27 Jan 2018 (Sat): "The Love of Tuah and Jebat" at Pulau Ubin with Pulau Sekudu
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
Tips for communicating your cause: IYOR Outreach workshop
Little Green Men
Soxy sea creatures: Mollusc edition
wild shores of singapore
Audrey Tan Straits Times 18 Dec 17;
SINGAPORE - There is more to crabs than those fried with black pepper or in a thick chilli sauce.
A new exhibition at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum at the National University of Singapore (NUS) sets out to let visitors know that the crustaceans can also play a vital role in their habitats.
Christmas Island Red, as the exhibition is called, spotlights the role of crabs on Christmas Island - a rocky island that was part of Singapore until 1957, when it was sold to the Australian government. The official transfer took place in 1958.
The exhibition was launched on Monday evening (Dec 18) by the museum, and attended by the Australian High Commissioner Bruce Gosper.
Christmas Island, which is about an hour by plane from Jakarta, is famed for the red crab, a species found only on the island.
The crustacean likely got its name from the striking red colour of its shell. But what has grasped the world's attention is the annual migration of these creatures, when they move en masse from the forests of Christmas Island to the sea to spawn.
There are more than 40 million of these palm-sized creatures on Christmas Island, which has a population of about 2,000.
The annual mass migration, which usually takes place in December, turns the streets and roads a bright red.
The phenomenon, captured by Google which is working with Parks Australia, can be viewed on Google Maps Street View from early next year.
But visitors to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum can watch it first at the exhibition, which will run for six months. They can watch videos of the migration, and see different crab specimens as well as other types of fauna, including the red-pouched frigate birds.
They can also learn how a particular species of ants, the so-called yellow crazy ants, and feral cats that were brought to the island threatened its biodiversity, including the red crabs.
On Christmas Island, crabs are king, with the local people and authorities working hand in hand to protect them, such as building bridges and tunnels to facilitate their migration, and enacting laws to protect them.
But even in the forests, the crabs are the key drivers of the ecosystem, said Professor Peter Ng, head of the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.
"There are no large mammals or predators on the island, so whichever gets there first dominates it. On Christmas Island, the red crab is king. It is not the fastest or strongest creature, but it is dominant. They feed on the vegetation in the forests, and act like gardeners of the forests, keeping them well-manicured and with little undergrowth."
He added: "I hope visitors will realise that there is a wonderful place so close to Singapore. "And Singaporeans may be obsessed with eating crabs, but I hope that through this exhibition, they will learn something more about them as well."
Singapore scientists uncover gifts of Christmas Island
Audrey Tan Straits Times 21 Dec 17;
SINGAPORE - With a name like that, one would expect Christmas Island to bear many gifts. It has not disappointed.
Among its treasures is the red crab (Gecarcoidea natalis) - a unique crustacean found only on Christmas Island (it is in the Indian ocean) and nowhere else in the world. These creatures move en masse from forest to sea to spawn once a year, carpeting roads and homes a bright red, in a phenomenon that famed naturalist Sir David Attenborough reportedly regards as one of the most "astonishing and wonderful" sights.
But Christmas Island, located about an hour's flight from Jakarta, has more surprises in store, as Singapore scientists are discovering. Over four expeditions since 2010, the team has already discovered 10 species of crabs and prawns on Christmas Island, including the blue crab and the yellow-eye crab, which also cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
This festive season, people can get a glimpse of these creatures without having to travel all the way to the island that once belonged to Singapore. Specimens of the unique creatures are on display at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, in a temporary exhibition called Christmas Island Red launched on Monday (Dec 18).
"It highlights the historical links between both islands - Singapore and Christmas Island - why conservation is important, and the discoveries we've made. Our predecessors in the 1930s and 1950s described many new species and we continue with this tradition," said crab expert and museum head Peter Ng, who led the expeditions.
Christmas Island was named on Christmas Day 1643, and was part of Singapore until 1957, when it was sold by the British to the Australian government for 2.9 million pounds, according to the website of the Christmas Island Tourism Association. The official transfer took place in 1958.
But close ties remained between the Republic and Christmas Island, which has a population of about 2,000, especially on the research front. More expeditions are being planned for the years ahead.
"There was the assumption that the island's fauna was well-known, as it is located so close to Indonesia. But we found that there is still so many things left to discover," said Professor Ng. "There have been about 400 to 500 species recorded on the island, but I think that is a gross underestimate because the island is actually not easy to survey as it has a very rugged landscape - land and sea!"
Despite its welcoming name, Christmas Island is surrounded by inhospitable rocky cliffs which hampered early explorers. But Prof Ng and his team saw opportunity in adversity.
"I was intrigued why no one had found a freshwater cave crab even though the island had so many limestone caves. So I looked for caves with the Australian Parks people, went into them, laid traps... and lo and behold we caught two new species of crabs - Orcovita hicksi and Orcovita orchardorum, and a new prawn (Macrobrachium xmas). Why had no one caught them before? Because they are few and scattered in a big cave system. Traps worked best!"
Whale sharks feeding on crab larvae
But Prof Ng considers his best discovery on the island to be the blue crab, which has a unique shell the colour of the sky. The crab was previously thought to be a unique colour form of the widely distributed land crab, Discoplax hirtipes. But in 2012, Prof Ng and crustacean expert Peter Davie from the Queensland Museum discovered otherwise, after extensive study of museum and fresh specimens from Christmas Island and the and the whole Indo-West Pacific region.
The Christmas Island blue crab was previously thought to be an aberrant colour form of the land crab, or just an island peculiarity. PHOTO: TAN HEOK HUI
"I had long known the blue crab was a problem," said Prof Ng. "I have been studying these crabs for the better part of a decade. When you put all the specimens from all over together, the differences are clear. And genetics has confirmed what we have seen." Discoveries are not always the result of breaking new ground, finding new habitats, or luck, he said.
"Very often, discoveries are the result of cumulative knowledge and patience - to slowly build up a case, build up the evidence and the comparative material. It comes to a prepared mind and a careful buildup. The blue crab, which we named Discoplax celeste is such a discovery."
Australian High Commissioner Bruce Gosper, who was at the launch of the exhibition on Monday, said: "I know that Singapore has been doing much work on Christmas Island over a number of years to chart that biodiversity... The work we're doing in this area is something that's been enhanced in recent years through the comprehensive strategic partnership between Australia and Singapore."
Three mammals, 11 amphibians, two fish, 11 reptiles and 88 plants were discovered by scientists in 2016, says WWF
Press Association The Guardian 19 Dec 17;
A snail-eating turtle found in a food market and a bat with a horseshoe-shaped face are among 115 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region.
A report from the conservation charity WWF reveals that three new mammals, 11 amphibians, two fish, 11 reptiles and 88 plants were found by scientists in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand and Vietnam in 2016.
They include an extremely rare crocodile lizard, two species of mole living among a network of streams and rivers, and a vibrantly coloured frog which is one of five new species discovered in the same forest in northern Vietnam.
The snail-eating turtle was not discovered in a river or forest but in a market in north-east Thailand, having been caught in a nearby canal by shopkeepers.
The mountain horseshoe bat was found in the evergreen forests of Laos and Thailand, and has a horseshoe-shaped facial structure, the WWF said.
Many of the new finds are already threatened by habitat destruction, the creation of new infrastructure, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade, the conservation charity warned.
Stuart Chapman, WWF’s regional representative for Greater Mekong, said the discovery of “more than two new species a week, and 2,500 in the past 20 years, speaks to how incredibly important the Greater Mekong is.
“The species in the Greater Mekong deserve protection from unscrupulous collectors who are willing to pay thousands of dollars or more for the rarest, most unique and most endangered species.”
Illegal wildlife markets in the region operated “with impunity in open view” so it was critical that governments improved enforcement against poaching and closed the markets, he said.
Among the new species documented in the report are:
• A mountain horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus monticolus ), found in the forests of mountainous Laos and Thailand. It took 10 years to determine it was a new species, with a horseshoe-shaped facial structure, known as a noseleaf.
• A Vietnamese crocodile lizard (Shinisaurus crocodilurus vietnamensis), which lives in freshwater and forest habitats of south China and northern Vietnam. It is threatened by habitat destruction, coal-mining and collection as a pet As few as 200 could remain in Vietnam. A comic-strip character has been created to explain to children the importance of protecting it.
• A snail-eating turtle (Malayemys isan) was identified in a market in north-east Thailand. It is threatened by infrastructure, such as dikes and dams, and needs to be protected under Thai law, conservationists said.
• Two moles (Euroscaptor orlovi and Euroscaptor kuznetsovi) were discovered in a network of streams and rivers in northern Vietnam. It is thought they can maintain stable populations and escape poachers because they live underground in protected areas.
• A vibrantly coloured frog (Odorrana mutschmanni) is threatened by quarrying for cement and road construction. The frog’s karst forest home needs new protection, the WWF said.
• A loach (Schistura kampucheensis) fish from Cambodia with striking black and brown stripes on its elongated body.
• A frog and four plant species from Myanmar, which is opening up to scientific exploration with expectations it could be home to hundreds of undiscovered species.
Celebrating a decade of fun at Chek Jawa!
Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs
The Story of Shells – Part 2
Mei Lin NEO
Oriental House Rat (Rattus tanezumi) @ Tampines
Monday Morgue
The Star 18 Dec 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Iman, the country’s last surviving female Sumatran rhino, is in a life-threatening situation and veterinarians cannot do much for it at the moment.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said Iman began bleeding from a uterine leiomyoma tumour three days ago.
“Usually, this can be treated with medication and supplements,” Tuuga said yesterday.
“However, Iman is refusing to leave her mud wallow and she has hardly eaten, so the usual treatment is not possible.
Tuuga said it is possible that the ruptured tumour is causing Iman pain.
Veterinarians are finding it difficult to examine Iman at its paddock in the Wildlife Reserve in Tabin, near the east coast Lahad Datu district.
This is because the heavy rainfall in Tabin this year has turned the paddock into a quagmire.
“Both Borneo Rhino Alliance veterinarians are constantly monitoring Iman along with the keepers.
“We are hoping for the best,” Tuuga said.
Iman and another female, Puntung, as well as a male, Tam, were the last three Sumatran rhinos in the country and scientists had hoped to get them to breed to revive the species.
However, wildlife experts had to euthanise Puntung in June after its skin cancer spread, causing the animal to suffer greatly.
Hopes of starting an artificial rhino breeding programme were dashed when scientists were unable to recover any eggs from Puntung’s ovaries.
Female Sumatran rhinoceros diagnosed with tumour in uterus
OLIVIA MIWIL New Straits Times 17 Dec 17;
KOTA KINABALU: The country's last female Sumatran rhinoceros is facing a serious health problem.
Sabah Wildlife department director Augustine Tuuga said the rhino, named Iman, is having tumour in her uterus.
"Usually, this can be treated with medication and supplements.
"But Iman is refusing to leave her mud wallow and she has hardly eaten, so the usual treatment has not been possible," he said in a statement, adding that she charges at anyone who goes near.
Augustine said the bleeding from her uterus started three days ago.
"It is believed that one of the larger tumours might have ruptured and is causing pain and bleeding.
"Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) veterinarians are constantly monitoring Iman along with the keepers. We are hoping for the best and will keep the public informed," he said.
Iman was the last wild rhino found in Malaysia. She was captured in Danum Valley and transported to Tabin Wildlife in Lahad Datu in March 2014.
Despite being diagnosed with severe fibroids in the uterus, she still produced eggs for the in-vitro fertilisation attempts.
Iman and another male rhino Kertam are kept at Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu under the care of BORA.
Augustine said Tabin has received nearly six meters of rainfall this year making Iman's paddock a quagmire and making things even more difficult.
The country lost another female rhino, Puntung, about six months ago.
Puntung was euthanised on June 4 after suffering three months from skin cancer.
Malaysia's last female Sumatran rhino has cancer.. and the prognosis isn't good
OLIVIA MIWIL New Straits Times 19 Dec 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s last surviving female Sumatran rhinoceros, Iman, has finally emerged from her mud wallow at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu, and is now receiving treatment.
Iman had been diagnosed with a tumour in her uterus last week. Since then, she had been camped out in her wallow, hampering any chances of her caregivers to extend medical aid.
Sabah Wildlife department director Augustine Tuuga believes that the wallow had served as her ‘comfort zone’ to ease the pain of her cancer.
“The wallow is apparently is her comfort zone. She charges at anyone who comes close.
"And each time she does that (charge), she would bleed profusely from her tumours,” he said in a statement.
Augustine said experts have managed to administer her with steroids on two consecutive days to reduce the inflammation.
Iman had been diagnosed with a tumour in her uterus last week. Since then, she had been camped out in her wallow, hampering any chances of her caregivers to extend medical aid. (Photos by Sabah wildlife department)
The pain has also affected Iman's appetite and hydration status.
Yesterday, Borneo Rhino Alliance (BORA) veterinarians managed to coax Iman out and immediately closed off the wallow with black shade netting and sand bags.
Augustine said Iman appeared pale and dehydrated as she had not been drinking water for the past four days.
“We got her to come into her night stall and she took in a lot of water mixed with vitamins and minerals.
“But she is still refusing to eat foliage hung inside her night stall,” he said, adding that additional water, drugs and supplements are being given intravenously.
Her hard stools were also removed twice yesterday and today.
Augustine said Iman’s prognosis is not good as there is still bleeding from the uterus.
Iman's constipation is also worsening the condition when she tries to defecate or lie down.
Rectal and ultrasound tests will be carried out tomorrow.
"We are also uncertain if she has a compacted colon or caecum, in which case would add to her grave prognosis."
Iman was the last wild rhino found in Malaysia. She was captured in the Danum Valley and transported to the wildlife reserve in March 2014.
Despite being diagnosed with severe fibroids in the uterus, she still produced eggs for previous in-vitro fertilisation attempts.
The country lost another female rhino, Puntung, about six months ago.
Puntung was euthanised on June 4 after suffering from skin cancer.
Rush to save last female Sumatran rhino
The Star 20 Dec 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Veterinarians and wildlife officials are keeping their fingers crossed as they begin treatment on the severely ill Iman, Malaysia’s last female Sumatran rhino.
Sabah Wildlife Department director Augustine Tuuga said veterinarians caring for Iman at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu were finally able to get close to the animal yesterday morning.
“She finally left her mud wallow and our veterinarians immediately began treating her bleeding uterus,” he said.
“With the treatment, our veterinarians are hoping for the best for Iman.
Tam is one of the last surviving endangered Sumatran rhino here in Malaysia, which has been rescued and kept at BRS since 2008, to hopefully contribute to babies that can carry the species through generations to come.
Tam is looking lost at the reserve in Sabah.
Tuuga said Iman began bleeding from a uterine leiomyoma tumour three days ago and this could usually be treated with medication and supplements.
For wildlife conservationists here, Iman is their last hope of making sure that the unique Sumatran rhino does not die out in the country.
Iman was rescued from Sabah’s lost world – the Danum Valley – in 2014 and was later placed at Tabin for a captive breeding programme to save the species.
Iman and another female rhino, Puntung, as well as a male rhino, Tam, were the last three Sumatran rhinos in the country and scientists had hoped to get them to breed to revive the species.
However, wildlife experts had to euthanise Puntung in June after its skin cancer spread, causing the animal to suffer greatly.
Any hope of a breeding programme was further dashed when scientists were unable to recover any eggs from Puntung’s ovaries.
Nation's last female Sumatran rhino under close medical supervision
ruben sario The Star 21 Dec 17;
KOTA KINABALU: The nation's last female Sumatran rhino remains on heavy medication as her carers closely monitor for any signs of danger.
"We have given her 15 litres of fluids and supplements apart from antibiotics, painkillers, vitamin K and a gastric protectant," department director Augustine Tuuga said on Thursday (Dec 21).
He added that the amount of food and fluids consumed by Iman was being monitored, as well as how much it urinated and defecated.
"She has only consumed three stalks of leaves and only drank a little bit," said Tuuga.
Tuuga said Iman was drinking small amounts of water and refused to eat any fruits.
He said Iman's uterus was still bleeding and the animal was secreting dark, partially-clotted blood through her vagina.
"We will start a very low dose of diazepam to stimulate her appetite," he said, adding that Iman was still moving about at night.
Iman began bleeding from a uterine leiomyoma tumour in mid December.
Veterinarians initially faced difficulties in treating her as she refused to leave her mud wallow at the Tabin Wildlife Reserve in Lahad Datu.
The rhino eventually left the mud wallow and Iman's carers immediately began giving her medication.
Iman is the last surviving female Sumatran rhino in the country.
It was rescued from Sabah's Danum Valley in 2014 and was later placed at Tabin for a captive breeding programme.
Iman and another female rhino, Puntung, as well as a male rhino, Tam, were the last three Sumatran rhinos in the country and scientists had hoped to breed them.
However, Puntung was euthanised in June after suffering from skin cancer.
Any hopes of a breeding programme were dashed when scientists were unable to recover any eggs from Puntung's ovaries.
The Star 18 Dec 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: A study on coastal erosion in Malaysia found that 15.3% of the country’s coastline is experiencing erosion, says Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
The National Coastal Erosion Study (NCES) was carried out in 2015 to examine the issue of coastal erosion as a whole.
He said that the study found that the total length of the country’s coastline is 8,840km, comprising 3,772km in the peninsula, Sabah (3,753km), Sarawak (1,234km) and Labuan (81km).
“Kuala Nerus beach was one of the 44 areas, covering 55.4km, which was experiencing critical erosion. A total of RM90mil was allocated under the Rolling Plan Three of the 11th Malaysia Plan for coastal erosion control project which was scheduled to commence next year at the beach.
On a separate matter, Dr Wan Junaidi said the Department of Environment (DOE) will take action against landowners involved in the fire at an illegal dumpsite in Jalan Ulu Yam, Gombak, Selangor.
DOE personnel had gone to the site to conduct investigations following complaints it received on social media.
“Investigations revealed that the fire broke out at the hillside area near Jalan Utara Ulu Yam-Gombak, which is used as an illegal dumpsite. The fire covered 0.4ha,” he added.
He said the DOE was conducting daily monitoring and patrolling to ensure that there was no new open burning.
Under Section 29(A) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, those found guilty of open burning can be fined up to RM500,000 or imprisoned up to five years, or both.
“Under this provision, landowners can also be penalised if open burning occurs on their land,” said Dr Wan Junaidi.
ruben sario The Star 18 Dec 17;
KOTA KINABALU: Going organic is paying off for a group of padi farmers near Mount Kinabalu whose produce is fetching up to five times more than regular rice.
Farmers like Senuil Darosin are selling their organically-grown, unpolished or brown rice for as much as RM15 per kg at tamu or traditional markets, and there is strong demand for it.
Senuil said switching to chemical-free cultivation methods by the farmers at Kampung Tambotuon, near Mount Kinabalu, has seen crop yields increasing as well.
“We are harvesting on average about three tonnes of padi per hectare and this is so much more than before we went organic four years ago,” said Senuil, the Kampung Tambotuan Village and Security Committee chairman.
He said the planting season was usually towards the end of May while the harvest was in November or December.
“We still harvest the traditional way, using the linggaman (a type of knife),” said Senuil, adding that the padi is milled to obtain rice at the village itself, which is about 100km from here.
Launching a gotong-royong (community effort) to harvest the padi last week, Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Yahya Hussin said the switch to organic cultivation methods was the right move because of increasing demand for such produce.
“More people are now looking for agriculture and livestock produce that is chemical-free because of health concerns,” said Yahya, who is also the state Agriculture and Food Industry Minister.
He said the site near the mountain would also attract visitors not only for its scenic location but also those keen to learn how padi is cultivated.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/12/18/going-organic-pays-off-well-produce-fetches-up-to-five-times-more-than-regular-rice-say-farmers/#xUe8B7LX1lcs5bhW.99
AFP Yahoo News 17 Dec 17;
A Taiwanese steel firm behind a toxic spill that killed tonnes of fish in central Vietnam last year was fined for a second time for illegally burying "harmful" waste, official sources said Sunday.
The deadly dump from Formosa's $11 billion steel plant in Ha Tinh province sparked one of the country's worst environmental catastrophes, decimating livelihoods along swathes of coastline and prompting months of rare protests in the authoritarian country.
The firm was initially fined $500 million for pouring toxic chemicals -- including cyanide -- into the ocean in April 2016, and has now been ordered to pay an additional $25,000 on separate charges of burying harmful solid waste in the ground, according to the official Cong Ly newspaper.
A local contractor will also be fined $20,000 for helping to dispose of the 100 cubic metres of waste, added Cong Ly, the mouthpiece of the Supreme Court.
An official in Ha Tinh province confirmed the latest fine to AFP on Sunday, without providing further details.
The waste was buried in July 2016, and local residents reported seeing trucks ferrying the material to a farm belonging to the contractor hired to dispose of it.
Police confirmed the waste came from Formosa and launched an investigation last year. Officials would not comment on why it took more than a year to issue the nominal fines.
The toxic spill set off angry demonstrations against the company and the government in the one-party state that routinely jails its critics, including by affected fishermen who demanded greater compensation.
Several activists have been arrested and convicted for their involvement in the protests, including a 22-year-old blogger who was jailed for seven years last month.
Formosa's huge steel plant, which was under construction at the time of the disaster, was given the green light to resume operations in April after officials found it had addressed dozens of violations.
Several officials were punished or fired after the disaster, which saw beaches littered with fish, including large offshore species.
Communist Vietnam has been accused of ignoring environmental concerns on its march toward rapid development, though the issue has become a central issue for some groups who have taken up the cause on social media.
Singapore Bird Report - November 2017
Singapore Bird Group
Butterfly of the Month - December 2017
Butterflies of Singapore
Lydia Lam Straits Times 15 Dec 17;
SINGAPORE - Flash flooding occurred in some parts of Singapore as heavy rain blanketed the island on Friday (Dec 15).
A video going around online shows vehicles deep in murky water in Pasir Ris Farmway. The cars parked along the road have their tyres nearly submerged in the muddy water.
A red vehicle is seen stranded in the middle of the road, with passengers alighting from it.
National water agency PUB had repeated the National Environment Agency's (NEA) warning of heavy rain expected over northern, eastern and central Singapore from 3.45pm to 4.45pm.
PUB tweeted of areas with high flood risks, such as Tampines Road, New Upper Changi Road and Chai Chee Road.
The country is currently experiencing the regional north-east monsoon, with wet weather conditions previously forecast for the first half of December.
The Meteorological Service Singapore had said in an advisory that there could be a monsoon surge in the second week of December, with a few days of cooler temperatures, occasionally windy conditions and widespread moderate to heavy rain in Singapore.
Thundery showers are forecast for Saturday afternoon, mainly over northern, western and central Singapore, according to NEA's 24-hour weather forecast.
AUDREY DERMAWAN AND ALIZA SHAH New Straits Times 17 Dec 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: THE Perak government is seeking federal help to probe into claims of illegal mining and export of sand from the state.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir said the state had not approved the export of sand, although there were reports suggesting that the resource was traced to Perak.
“We have checked and we never gave any approval. We want to work with the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to nab any culprits.
“Anyone with knowledge or suggesting that we allowed it, we would like them to cooperate with us and furnish us with information,” he told the New Sunday Times.
Zambry added that the matter was not only of concern to the state but also to the country.
The New Sunday Times had last month reported that the growing global demand for sand had led to smuggling in the country.
Contacts were made with a few local sand exporters, including those who claimed that their supply came from Sungai Perak.
The ministry had gone on record as saying that only three companies had been issued with approved permits to export sand, two of which were licensed to export it to India. The other is to feed the demand from Singapore.
The resource is only to be taken from Pahang and Kelantan rivers.
Industry sources claimed that sand could have been exported under the guise of something else in sacks or transferred illegally via sea lanes.
Checks revealed that there were close to 10 dredging stations operating along a 10km stretch from Kampung Senin to Teluk Kepayang, in Bota, with some located close to each other.
Mountains of sand extracted from the riverbed can be seen from afar on the riverbank.
Some operators were operating during odd hours, and sources revealed that this was to maximise profits.
At least 10 tipper trucks were lining up along a narrow kampung road, waiting to be loaded with sand.
Sources told the NST that sand dredging had been going on for decades. They added that the numbers had increased significantly, by almost two-fold, in the past few years.
‘Rampant sand dredging has harmful environmental, health effects’
Rampant sand dredging along Sungai Perak can lead to disastrous environmental and health effects.
The sudden increase in sand mining on both sides of the second-longest river in Peninsular Malaysia has raised questions among environmental observers.
Among the concerns were the proximity of some of the dredging stations to intake points for water treatment plants that supply half the population in Manjung district.
The sand mining had, on several occasions, forced the closure of treatment plants because their pumps were clogged.
“The state water authority had raised the issue with the state action committee and we hope something is done about this,” a source said.
“During the district-level meeting, the Department of Environment and the Lands and Mines Department issued a statement that they would not approve new licences or renew existing ones for sand mining in Bota,” the source added.
Water expert Dr Zaki Zainudin said river sand mining would cause harmful substances, which had settled on the riverbed, to resurface and contaminate the water.
“Sand contains organic elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, or heavy metal elements, such as iron, manganese or arsenic.
“When sand is dredged, these substances will resurface. This is not good, especially in large volumes.
“These harmful substances could seep into the source water if the sand mining is done upstream, or near water intakes,” said the water quality and modelling specialist.
Zaki said sand mining would increase the level of suspended solids in the river, causing it to turn murky, which was often referred to as the “teh susu” phenomena.
He added that excessive amounts of suspended solids in the river would disrupt the operations of water intake plants.
“This will force the authorities to use more coagulants, such as aluminium, to treat the water before it can be supplied to consumers.
“Organisms could react with (the extra) chlorine used during the disinfection process and produce trihalomethanes, such as chloroform, which can be hazardous to consumers.
“Heavy metals cannot be removed by conventional water treatment processes. These constituents would lead to health implications,” he said, adding that the negative impact from sand mining would be exacerbated during the dry season.
He added that suspended solids would destroy the breeding ground of river life and force migration.
“Fish and aquatic species indigenous to downstream reaches would be forced to migrate elsewhere. In serious cases, certain aquatic species, particularly the more sensitive ones, may face extinction.
“If there are aquaculture activities downstream, they too would be affected by suspended solids stirred up by the dredging.”
Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said the non-governmental organisation had received reports from land owners who complained that they had lost their land to sand mining.
“Sand mining causes serious river bank erosion. It results in the river becoming wider and shallower.
“We have received complaints from land owners who claimed that their land is no longer accessible because of erosion, aggravated by sand mining.”
Sand extraction, Meor said, was also threatening river terrapin landing points in the state.
“River terrapins are considered critically endangered. Instead of helping to ensure the survival of the species, we are allowing sand mining to destroy their landing points.
“We hope the state government will not approve any sand mining within 2km of the River Terrapin Conservation Centre in Bota Kanan.”
Experts gathered at a workshop in Hanoi on December 14 to seek measures to enhance water resources security amid climate change and energy development in the Mekong Delta region.
Vietnam Net 15 Dec 17;
According to Nguy Thi Khanh, Director of Green ID under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations (VUSTA) - organiser of the workshop, the Mekong Delta is facing numerous challenges in ensuring water resources security and sustainable development.
Climate change and rising sea water level are taking place quicker than forecast, resulting in many extremist weather patterns that affect the livelihoods of local residents, she said.
Well-meant but misguided climate change interventions in the Mekong Delta are set to do more harm than good, and only a change in policymakers’ mindset can reverse the damage, said Nguyen Huu Thien, an independent researcher and expert, said.
The change in mindset would involve a shift from forceful interventions to embracing natural cycles, he said.
Thien, whose work focuses on the Mekong Delta’s ecology, was giving his assessment of Resolution No 120 on sustainable development for the Mekong Delta that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc signed in November.
The biggest problem is serious degradation of surface water quality caused by a series of ill-planned sluices, he noted.
In dealing with the serious threat to crops posed by worsening saline intrusion, authorities have built systems of floodgates to prevent seawater intrusion into rivers and canals, as also land being “eaten away” by the rising sea, he added.
However, without normal ‘water exchange’ between rivers and the sea, river flow is affected; they become stagnant and pollutants - some 2-3 million tonnes of fertiliser and 100,000 tonnes of insecticides or growth stimulants from agriculture apart from domestic and industrial waste – keeps building in the still waters. The practice thus far has been to open the sluice gates only when the pollution and water quality has reached unbearable levels.
So, in the “the country of rivers and water,” when surface water became unfit for consumption, Mekong Delta residents have been forced to dig deep for groundwater.
Thien highlighted the irony of this situation by referring to Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s famous quote: “Water, water everywhere, nor a drop to drink.”
The irony gets deeper in the Mekong Delta. With some one million plus wells drawing up groundwater in the region, land subsidence has been occurring at the rate of 1.6cm per year. If groundwater exploitation continues at this rate, by 2050, the entire Mekong Delta would sink 0.88m compared to the 1990s, a result 10 times worse than the subsidence caused by rising sea level, Thien warned.
In this context, Resolution No 120 has brought some clear-mindedness and a good strategy that Thien felt could “steer the delta towards in a sound direction,” by not considering flooding or saltwater as mortal enemies, and seeing both fresh water and brackish water as important resources to harness.
If the spirit of the resolution is followed faithfully, the “self-purification” capability of the Mekong River system can be restored, surface water becomes usable again, and the need for groundwater reduced, leading to a deceleration of subsidence.
Thien also praised the resolution for doing away with ‘triple cropping,’ switching priority from maximising output to maximising the value-added component in the value chain.
International experts have for long pointed out the close interconnectivity between water, food and energy security. An exponentially growing population demands increasingly large amounts of food, but current popular agriculture models are both water-intensive and energy-intensive, which drive up exploitation of fossil fuels and water, leading to adverse climate impacts and a fall in crop output.
The Mekong Delta needs comprehensive master planning that reduces the water-food-energy conflicts, said Le Anh Tuan, Deputy Director of the Climate Change Institute under the Can Tho University.
Tuấn urged the Government to rethink its electricity planning – reducing the proportion of coal power, stopping the construction of new coal power plants, and prioritising renewable energy – especially solar energy, an abundant resource in the southern region.
As the nation’s hydropower potentials are exhausted, the Government is envisioning 14 coal power plants to be built in the Mekong Delta region by 2030, with the majority of coal being imported. The move has been criticised severely by many energy experts and environment activists who consider this an extreme, backward step that goes against global “greening” trends.
Other workshop participants raised the impacts of hydropower plants and other water exploitation projects on upstream stretches of the Mekong River in China, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.
They noted that in the past, the erosion rate trailed the rate of sediment deposits. However, as most of the sand and a large part of alluvium in the Mekong River are now blocked by the dams, the Mekong Delta is starved of the regular replenishment of its soil that used to happen during the annual flooding season.
Now, the erosion rate has “for the first time in 6000 years, surpassed the deposition rate,” and along with excessive sand mining, resulted in the recent rise erosion and number of landslides, Thien said.-VNA
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