Night Walk At Windsor Nature Park (12 Apr 2019)
Beetles@SG BLOG
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Punggol Northshore, Tengah housing estates to trial turning rainwater into water for cleaning
Tiffany Fumiko Tay Straits Times 14 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE - Two upcoming housing estates will help conserve water by harvesting rainwater for non-potable uses like washing common areas.
National Development Minister Lawrence Wong said in a Facebook post on Saturday (April 13) that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) has developed several innovative water-saving initiatives, including the UrbanWater Harvesting System.
"HDB has centralised and integrated the detention tank, rainwater harvesting tank and the treatment system so that surface run-off from the entire precinct can be collected, stored and recycled," he wrote.
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Where are all the electric vehicle charging points?
Accessible infrastructure and incentives for drivers can push more to choose electric vehicles, says Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore’s Sanjay C Kuttan.
Sanjay C Kuttan Channel NewsAsia 14 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE: The need for a robust Electric Vehicle (EV) ecosystem in Singapore has become increasingly compelling.
Countries around the world have reached a landmark agreement to combat climate change and intensify actions needed for a sustainable low carbon future at the 2015 World Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.
There is also a ubiquitous acceptance of the United Nations’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, one of which states the aspiration for affordable and clean energy to become more common in attaining greater sustainability.
MOMENTUM IN SINGAPORE THROUGH THE YEARS
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Malaysia: Population survey on orang utan, pygmy elephants ready by 2021
Olivia Miwil New Straits Times 14 Apr 19;
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Wildlife Department is expected to release the latest population of orang utan and pygmy elephants by 2021.
Its director Augustine Tuuga said the survey, which recently received RM1.5 million fund from the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), would help the state plan conservation efforts for the two species in the future.
“The last studies on both animals were done in 2003, in which the orang utan survey was conducted with a non-governmental organisation, Hutan, while Borneo pygmy elephant population data was provided by World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
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Indonesia: Heavy sedimentation threatens lakes in East Kalimantan
N. Adri The Jakarta Post 14 Apr 19;
Excessive sedimentation and deforestation are endangering three great lakes in East Kalimantan, namely Semayang, Melintang and Jempang.
Research conducted by the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) found the lakes had received at least 100,000 cubic meters of sedimentation each year since 2004.
The heavy sedimentation has led to the disappearance of nine smaller lakes.
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Singapore's yearly waste weighs the same as 530,000 double-decker buses, and that's not sustainable: Masagos
Michelle Ng Straits Times 13 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE - Singapore generated 7.7 million tonnes of waste last year, equivalent to the weight of 530,000 double-decker buses. It is an amount that is not sustainable in the long run, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.
In addition to reducing waste and moving towards a more sustainable consumption, adopting a circular economy approach in the way Singapore use its resources is key, he added.
"Our vision is to turn our trash into treasure and reuse and recycle our resources for as long as possible," said Mr Masagos, during his address on Saturday (April 13) at the public screening of Closing the Loop, a documentary on the circular economy - an economic system that aims to minimise and transform waste into resources.
He stressed that the amount of waste disposed of in Singapore has jumped seven times over the last 40 years and that Semakau landfill is projected to run out of space by 2035.
The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources' $45 million Closing the Waste Loop R&D initiative launched in 2017, which funds projects that adopt circular economy approaches, is one solution, he added.
But, at the individual level, more can be done in homes to close the waste loop. He cited composting, a process that converts food waste into a nutrient-rich material that can be used to fertilise edible plants and veggies, as an example.
"If enough of us do this, we can reduce the number of rubbish trucks needed to transport our rubbish to the incinerator. This will reduce carbon emissions and help mitigate climate change. In short, there are immense possibilities to make a difference," said Mr Masagos.
Organised by Keppel Group in support of Earth Day 2019, the public screening of the full-length documentary saw over 1,000 people turning up at the Eco Lake Lawn in Singapore Botanic Gardens on Saturday (April 13).
The award-winning documentary highlights examples from around the world on innovative applications of technology, process improvements and labour solutions to reduce waste and pollution using circular economy solutions.
Keppel Land's chief executive Mr Tan Swee Yiow, who was present at the screening, said: "A circular economy is beneficial as it places less demand for natural resources. The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources has designated 2019 as Singapore's Year Towards Zero Waste, and this screening is timely, in support of efforts to raise awareness of the need to conserve resources."
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Malaysia: Johor fishermen in dire straits
remar nordin The Star 13 Apr 19;
KOTA TINGGI: Fishermen from Kampung Baru Sungai Telor here have lost their source of daily income due to the ammonia pollution in Sungai Sayong.
The affected 30 said they cannot fish at Ulu Sungai Johor, the downstream part of Sungai Sayong, now and that hundreds of fishes had died due to the pollution, affecting their livelihood.
They said they noticed the condition last week, when the fishes were swimming to the riverbank.
Mohd Jumadi Poniman, 58, said hundreds of fishes were also seen floating in the river.
“The fishermen are at a loss over what to do. Their source of income has been affected by some irresponsible people’s action,” he said.
Mohd Jumadi, popularly known as Wak among the villagers, said this incident was the third so far this year.
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Squid beaks, plastic debris among contents found in Jurong Island sperm whale’s belly: Study
Fann Sim Channel NewsAsia 12 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE: Jubi Lee, the 10.6m female sperm whale that was found off the coast of Jurong Island in 2015, lived on a diet of squid, a study has shown.
Researchers from the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum found more than 1,800 beaks from at least 25 cephalopod species, mainly squids, in the whale's belly. There were also remains of fish, a mud lobster, and several "peculiar" bioluminescent animals known as pyrosomes.
Jubi Lee's belly also contained plastic drinking cups, food wrappers and a plastic bag, the study led by museum mammal researcher Marcus Chua concluded.
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NEA closely monitoring air quality in Singapore after explosion at Johor oil and gas facility
Channel NewsAsia 12 Apr 19;
SINGAPORE: The 24-hour PSI levels in Singapore remained in the low-moderate range, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said, after an explosion at the Petronas oil and gas facility in Johor on Friday (Apr 12) left two injured.
The blast at the Pengerang Integrated Complex happened around 1.25am, Petronas confirmed in a statement on Twitter.
It added on Friday afternoon that the fire had occurred at the facility's Atmospheric Residue Desulphurisation (ARDS) unit, which was currently under the commissioning stage.
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Malaysia: Fire at Petronas' RAPID oil refinery quickly tamed
Joseph Sipalan Reuters 12 Apr 19;
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A fire was brought under control early on Friday after an explosion at a Malaysian oil refinery being developed by state oil firm Petronas, which was testing its facilities ahead of planned commercial operations later this year.
RAPID, or Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development, will anchor the Pengerang Integrated Complex (PIC) and is Petronas’ biggest domestic investment, made in a 50-50 partnership with Saudi Arabia’s state-owned Saudi Aramco.
The explosion and fire occurred at about 1:25 a.m. on Friday (1725 GMT on Thursday) at the plant’s atmospheric residue desulphurisation unit (ARDS), which is in its commissioning stage, Petronas said in an updated statement.
Petronas said there were no fatalities caused by the explosion and fire. The fire was contained within 30 minutes, it had said earlier.
“We wish to assure members of the public that the situation is under control and there is no health related risk to this incident,” the company said in its latest statement.
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Indonesia: BBKSDA confirms ensnared Sumatran tiger on path to recovery
Antara 12 Apr 19;
The snare wounds are healing at a good rate, and it seems that new tissue has started to grow over them,
Pekanbaru (ANTARA) - A Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris) that had suffered grave injury in the left leg after being trapped in a hunters' snare is showing signs of recovery, according to Riau's Center for Natural Resources Conservation (BBKSDA).
"The snare wounds are healing at a good rate, and it seems that new tissue has started to grow over them," Head of Riau BBKSDA Suharyono remarked in Pekanbaru on Friday.
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Best of our wild blogs: 12 Apr 19
14 Apr: Registration opens for Sisters Islands Intertidal walks in May 2019
Celebrating Singapore Shores!
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