown.

Public and private sector financing to support natural infrastructure is increasing, but "the availability is geographically uneven," the report said.

(Reporting by Carolyn Cohn, editing by Louise Heavens)

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Best of our wild blogs: 12 Jun 17

Big Sisters Island after mass coral bleaching
wild shores of singapore

Singapore Bird Report-May 2017
Singapore Bird Group

Noble Volute (Cymbiola nobilis) @ Pulau Sekudu
Monday Morgue

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Global effort busts wildlife smugglers

International cast, including AVA, work to nab suspected kingpin and key players
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof Straits Times 12 Jun 17;

After three years, the suspected kingpin behind the smuggling of wildlife parts out of Africa has been arrested near the Kenya-Uganda border recently.

The international operation started in Singapore.

In March 2014, the authorities here seized a 1-tonne shipment of elephant tusks on its way to Laos.

The Straits Times learnt that the tusks had been moved from Uganda to Kenya before an attempt was made to ship them through Singapore.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) alerted the Lusaka Agreement Task Force, an inter-governmental organisation based in Africa tasked with tackling the illegal wildlife trade. AVA provided the container number and port of departure, among other details.

A pattern began to form after more shipments of elephant tusks were seized in Vietnam and Thailand in 2015. According to Freeland, a Bangkok-based counter- trafficking organisation, 32 tonnes of ivory, originating from East and West African ports, were seized in South-east Asia.


At an estimated US$2,000 (S$2,770) for a kilogram of elephant tusk, the seizures would have had a street value of $86 million.

They all led to one syndicate and Gakou Fodie, a suspected major smuggler involved in several cases, including the shipment of 6 tonnes of pangolin scales to Asia. An international cast of law enforcement and Customs agencies, including AVA and Freeland, went into overdrive.

Arrests were made in Africa last year and early this year, related to the seizures in Thailand and Vietnam. The behind-the-scenes cooperation, which also involved Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, culminated in the arrests of seven key players who were allegedly behind the shipment to Singapore.

And between April and this month, the authorities in Africa moved in on Fodie, arresting him near the Kenya-Uganda border before he was extradited just a few days ago to Tanzania, where the case against him is stronger.

In a telephone interview with The Straits Times, Mr Steven Galster, 55, founder of Freeland, commended AVA officials. "The Singapore officials were some of the first to say 'yes' to (the joint investigation). They did not need any prompting from us. They did that on their own."

Dr Chua Tze Hoong, group director of the Quarantine Inspection Group at AVA, said clamping down on illegal wildlife trafficking requires government agencies and non-governmental organisations to work together.

"Singapore seriously assesses intelligence reports or tip-offs from our partners.

"This has resulted in several seizures such as this case, in which the collaboration between countries and various parties contributed to the success of the operations," he said.

Poaching and smuggling of rhino horns, pangolin scales, wildcat skins and elephant tusks are driving wildlife populations down.

Some wildlife parts are used in traditional medicine while others like elephant tusks, when skilfully carved into decorations, can cost as much as US$300,000 each, said Mr Galster, who has seen high-end works in Beijing, China.

Part of the challenge is to get "transit and consumer" countries to step up.

Mr Galster said: "People are desensitised when they see these (wildlife shipment) seizures and they don't realise that these are the result of serial murder. It's a bunch of animals killed."

However, traffickers are known to be crafty. They would label a consignment of elephant tusks as coffee beans or tea leaves, said Mr Galster.

He added: "They (traffickers) may also change the country of origin by having containers shipped to one place first where they change the Bill of Lading to show the transit country is now country of origin. So a Customs officer in the receiving country would be less suspicious, not knowing the cargo originated in Africa."

In the end, it was the investigators' perseverance and advanced investigation trainingthat proved vital in bringing down the syndicate, said Mr Galster.

The investigators began to see more links to wildlife suppliers after using digital forensics software in their probe. Using raw data, the software analyses and spots trends and patterns.

The suspects arrested included a senior Kenyan Customs official, several shipping agents and high-level traffickers who played a role in smuggling the illegal consignment to Singapore. They are also linked to other wildlife crimes.


By the numbers

A rhinoceros is killed every seven hours, according to Freeland, a counter-trafficking organisation based in Bangkok.

Rhinoceros are prized for their horns and bones as they are used in traditional medicine or for decorative purposes.

Even more frequently, an elephant is killed every hour.

Each year, an estimated 20,000 elephants are killed for their tusks, which can fetch about US$2,000 (S$2,760) per kg in the black market.

Freeland founder Steven Galster told The Straits Times that trading in African elephant tusks is worth US$400 million a year.

A meeting of the United Nations' Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) in Johannesburg last October reported that roughly 30 per cent of Africa's elephants have disappeared in the last seven years. Its population in 2016 was estimated at 473,000.

But the most threatened creature is the pangolin.

It is the most trafficked mammal, with over one million poached in the past decade.

Under Cites, all commercial trade in pangolins is banned.

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Indonesian police foil attempt to smuggle 200,000 lobster eggs into Singapore

Channel NewsAsia 12 Jun 17;

JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities foiled an attempt to illegally export more than 200,000 lobster eggs into Singapore through Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, reported the Jakarta Post on Sunday (Jun 11).

The suspects had attempted to deliver a big part of the goods via a Garuda Indonesia flight to Singapore.

According to tribunnews.com, Indonesia's National Police Special Crimes Directorate Chief Brigadier General Purwadi Arianto said: "We confiscated 208,756 lobster eggs inside eight suitcases."

If the smuggling attempt had been successful, state losses could have reached US$2.4 million, the official added.

Police are questioning two individuals identified as AM and WHY, according to the Jakarta Post. AM has been named a suspect in the case while WHY is being treated as a witness.


Police thwart attempt to smuggle 200k lobster eggs to Singapore
The Jakarta Post 11 Jun 17;

The National Police’s Special Crimes Directorate has foiled an attempt to illegally export lobster eggs worth billions of rupiah to Singapore via Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten.

“We confiscated 208,756 lobster eggs inside eight suitcases,” said directorate chief Brig. Gen. Purwadi Arianto as quoted by tribunnews.com on Sunday.

Had the smuggling attempt been successful, state losses could have reached Rp 31.3 billion (US$ 2.4 million), Purwadi said, adding that the police had questioned two persons, identified as AM and WHY, in relation to the case.

AM was attempting to board a Garuda Indonesia flight to Singapore carrying 169,136 lobster eggs in six suitcases, while WHY took Lion Air flight departing from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, carrying 39,620 lobster eggs to Soekarno-Hatta, from where he intended to continue traveling to Singapore.

From the police’s preliminary investigations, they suspect that AM ordered WHY to carry the lobster eggs. Police have named AM a suspect in the case, while WHY’s status so far remains that of a witness.

Besides lobster eggs, the police also confiscated one passport, two mobile phones, Rp 7.1 million and S$525 in cash, boarding passes and luggage claim tags.

AM is being charged with violating Law No. 31/2004 on fisheries, Law No. 16/1992 on quarantine, animals and plants and the Criminal Code.

The police in cooperation with other agencies, including customs, aviation security, the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry’s National Fish Quarantine, Quality Control and Fishery Product Safety Agency (BKIPM), have released the lobster eggs on Carita Beach in Banten, keeping only 256 as evidence. (wnd/dmr)

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Malaysia: Crocodile myth boosting illegal trade

Compiled by RAHIMY RAHIM, NG SI HOOI and R. ARAVINTHAN The Star 12 Jun 17;

THE myth that crocodile parts boast aphrodisiac qualities has led to the illegal trading of the reptile, with some being sold for up to RM100,000 on the black market, Metro Ahad reported.

Based on an investigation by the Peninsular Malaysia Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan), the current price of a crocodile is far more expensive than a tiger, as its scaly skin, meat, tail and even its gall bladder can be sold at lucrative prices.

Many still believe that crocodile teeth can be used as a good luck charm while its private parts can be an aphrodisiac, which makes the parts popular. In its latest operation, Perhilitan raided a place at Old Klang Road that traded crocodile organs.

During the raid, the team led by enforcement officer Celescoriano Razond found that the owner of the premises kept various crocodile organs believed to be acquired illegally.

“We confiscated six crocodile skulls and 24 completely preserved saltwater crocodiles. We also found a piece of crocodile skin, crocodile leather belt, and 10 handbags believed to be made from crocodile skin,” he said.

A total of 693 plastic bags of saltwater crocodile meat, 79 plastic bags of crocodile feet, eight bags of crocodile tail, and 190 plastic bags of dried crocodile meat were confiscated.

Apart from that, 24 gall bladders, 37 crocodile private parts, 350 crocodile teeth, and 12 keychains believed to made from saltwater crocodiles skin were also seized.

All of the items would be taken to the Perhilitan headquarters for further action, said Razond.

“We do not rule out the possibility that the items would have been smuggled to Hong Kong, Taiwan or China,” he said.

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Best of our wild blogs: 11 Jun 17

HSS at Pesta Ubin!
Herpetological Society of Singapore

Morning Walk At Lower Peirce Reservoir Park (10 Jun 2017)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Bukit Panjang Butterfly Garden
Butterflies of Singapore

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Malaysia: Action plan to save the Sunda clouded leopard

STEPHANIE LEE The Star 11 Jun 17;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sunda clouded leopard will be the next endangered animal to be saved and protected in Sabah, said Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director Dr Benoit Goossens.

Dr Goossens said an action plan will be drawn up after a three-day workshop organised by DGFC and the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), which will focus on recommendations on how to better protect the species.

The workshop is set to run from June 12 to 14 and will feature local and international scientists, governmental agencies as well as industry players.

“We hope that the state government will adopt the Sunda Clouded Leopard Action Plan for implementation to save the species, which is threatened by habitat loss and forest fragmentation in Sabah,” he said in a statement on Sunday.

Dr Goossens said the centre, SWD and collaborators from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the University of Montana and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research have been collecting crucial information on Sunda clouded leopard populations in Sabah for the last 10 years.

He said this includes demography, behaviour, landscape ecology and genetics.

“During this project, we carried out surveys using camera traps in several protected areas such as Crocker Range, Tawau Hills Park, Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Kinabatangan, Malua, Ulu Segama, and Maliau Basin,” he said.

He added that the research findings showed that there are roughly 700 Sunda clouded leopards in Sabah.

Dr Goossens said these projects and efforts are made possible with a total commitment of RM3.96mil from Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) since April 2011 to conduct research on three species over a six-year period.

The three species are the proboscis monkey, the Sunda clouded leopard and the Bornean banteng.

Meanwhile, YSD chairman Tun Musa Hitam said the Foundation was looking forward to the submission of the state action plan on the conservation of the proboscis monkey to the Sabah government.

DGFC is currently in the midst of drafting the plan to be submitted to the Sabah government.

This action plan is the product of a workshop and conference organised by DGFC and SWD four months ago, which focused on the conservation of the proboscis monkey.

Musa said it was crucial for the state action plan to be adopted and implemented by the Sabah government as it is backed by scientific research and expert opinions as well as input from industry leaders.

He added that he hoped the same would be replicated for the Sunda clouded leopard, which he said is one of his favourite animal species due to its sheer beauty.

"This species, like many others, is under severe threat from poachers, habitat loss and fragmented forest areas,” said Musa.

"We must act immediately and effectively to stop further decline in the population or risk losing a precious species that is vital to the ecosystem it inhabits," he added.


Experts convene in KK to discuss conservation of Sunda clouded leopard
AVILA GERALDINE New Straits Times 11 Jun 17;

KOTA KINABALU: Wildlife experts will engage in a long and detailed discussion on how to best protect one of Sabah’s iconic but endangered animals – the Sunda clouded leopard – at an international workshop beginning tomorrow.

Scientists, governmental agencies and industry players are expected to attend the three-day workshop on the issue at the Le Meridien Hotel here, organised by the Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and the Sime Darby Foundation.

DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said the workshop will see participants proposing recommendations for better protection of the endangered species based on findings of an extensive five-year research conducted by the centre and the SWD.

“I hope the Sabah government will adopt the Sunda Clouded Leopard Action Plan for implementation to save the species, which is threatened by habitat loss and forest fragmentation in Sabah.

“For the past 10 years, SWD, DGFC and collaborators from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), the University of Montana and the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research have been collecting crucial information on Sunda clouded leopard populations in Sabah, including demography, behaviour, landscape ecology and genetics.

“During this project, we carried out surveys using camera traps in several protected areas, and we estimate the population (of Sunda clouded leopards) to be around 700 individuals in Sabah,” added Goossens.

The protected areas are the Crocker Range, the Tawau Hills Park, the Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Kinabatangan, Malua, Ulu Segama and the Maliau Basin, among others.

Earlier this year, a workshop and conference focusing on the protection of the Proboscis monkey was held, and the DGFC is currently drafting a state action plan on the conservation of the species for submission to the state government.

Meanwhile, Sime Darby Foundation chairman Tun Musa Hitam stressed that the local government must adopt and implement the state action plan, which is backed by scientific research, expert opinions and input from industry leaders.

“We also hope that the same will be replicated for the Sunda clouded leopard, which is one of my favourite animal species due to its sheer beauty.

“This species, like many others, is under severe threat from poachers, habitat loss and fragmented forest areas,” he said.

The foundation has been supporting DGFC since April 2011, with a total commitment of RM3.96 million over a period of six years, to conduct research on three species – the Proboscis monkey, the Sunda clouded leopard and the Bornean banteng.


Move to protect the Sunda clouded leopard
STEPHANIE LEE The Star 12 Jun 17;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sunda clouded leopard will be the next endangered animal to come under protection in Sabah.

This will hopefully be made possible after local and international scientists, government agencies and industry players come together in a three-day workshop on how to protect the species.

The workshop, from today to Wednesday, organised by the Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) and Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD), expects to see recommendations based on findings of a five-year extensive research on Sunda clouded leopards conducted by DGFC and SWD.

DGFC director Dr Benoit Goossens said they expect to have a Sunda Clouded Leopard Action Plan for Sabah drafted based on the recommendations.

“We hope the state government will adopt the action plan to save the species, which is threatened by habitat loss and forest fragmentation in Sabah,” he said in a statement.

Dr Goossens said the centre, SWD and collaborators from Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), University of Montana and Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research have collected crucial information on Sunda clouded leopard population in Sabah including demography, behaviour, landscape ecology and genetics for the past 10 years.

“During this project, we carried out surveys using camera traps in several protected areas such as Crocker Range, Tawau Hills Park, Tabin Wildlife Reserve, Kinabatangan, Malua, Ulu Segama, and Maliau Basin,” he said.

image: http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/12/move-to-protect-the-sunda-clouded-leopard/~/media/f0f46ce3ff904f50b7515a6df100a18c.ashx?h=413&w=620

Safe and sound: A female Sunda clouded leopard named ‘Rahsia’ rescued during the project. Inset: A Sunda clouded leopard seen at the Crocker Range National Park near Keningau, Sabah.
Safe and sound: A female Sunda clouded leopard named ‘Rahsia’ rescued during the project.
The population is estimated to be around 700 in Sabah.

Dr Goossens said these projects and efforts were made possible with the support from Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) since April 2011, with a total commitment of RM3.96mil over six years, to conduct research on three species – Proboscis monkey, Sunda clouded leopard and the Bornean banteng.

Four months ago, DGFC and SWD organised a workshop and conference on the conservation of the Proboscis monkey, which saw recommendations for drafting of a state action plan to conserve the endangered species.

YSD chairman Tun Musa Hitam said it was crucial for the state action plan to be adopted and implemented by the Sabah government as it is backed by scientific research and expert opinions as well as input from industry leaders.

“We must act immediately and effectively to stop further decline in the population or risk losing a precious species that is vital to the ecosystem it inhabits.

“We have already lost one of our last three Sumatran rhinoceroses, a species on the brink of extinction. Let us learn from this,” he added.

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Malaysia: Rapid development causing heat effect

RAZAK AHMAD The Star 11 Jun 17;

PETALING JAYA: Temperature differences between parts of Kuala Lumpur and its neighbouring rural areas have been found to be as high as 10°C and the gap is widening, research has shown.

This is causing heavier rainfall, resulting in more severe flash floods and hotter temperatures in the city and suburbs than surrounding areas. Ironically, the rainfall is heavier in the cities than in rural areas such as Hulu Langat, where the dams are located.

Climate expert Prof Datuk Dr Azizan Abu Samah from Universiti Malaya said this was due to the “urban heat island” effect, where cities get increasingly warmer compared to surrounding rural areas due to rapid development.

“Due to the increased development of Greater Kuala Lumpur, the urban heat island or hot areas are growing,” he said.

The differences in temperatures between urban and rural areas are also widening by 0.4°C per decade.

Apart from getting hotter, the country’s urban areas are also likely to get heavier rainfall as more rain can occur when a bubble of heated air forms over a very warm area.

Citing a 2014 study on the urban heat island effect in the Klang Valley by fellow academic Dr Illyani Ibrahim, Dr Azizan said Petaling Jaya received increasingly more rain between 1983 and 2007 compared to Hulu Langat, located just 22km away.

The increased rainfall in urban areas, Dr Azizan warned, could add to the risk of flash floods in cities.

“This is because much of the rainwater cannot be absorbed into the ground in built-up areas, causing it to remain on the surface, especially where drainage is poor,” he said.

Dr Azizan was commenting on the findings of a World Bank report which found temperature anomalies in Kuala Lumpur, Petaling Jaya, Penang, Johor Baru, Kuantan and Kota Kinabalu growing faster than the global average (see graphic).

The report, titled “Achieving a System of Competitive Cities in Malaysia”, said climate change is expected to worsen the urban heat island effect and cause more heatwaves and heavy rain in urban areas.

Heavy and more frequent precipitation events are expected and will increase the risk and severity of urban flooding and landslides, according to the study, which was released in December 2015 and carried out with the cooperation of the Economic Planning Unit and Khazanah Nasional Bhd.

Parts of the Klang Valley, including Kuala Lumpur, have become notorious for being inundated during heavy downpour in recent months.

In one of the most recent episodes, four roads in Kuala Lumpur – Jalan Bangsar, Jalan Semantan, Jalan Pantai Baharu and Jalan Pudu – were flooded following heavy rain, causing cars to be submerged in water up to their windows.

Other cities, including in Penang, have also been hit by a rising number of flash floods.

On May 27, a downpour which lasted for a few hours submerged the inline baggage area of the Penang International Airport in Bayan Lepas on the island and flooded several low-lying areas on the mainland.

Dr Azizan said green areas in cities should be protected to help reduce the urban heat island effect.

Green lungs and other forested areas help to cool down urban areas and act as a sponge to absorb excess rainfall in the event of heavy storms, reducing the risk of floods, he said.

“Keeping the city green does not mean we should build more golf courses,” he added.

“It means we need to protect the forested areas in our cities due to the forests’ higher leaf index and ability to help reduce temperatures and absorb water.”

He said improving drainage and planning for future flood mitigation projects similar to Kuala Lumpur’s Stormwater Management and Road Tunnel (SMART) could also help.

“When we spent billions of ringgit to build the SMART tunnel, some people said it was a waste of money. But now it’s considered a success.”

He said the focus should be on how to protect other parts of the city, which are also prone to flash floods, especially in light of rapid development.


‘Gazette town and city plans to reduce environmental risk’
The Star 11 Jun 17;

PETALING JAYA: Local plans that spell out the dos and don’ts of how each town and city in the country can be developed need to be gazetted and followed strictly by the state and local authorities, said the Malaysian Institute of Planners.

Its president Ihsan Zainal Mokh­tar said this could help reduce the potential harm that development can bring to the environment.

Commenting on a World Bank study that found temperature anomalies in Malaysian cities growing faster than the global average, Ihsan said it was important to have a good local plan and stick to it.

“A local plan not only spells out population density, which areas need road coverage and where to build schools, but also identifies which green areas can’t be touched,” he said.

Controversial proposals to develop green areas that get easily approved despite opposition by residents are an example of what can happen when a local plan is not gazetted.

“If a local plan is drawn up but not gazetted, it results in less control in development.

“If we don’t stick to the local plan, we will leave more room for interest groups to push their agenda in how an area should be developed, rather than public interest,” Ihsan added.

He said while a number of cities and towns had gazetted local plans, Kuala Lumpur and Penang had yet to gazette their local plans, namely the Kuala Lumpur City Plan 2020 and Penang Local Plan 2020.

To reduce the potential risk of flash floods as a result of higher rainfall in urban centres due to rising temperatures, Ihsan said several measures could be taken.

They include increasing the number of detention and retention ponds.

A detention pond is a low-lying area that holds a set amount of floodwater while slowly draining to another location. A retention pond is designed to hold a specific amount of floodwater indefinitely.

Ihsan also said more greenery could be introduced along footpaths.

Another method is to use bioswales, which are long trenches containing vegetation that receive rainwater run-off and work by slowing down water infiltration.

On the World Bank study which found urban sprawl contributing to greenhouse gases and raising temperatures, he said control measures could include allowing higher density only for projects near the city centre.

“Urban sprawl also involves building many highways into the cities which take a lot of the forests, causing temperatures to rise,” he said.

“Cars travelling into urban centres are also a source of urban heat, so one way to tackle the problem is by improving public transport.”


Groups spell out ways to cool down cities
FATIMAH ZAINAL The Star 12 Jun 17;

PETALING JAYA: It’s the little acts like conserving water and saving electricity – even planting a tree – that can help cool the urban heat island effect in the cities, say environment groups.

Malaysian Nature Society president Henry Goh said while authorities should set aside enough land for green lungs in the cities, the public could also do their bit to help maintain such spaces.

“The first thing to inculcate among the public is to share the knowledge why trees are important to mitigate the heat exchange in regards to industrial emissions of heat and pollution.

“The public can also help by practising more care when disposing waste. Adopt the habit of reducing, recycling and reusing waste,” said Goh.

Conserving water, saving electricity and supporting anti-plastic campaign, he said, would also help towards reducing greenhouse gas and heat.

Power Shift Malaysia co-founder Adrian Yeo said even a simple effort such as planting a tree counted.

They were commenting on Sunday Star’s front page report about the urban heat island effect in Kuala Lumpur caused by rapid development.

A study had showed that the city was not only getting much hotter – up to 10 degrees more – than surrounding rural areas but it was also experiencing heavier rainfall, leading to more severe flash floods, and higher temperatures.

EcoKnights president Yasmin Rasyid said property developers could build each home with a rainwater harvesting tank.

“This can retain rain water for outdoor use before all of this rushes into the drains as storm water and floods the lower areas,” she said.

Yasmin said for free green lungs in the city, vertical gardens on rooftops could also be created, functioning as cooling systems for the buildings.

WWF policy and climate change head Lavanya Rama Iyer said urban folks should continue demanding the protection of existing green lungs such as in the recent cases of Bukit Gasing and Taman Tun Dr Ismail.

“All of us should signal to decisionmakers from local governments that greening the city is necessary for national well-being and development should not compromise this,” she said.

Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Aki urged all environmental NGOs to convene a summit to map out a blueprint.

“Deforestation must be stopped immediately. We need to slow down our development. A sustainable plan is needed to look into conservation and preservation.”

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Malaysia: Johor entry points screening tightened after Singapore's new Zika cases

The Star 10 Jun 17;

BALIK PULAU: Malaysia has tightened health screenings at all entry points, especially in Johor, following reports of two new cases of the Zika virus in Singapore.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said so far, there were no reports of the mosquito-borne viral infection involving Malaysians.

"I want the Johor Health Department to be more careful and alert, and perform more stringent monitoring, especially at the Malaysia-Singapore entrance.

"We have body temperature sensors that can detect those having fever at entry points in Johor, and if there are cases (of zika) health officials must take appropriate action.

"But so far, there has been no new cases in Malaysia," he told reporters after presenting contributions to the needy in the Balik Pulau parliamentary constituency here Saturday.

Singapore confirmed two new cases of the virus, bringing the total number of reported cases in the country to eight.

In September last year, a woman from Bandar Botanic, Klang in Selangor became the first Malaysian to be infected with the virus after visiting her daughter, who was also infected, in Singapore.

In another development, Dr Hilmi, who is also Balik Pulau MP, denied that the ministry had banned the sale of a popular brand of dates after reports on social media claimed they contained worms.

"I have received complaints that staff from the state health department had notified traders of dates not to sell the fruit distributed by a popular brand when in fact, the ministry has never issued such a ban on the matter, and we have made inspections at the warehouse of the company concerned, and no worms were found as claimed on social media.

"Even if there was such a case, maybe there were parties who had disguised themselves as health department staff or it could be from a competitor.

"However, if date traders are approached by health department staff forbidding them to sell the fruit, they can report it to the health ministry," he said.

He noted the worms found in dates were also not detrimental to health as they were similar to those found in fruits such as durian and mangoes. - Bernama


Johor on alert for Zika
ZAZALI MUSA The Star 11 Jun 17;

JOHOR BARU: Johor is closely monitoring for Zika cases in the state following reports of two new cases in Singapore.

State Health, Environment, Education and Information committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the focus would be on two land links to Singapore - the Johor Causeway and the Second Link Crossing in Tanjung Kupang, Gelang Patah.

"Thousands of people are using both links daily and we are monitoring the situation," he said in a statement on Sunday.

Ayub said staff from the state Health Department would monitor the body temperature of travellers at the Johor Causeway and the Second Link Crossing using thermal scanners, which have been set up.

"We are also taking preventive measures in housing estates or locations where many Malaysians live and travel regularly to the republic," he added.

Ayub said that the state Health Department would deploy more medical staff at the two entry points if more Zika cases were reported in Singapore.

It was reported on Saturday that Malaysia had tightened health screenings at all entry points, especially in Johor, following reports of two new cases of the Zika virus in Singapore.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said so far, there were no reports of the mosquito-borne viral infection involving Malaysians.

"I want the Johor Health Department to be more careful and alert, and perform more stringent monitoring, especially at the Malaysia-Singapore entrance.

"We have body temperature sensors that can detect those having fever at entry points in Johor, and if there are cases of Zika, health officials must take appropriate action," he added.


Zika screening intensified at all major entry points
The Star 11 Jun 17;

BALIK PULAU: Malaysia has intensified health screenings at all entry points, especially in Johor, following reports of two new cases of the zika virus in Singapore.

Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said so far, there are no reports of the mosquito-borne viral infection involving Malaysians.

“I want the Johor Health Department to be more careful and alert, and perform more stringent monitoring, especially at the Malaysia-Singapore entrance.

“We have body temperature sensors that can detect those having fever at entry points in Johor, and if there are cases (of zika), health officials must take appropriate action.

“But so far, there has been no new cases in Malaysia,” he told reporters after presenting contributions to the needy in the Balik Pulau parliamentary constituency yesterday.

At the event, a total of 850 recipients received cash assistance, rice and other necessities.

Yesterday, Singapore confirmed two new cases of the zika virus, bringing the total number of reported cases in the republic to eight.

In September last year, a woman from Bandar Botanic, Klang in Selangor, became the first Malaysian infected with zika after visiting her daughter, who was also infected with the virus, in Singapore.

In another development, Dr Hilmi, who is also Balik Pulau MP, denied that the Health Ministry had banned the sale of a popular brand of dates after reports on social media claimed they contained worms. — Bernama

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