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Tag: environment

  • Hotter And Wetter Singapore Expected In The Future

    Hotter And Wetter Singapore Expected In The Future

    In the latter part of the 21st century, Singapore could face hotter and wetter days, if no global action is taken to curb greenhouse gas emissions. In a worst-case scenario, daily temperatures could spike to 32°C, while sea levels could rise by more than a metre.

    This is according to findings from the first phase of the Second National Climate Change Study, which was released by the Meteorological Service Singapore’s (MSS) Centre for Climate Research Singapore on Wednesday (Apr 15).

    The study made use of models from the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report and scaled it down for it to be relevant to Singapore. It used a baseline period of 1980 to 2009 and projected it on the period between 2070 and 2099.

    Daily temperatures, for example, could increase from the baseline average of 27.4°C to as much as 32°C – or a 4.6°C rise – should there be no concerted effort to tackle the greenhouse gas emission issue, according to the report.

    The study also showed that the hot weather commonly experienced here between February and May could be exacerbated.

    In the historical baseline period, there were about 25 days when temperatures hit or exceeded 34.1°C. In a less aggressive projection, Singapore could see between 74 and 108 days with such temperatures, but the worst-case scenario would see such temperatures become the norm here, the study found. Higher temperatures, coupled with the humidity, could result in more heat stress incidents for those working outdoors.

    Singapore could also see more rainfall during the wet months of November to January. The percentage of contribution to annual rainfall from very wet days for the less aggressive projection is between 21 per cent and 35.3 per cent, while the other scenario would see a contribution of between 21.5 per cent to 44.1 per cent, the study found.

    Meanwhile, the dry Southwest monsoon season could see between 12 and 30 per cent decrease in rainfall under the two scenarios.

    February 2014 was the driest month for Singapore in 145 years, with little rain and parched weather conditions. Going forward, while experts said Singapore will not experience this on a yearly basis, such conditions may become more frequent.

    Experts point out that rainfall patterns can also be affected by naturally occurring weather cycles.

    “Not many people would doubt that some part of the temperature change we have seen for Singapore is due to climate change. But for rainfall, it is a tricky question to say how much of this can be attributed to climate change. It wouldn’t ever be saying it is due to climate change. It would be more of a question of a certain amount of that trend could be due to climate change.”

    The findings will go towards the study’s second phase, which will examine the impact of climate change on infrastructure and water resources.

    The study was commissioned by the National Environment Agency (NEA) together with the Met Office Hadley Centre in the UK. MSS said the second phase of the study is expected to be ready by the end of the year.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com

  • Forest City Project Size Limited By Malaysia Environment Department

    Forest City Project Size Limited By Malaysia Environment Department

    KUALA LUMPUR — China developer Country Gardens Holdings can develop less than 405ha, or only a quarter, of its controversial 1,600ha Forest City project in the Johor Straits, under new limits set by Malaysia’s Department of Environment (DOE), a report yesterday showed.

    The Malaysian Insider has learnt that the DOE has verbally informed Country Garden Pacific View, a joint-venture unit of Country Gardens Holdings, of the new limits after complaints from locals and the Singapore Government over reclamation work in the narrow waterway between Malaysia and the island state.

    “The DOE has decided to limit the project to the first phase and wait for a few years to see the impact before looking at future phases,” a source told The Malaysian Insider.

    “The DOE is expected to send an official letter about its decision soon to relevant parties,” he added.

    The Forest City development in the Strait of Johor, near Singapore’s Second Link, involves creating a 1,817ha island almost three times the size of Ang Mo Kio and the construction of luxury homes. The project, which includes a 49ha tourist hub and recreational facilities, is expected to be completed in 30 years’ time.

    The ambitious project involves massive land reclamation work. Singapore had previously expressed concern about the possible transboundary impact of the reclamation work near its sea border.

    Another source said Malaysian environmental authorities made their decision after Singapore presented videos and documentary proof of continued reclamation work for the China-Malaysia joint-venture project.

    It is understood that the evidence was presented at the last Malaysia-Singapore Joint Commission on Environment, which met last month.

    Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not issue a response to TODAY’s request for comment.

    Analysts said it was difficult to gauge how much interest the project has generated among Singaporeans, but that it was likely investors would have already been cautious about the mega-project because it was on reclaimed land.

    “At this point, I think the news hasn’t reached the majority of their consumers,” said Mr Sean Tan, general manager of iProperty Singapore.

    “And as a Singaporean investor, obviously they would have to relook how that would affect their investment overall. I think Singaporeans being Singaporean investors, they will have a wait-and-see attitude until the formal letters and legislation have been put through.”

    The reclamation work had also affected Malaysia’s nearby key transshipment hub, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP).

    Last September, the Johor government said it wanted Country Garden Pacificview, the developer of Forest City, to comply with an Environmental Impact Assessment study before developing the project.

    Johor Chief Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin had said it was important to ensure issues such as the environment were given full attention and that regulations were adhered to.

    A public dialogue on Forest City’s Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment turned chaotic on Sept 2 when the developer was confronted by locals affected by the project who were unhappy about not being consulted before its implementation, which was seen as polluting the environment and jeopardising the area’s marine ecology.

    The developers had reportedly voluntarily stopped sea reclamation to build the island, which was 30 per cent completed, on June 15 last year, although there was no official DOE notice.

    The Forest City project, which has gross development value (GDV) estimated at RM600 billion (S$225 billion) on reclaimed land, is a joint venture between KPRJ, a Johor state government owned subsidiary, and Country Garden Holdings.

    The China developer ventured into Johor in 2012 when it acquired 22ha of waterfront land in Danga Bay for nearly RM1 billion. It launched Phase One of the Danga Bay project in 2013, when more than 1,500 units were snapped up in three days.

    It launched Phase Two of the Danga Bay project last year, selling more than 6,000 units to date. Danga Bay is part of Malaysia’s ambitious Iskandar Region corridor, a project to develop the southern state as a special development and economic zone that would attract foreign investors.

    Country Gardens Holdings is China’s seventh-largest property developer with a market capitalisation of HK$63 billion (S$10.8 billion) as of Dec 31 last year.

     

    Source: www.todayonline.com

  • Environmental Impact Studies To Be Conducted On Plans To Barricade 40 Per Cent Of Singapore’s Coastline

    Environmental Impact Studies To Be Conducted On Plans To Barricade 40 Per Cent Of Singapore’s Coastline

    With 40 per cent of Singapore’s 197km coastline to be barricaded in the coming years to beef up security, the authorities have reiterated that further studies will be conducted if there is a need to better understand the barriers’ impact on the surroundings — especially if they are near sensitive areas such as nature reserves or marine and coastal areas.

    Questions on the impact of barriers being built off the Kranji and Poyan reservoirs were raised recently on the Wild Shores of Singapore blog, run by nature enthusiast Ria Tan.

    The Kranji and Poyan barriers are not part of the additional 80km announced by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean in October. Work on the barriers near the reservoirs started in August and will be completed in January 2016, a Singapore Police Force spokesperson said.

    The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and four other Government agencies had reviewed the proposal for any potential environmental concerns, a URA spokesperson told TODAY. The police is to do environmental monitoring and put in place mitigating measures such as silt control during construction.

    The police were required to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the Kranji barriers, but not for the Poyan ones.

    “As the coastline next to Poyan Reservoir consisted mainly of seawalls, approval was given for the installation of sea-based barriers, on condition that the physical structures would not impede the movement of water-based plants and animals, and that the sediment plumes be kept to a minimum during construction,” said Dr Lena Chan, director of the National Parks Board’s National Biodiversity Centre.

    The EIA for the Kranji barriers was to ascertain the potential impact on existing biodiversity areas and aquaculture facilities nearby, said the URA. Mitigation measures for the Kranji stretch included building the fences on land to minimise disturbance to the inter-tidal environments.

    The Kranji-Mandai area is home to some rare and endangered mangrove plants. Dr Hsu Chia Chi, who started the Nature Society (Singapore)’s horseshoe crab research and rescue programme, said the mangroves also have one of the highest published densities of Mangrove horseshoe crabs.

    Speaking in his personal capacity, Dr Hsu said he found out in September 2012 about the barriers to be built in the Kranji-Mandai area. The society’s Marine Conservation Group asked the Police Coast Guard for more information about the project and offered to provide data about the area’s flora and fauna if needed.

    It was important for the mangroves and mudflats not to be impacted by the siting of the fences. “If the barriers are done properly and access is allowed to people who use the area responsibly, the fences may not be a bad thing. Now, when it’s wide open, you do find abandoned nets, which trap horseshoe crabs,” said Dr Hsu.

    If the horseshoe crab population is decimated, migratory birds would be deprived of their eggs and young to feed on, he added.

    Wild Shores of Singapore’s Ms Tan agreed that it is important for responsible users to continue to have access to the mangroves and mudflats, but felt the fences “probably will not keep out people who abuse (the) shores”.

    It would be ideal for the Kranji barriers to have low openings at intervals to allow crawling or slithering creatures to move between both sides of the fence, and for biodiversity studies to be done before and after barriers are built, said Dr Hsu.

     

    Source: www.channelnewsasia.com