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Lim Min Zhang Straits Times 7 Sep 19; SINGAPORE - A 1.8km stretch along Kallang River has received a facelift, to make it not only more attractive, but also a better defence against the onslaught of rain. The four-year, $86-million project called ABC Waters @ Kallang River is meant to boost flood protection for residents in the area, as well as to strengthen the canal's structural integrity. With the canal wider and deeper, drainage capacity has been increased by 80 per cent. The drainage improvement works by national water agency PUB at Singapore's longest river was completed recently and unveiled on Saturday (Sept 7), at an event attended by Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC MPs Ng Eng Hen and Chong Kee Hiong. Dr Ng is also Defence Minister. Previously, this part of the canal, between Bishan and Braddell roads, was plain concrete and did not have such water features. Features to beautify the area include a naturalised slope, small islands with plants, and water cascades which help the wa...

Channel NewsAsia 6 Sep 19; SINGAPORE: National water agency PUB has released "tens of thousands" of fish into Pandan Reservoir, the latest measure employed to try to control the midge pupae population, it said on Friday (Sep 6). The release of the guppies, mollies and swordtails into the reservoir was done in a controlled manner that does not affect its ecosystem, PUB said in a Facebook post. Midges, which are commonly mistaken for mosquitoes, are small insects which exist in and near water bodies. "While these midges do not bite or spread diseases, they can be a nuisance when present in large numbers," said PUB. Residents and businesses at Teban Gardens have been affected as swarms of the insects have infested the neighbourhood. PUB biologist Tricia Poh releasing fish into Pandan Reservoir to help control the midge pupae population. (Photo: Facebook/PUB) PUB said insect nets have also been installed at bus stops along Penjuru Road and West Coast Road. The nets are...

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 3 Sep 19; JOHOR BARU: The lack of rainfall and the ongoing hot weather in the last two weeks have caused the water level at the Machap Dam to fall to critical level, disrupting supply to almost 150,000 consumers in three areas in Johor. In a statement on Tuesday (Sept 3), the National Water Services Commission (Span) said the condition at the dam had forced water supply company, SAJ Ranhill, to activate scheduled cuts for about a month. "Following this, it is estimated that a total of 149,550 consumers from 29,910 accounts around Simpang Renggam, Layang-Layang and Pontian Utara would be affected from Monday until Oct 2. "To ensure that clean water supply is optimised under limited resource conditions, Ranhill SAJ will arrange to supply water for 36 hours, followed by the next 36 hours without water," said the statement. Span also pointed out that besides Machap, three other dams in Johor were also at critical levels - the Lebam dam, Upper Laya...

Antara 2 Sep 19; Manado, North Sulawesi (ANTARA) - Sixteen sub-districts in eight districts and municipalities in North Sulawesi have braced for drought during the current severe dry season, according to Muhamad Candra Buana, spokesman of the North Minahasa climatology station. The eight districts and municipalities were Manado, Bitung, Bolaang Mongondow, North Bolaang Mongondow, East Bolaang Mongondow, Southeast Minahasa, North Minahasa, and Sitaro Islands, he said here on Monday. In Bitung, severe dry spell affected the sub-districts of Aertembaga, North Lembeh and Matuari. In Manado, the drought-hit sub-districts were Mapanget, Malalayang and Bunaken. In Bolaang Mongondow, Bolaang and North Dumoga sub-distr4icts were hit by extreme dry season. The other sub-districts facing drought were Central Siau and Tagulandang in Sitaro Islands, Kotabunan in East Bolaang Mongondow, West Likupang, East Likupang and Wori in North Minahasa, Ratahan in Southeast Minahasa, and Kaidipang in North Bo...

Audrey Tan and Jacklin Kwan Straits Times 29 Aug 19; SINGAPORE - One of Singapore's oldest water treatment plants has been upgraded with state-of-the-art technology, in a move that will boost the Republic's water resilience in the face of climate change. The upgraded Choa Chu Kang Waterworks, which is also more energy- and cost- efficient now, was officially opened by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Thursday morning (Aug 29). The Choa Chu Kang plant treats water from Kranji, Pandan and Tengeh reservoirs before it is delivered to taps in homes, businesses and industry. Climate change may cause the quality of water in Singapore's reservoirs to deteriorate, said Mr Masagos during the event. He pointed to how rising temperatures could result in warmer waters, while intense rainfall could lead to an excessive amount of nutrient runoff being washed into waterways and reservoirs. "These conditions are likely to fuel algae growth in the re...

Channel NewsAsia 30 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: This month was likely Singapore's driest and warmest August on record, said the Meteorological Service Singapore on Friday (Aug 30). The record-breaking readings come as the country experienced its first dry spell in more than five years, from Jul 31 to Aug 16. At the climate station in Changi, the total rainfall recorded for August was 11.8mm as of Aug 29, breaking the previous August low of 18mm in 1888. "August 2019 is thus on track to be the driest August in Singapore since rainfall records began in 1869," said the Met Service. "Significantly well-below-average rainfall was recorded across the island in August 2019. The lowest anomaly of 98 per cent below-average was recorded at Paya Lebar." It was also a hot month, with daily maximum temperatures reaching at least 34 degrees Celsius on 13 days, as at Aug 29. The highest temperature of 34.8 degrees Celsius was recorded at Marina Barrage on Aug 23, while nights were gen...

VENESA DEVI The Star 30 Aug 19; MUAR: The situation in Pasir Gudang is under control and there is no immediate need to shut down schools in the district, says Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal. Dr Sahruddin said there has not been any new case reported since Thursday (Aug 29), and students who fell sick on Wednesday (Aug 28) have since recovered. "Whether or not schools need to be shut down depends on the decision by the state education department. "If there is a need to shut down, we will shut down, but at the moment, we do not have to take such action, as the situation is under control," he said. He added that the state education department would also take precautionary measures to handle the situation if it happens again. On Wednesday, some 33 students from SK Taman Pasir Putih experienced breathing difficulties after inhaling a foul stench at the school. This is the third time students from the school have gone through the same ordeal, as the school was al...

VENESA DEVI The Star 24 Aug 19; JOHOR BARU: Several water treatment plants have been affected by the dry spell in Johor, says State International Trade, Investment, and Utilities Committee chairman Jimmy Puah. He said that the Sungai Gembut water treatment plant in Kota Tinggi could no longer operate normally due to the significant drop in the water supply. "The water level at the treatment plant has dropped beyond its critical level of 0.0 meter to -0.87 meter. The plant is failing to operate normally," he said in a statement released on Saturday (Aug 24). He added that several areas in the district are expected to experience water disruptions due to the dry spell and hot weather in the state "SAJ Ranhill has suggested that a scheduled water supply program to be conducted, starting from Sept 2. Water supplies will be on for a 24-hour period after a 48-hour cut, starting from the suggested date," he said, adding that some 5,246 account holders would be affected. Pu...

Philip Heijmans and Yongchang Chin Bloomberg 21 Aug 19; Singapore is weighing options including the issuance of government bonds to fund the S$100 billion ($72 billion) it could take to fight rising sea levels over the next century. In the short-term, funding for projects such as a S$400 million upgrade to the city-state�s drainage systems to boost flood resilience will come from ministry-level expenditures, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said in an interview on Wednesday. Longer term spending, he said, could require the government to tap its national reserves and issue state bonds. �For those that have to be spent that will benefit future generations, we�re talking about borrowing so that whatever we spend for the future will also be paid for by the future generations,� Masagos told Bloomberg TV�s Haslinda Amin. �S$100 billion is actually a lot of money even if spent over 100 years.� The climate change push was a key prong of Prime Minister Lee Hsi...

The Jakarta Post 21 Aug 19; Residents of Greater Jakarta and Banten should prepare for drought for 20 to 60 days as there is little chance of rain until September, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned. The agency said in a statement that most of Greater Jakarta and Banten is likely to experience an extended period of drought during the dry season. Furthermore, the agency also forecast little chance of rain in the remainder of August and September. The agency predicted that the drought could potentially affect the supply of soil water across Greater Jakarta and Banten. Additionally, the agency also noted that air pollution levels in both regions was likely to increase during the drought. Among areas that are predicted to experience the most intense drought in Jakarta are the central, southern, eastern, and northern ends of the capital. Lebak, Pandeglang, Serang and Tangerang regencies in Banten are also likely to experience the worst drought. (rfa)

Bernama 19 Aug 19; PUTRAJAYA, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resources expects Johor to no longer be dependent on the supply of treated water from Singapore by 2022, said its Minister Dr Xavier Jayakumar. He said the effort to reduce the dependency of treated water supply from Singapore was by ensuring treated water in Johor was sufficient. �We have to make sure that Johor has sufficient treated water and does not need to get it from Singapore. Which is why we have to provide new water treatment plants in Johor. �The capacity must reach 260 million litres a day. We already have an understanding that by the year 2022, we will have this capacity,� he told reporters after receiving a courtesy visit from Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal here today. It was Dr Sahruddin�s first visit to the ministry after being appointed Menteri Besar on April 14. Asked if the effort will have an effect on the Water Agreement talks between Malaysia and Singapore, Dr ...

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 20 Aug 19; JOHOR BARU: The Regent of Johor Tengku Mahkota Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, wants the state government to better manage its precious water resources. This comes after Tunku Ismail, who was appointed as the Regent on Aug 11, attended a briefing on Johor�s water management at Bangunan Dato� Jaafar Muhammad in Kota Iskandar on Sunday. In a statement posted on Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar�s official Facebook page, Tunku Ismail said he takes a serious view of issues on pollution and mismanagement of water in the state. He has urged the state government to start taking the necessary action to rehabilitate Johor�s waters and stamp out pollution. Tunku Ismail also decreed that the state government should better manage its water resources and educate the public on proper water usage and awareness. It was reported by Bernama that the state Department of Environment (DOE) would conduct a quality assessment of water samples taken from Sungai Da...

Channel NewsAsia 16 Aug 19; SINGAPORE: Singapore is experiencing its first dry spell in more than 5 years, according to a Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) advisory on Friday (Aug 16). A dry spell is defined by MSS as a period of at least 15 consecutive days with daily total rainfall of less than 1mm, averaged over rainfall stations with long-term records across the island. Singapore has been experiencing a dry spell since Jul 31, the advisory read. The last recorded dry spell lasted 27 days, from Feb 17, 2014 to Mar 15, 2014. From Jul 31 to Aug 15, about 90 per cent of all stations islandwide recorded daily rainfall of below 0.2mm, with brief localised showers on some days. The extended dry weather was due to an intrusion of dry air from the Southern Hemisphere coupled with suppressed rain clouds due to cooler sea surface temperatures over the tropical eastern Indian Ocean, said MSS. This contributed to a "very warm" first half of August, with daily maximum temperature...

Stephen Then The Star 16 Aug 19; MIRI: Water supplies in five districts in Sarawak have dwindled to critically-low levels. The drought is starting in various locations in the state, even as battles to tackle forest fires continue. Details from the state Disaster Relief Management Committee show that the Sri Aman Division in southern Sarawak is facing water shortages already. Five districts are being affected with water treatment plants facing critically-low water levels. They are Bayai, Pantu, Seduku, Stumbin and Lingga, said the Sri Aman District Office disaster relief management committee. "We are trying to find alternative sources of water for these treatment plants that are running out of water due to lack of rain caused by the ongoing drought. "A proposal has been made to get bottled water started for the people in the affected districts, " the committee said in a press update. Over in Miri, the fight against forest fires is seeing results. The use of Bombardier ai...