Avoid water activities around Tuas Second Link, Raffles Marina after chemical tank accident: NEA
A tank of chemicals fell off a lorry into the sea at Tanjung Kupang near Gelang Patah in Malaysia.
SINGAPORE – The public should avoid primary water contact activities like swimming and recreational fishing in the waters around Tuas Second Link, including areas around Raffles Marina, said the National Environment Agency (NEA) on July 24.
NEA gave this precautionary advice after an accident on the Malaysian side of the Second Link bridge involving two heavy tankers, which resulted in
a chemical tank containing propylene glycol falling into the sea
.
In a post on Facebook, NEA said it was alerted by its Malaysian counterparts about the accident on the evening of July 24.
NEA said it understands that the other tanker remained intact, with no chemical spill on the bridge.
Primary contact activities are those where a person's whole body or face and trunk are frequently immersed, and it is likely that some water will be swallowed. They include wakeboarding, windsurfing and water immersion training.
Propylene glycol is not classified as a hazardous substance and is biodegradable. The chemical is commonly used in food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics, said NEA.
However, propylene glycol may cause low dissolved oxygen levels in the Lim Chu Kang fish farming zone, said NEA.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Asia 11 Thai civilians killed as Thai and Cambodian militaries clash at disputed border: Reports
Asia Singapore urges all parties in Thailand-Cambodia border dispute to exercise restraint
Asia Deadly Thai-Cambodian dispute puts Asean's relevance on the line
Singapore Technology can help efforts to shift healthcare delivery towards the community: Ong Ye Kung
Singapore Khatib Camp to make way for housing, with its functions moving to Amoy Quee Camp
Singapore Mindef to set up new volunteer management unit to grow volunteer pool
Singapore Primary 1 registration: 29 schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2B
It added that the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has alerted fish farms in the area to be vigilant and have mitigation measures on standby. They should also notify SFA if there are abnormal fish and water conditions.
Singapore's desalination plants are currently not affected, and national water agency PUB is monitoring the seawater intake at the plants closely, NEA said.
NEA and other agencies are in close communication with their Malaysian counterparts, added the agency. It is also actively monitoring water quality in the affected area.
Iskandar Puteri Fire and Rescue station chief Mohd Faiz Suleiman said an accident involving two lorries carrying propylene glycol had caused a tanker from one of the lorries to plunge into the sea from the Second Link bridge.
He added that the fire department in Johor was alerted to the incident at about 5.40pm on July 24, and seven firemen and a Fire Rapid Tender vehicle were deployed to the scene, reported Malaysian daily The Star.
There was no contamination in the waters where the tanker fell into the sea, and there were no signs of leaks from the tankers involved in the lorry accident, said Mr Mohd Faiz.
A video posted on social media on July 24 shows a moving tanker hitting another tanker that appears to be stationary.
After impact, the moving tanker tips towards the edge of the bridge, sending the tank it is carrying into the sea.
The incident comes just a day after NEA held a chemical spill exercise at Tuas Second Link with Malaysia's Department of Environment and other agencies.
The exercise was part of a bilateral cooperation programme under the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment.
All three lanes of the Singapore to Malaysia-bound carriageway on Tuas Second Link were closed to vehicular traffic from 5am to 2pm on July 23 for the exercise.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
International race track in Thailand converted to mass evacuation centre
Scroll up for the next video X International race track in Thailand converted to mass evacuation centre
Straits Times
13 hours ago
- Straits Times
Bear encounters increasing in Japan's urban areas
A sign with a bear warns "Do not enter'", near a chicken coop in Sunagawa, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. IWATE/ HOKKAIDO, Japan — Bears are increasingly entering human-inhabited areas and attacking people living there. In July, two people were killed each in Iwate and Hokkaido prefectures. Depopulation and expansion of abandoned farmland have brought bear habitats closer to urban areas, leading to an increase in 'urban bears,' unafraid of humans. Measures to prevent encounters between bears and residents are urgently needed. Obsessed with garbage 'I'm afraid to go outside. I've been living here for 20 years, but this is the first time something like this has happened,' said a 70-year-old man in the town of Fukushima, Hokkaido, his voice trembling. In the early hours of July 12, a 52-year-old man delivering newspapers was attacked and killed by a brown bear. The incident occurred in a residential area about 700 meters from the town office; the victim was found dead after being dragged into the grass. Even after the incident was reported, the bear had damaged a nearby supermarket's garbage storage site and no children could be seen playing outdoors. This was Hokkaido's first fatal brown bear attack in an urban area since 2006, when the Environment Ministry began keeping statistics. The brown bear, estimated to be an eight- to nine-year-old male measuring 208cm in length and weighing 218kg, was culled by hunters on July 18. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole World Three dead, several injured after train derails in Germany Singapore Not feasible for S'pore to avoid net‑zero; all options to cut energy emissions on table: Tan See Leng Singapore With regional interest in nuclear energy rising, S'pore must build capabilities too: Tan See Leng Singapore New Mandai North Crematorium, ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15 World US and EU clinch deal with broad 15% tariffs on EU goods to avert trade war Asia Displaced villagers at Thai-Cambodian border hope to go home as leaders set to meet for talks Even more shocking to residents and experts was the DNA analysis results revealing that the same bear had attacked and killed a woman - then 77 - in a field about 3km away four years ago. 'There have been no cases of a bear repeatedly appearing in an urban area. The bear might have been obsessed with the garbage in urban areas,' said Mr Yoshikazu Sato, professor of wildlife ecology at the Rakuno Gakuen University. Attacked inside a residence According to a survey conducted by the ministry from fiscal 2016 to 2018, over half of human injuries and deaths caused by bears nationwide occurred in forests. In fiscal 2023, however, more than 50 per cent occurred in urban areas, places near residences or on farmland, and in fiscal 2024, nearly 40 per cent occurred in such areas. This indicates that bears are increasingly entering human-inhabited areas. One of the factors is the expansion of bear habitats. Since the 1980s, regulations on bear hunting have been implemented across the country, while abandoned farmland has increased due to depopulation and aging of residents, creating more bushes where bears can hide. On July 4, an 81-year-old woman was attacked and killed by an Asian black bear that had entered her home in a village near forests and farmland in the Waga district of Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture. According to the ministry, 50 people have been killed by bears nationwide over the past two decades, but this is believed to be the first case in which a victim was killed inside a residence. Nearby, bears appeared to have eaten rice stored in sheds on residential properties and damaged warehouse walls. Mr Koji Yamazaki, professor of animal ecology at the Tokyo University of Agriculture, pointed out: 'The environment where bears can thrive is changing. In order to prevent humans from being attacked, it is urgent to investigate the causes and implement countermeasures.' Acorn shortages One reason behind bears coming into urban areas is the poor acorn harvest in the autumn of 2023. Bears that scavenged through locations such as garbage collection sites might have learned that they can find food there and settled in human living areas. Traditionally, bears were more likely to appear in urban areas in autumn, but in recent years, they have been seen year-round. From April to June this year, a total of 37 people were killed or injured by bears across the nation — almost the same pace as fiscal 2023, which saw a record number of incidents. This autumn, a severe shortage of Japanese beech trees that bear acorns is expected in six prefectures in the Tohoku region, according to the Tohoku Regional Forest Office and others. This could cause more bears to enter urban areas. Mr Kazuhiko Maita, director of the Institute for Asian Black Bear Research and Preservation based in Hiroshima Prefecture, warned: 'Bears no longer fear humans and the level of danger is increasing. If food shortages cause bear density in urban areas to increase, we must be more vigilant than ever about harm to humans.' THE JAPAN NEWS/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
CNA
16 hours ago
- CNA
New Mandai crematorium and ash-scattering garden to open on Aug 15
SINGAPORE: A new crematorium and ash-scattering garden will open in Mandai on Aug 15, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Monday (Jul 28). Located next to the existing Mandai Crematorium and Columbarium complex, the new Mandai North Crematorium will use automated guided vehicles to transport coffins and lockers for ash collection. It has six service and viewing halls and can house 18 cremators, but will begin operations with three halls equipped with nine cremators. It will start with four cremation services daily and ramp up progressively in the coming months. NEA said it will fit out the remaining halls and add the additional cremators to meet an anticipated increase in demand for cremations in future. For comparison, the existing crematorium, which opened in 2004, has four halls and 12 cremators. The crematorium and garden span about 2.4ha, slightly more than half the size of the Padang. Annual resident deaths are expected to increase from about 25,000 in 2024 to around 40,000 by 2040, NEA said. Meanwhile, the demand for inland ash scattering has increased from around 900 applications in 2021 to over 2,300 in 2024. 'The new crematorium will provide additional cremation capacity, and the (Garden of Serenity) will provide an additional option for the inland scattering of ashes,' said NEA. 'They will enable us to continue serving the nation's needs in the years ahead.' Bookings for cremation slots will open on Aug 9, and the crematorium and garden will be open daily. The garden will be open from 9am to 5.30pm except when it is closed for maintenance. Singapore also has two private crematoriums, but NEA handles more than 90 per cent of cremations. ASH-SCATTERING GARDEN The Garden of Serenity is the second inland ash-scattering garden in Singapore, after the Garden of Peace opened in 2021 in Choa Chu Kang. Ashes can also be scattered at sea or stored in columbariums or at home. The Garden of Serenity, which is within the new Mandai North facility, has four ash-scattering lanes in the shape of a leaf. Granite boulders that were excavated during its construction, which started in 2017, are used for seating along the lanes. The garden also features a pond and lush foliage, meant to create a peaceful and dignified environment. Each lane in the garden is named after a flower and is around 10m long. Ashes can be scattered on pebbles, which sit atop granite chippings and soil. Water sprinklers or canisters can be used to help the ashes filter through the layers. Religious ceremonies or rites, including the burning of joss sticks, leaving of food offerings and playing of music will not be allowed. However, fresh flowers can be placed on racks around the garden. At 750 sqm, the Garden of Serenity is much smaller than the Garden of Peace, which is 9,500 sqm in size. NEA said that accumulated "ash soil" will periodically be transferred from the Garden of Serenity in Mandai to a designated location in the Garden of Peace in Choa Chu Kang to ensure that people can continue to use the smaller garden. The fee for ash-scattering at the gardens is S$320. AUTOMATION, QR CODES Mandai North Crematorium will make use of technology to ensure service reliability, including through the use of automated guided vehicles to transport coffins. At the existing crematorium, staff members push a trolley carrying the coffin. Funeral service providers will receive a cremation permit with a QR code, which must be scanned outside the service hall to ensure that the casket is at the right hall at the right time. The automated guided vehicle and screen outside the service hall will also reflect the deceased's name, the date and the time, before the casket is unloaded from the hearse. A QR code on the automated vehicle will be used for verification before the coffin is placed into a cremator. Attendees will then need to be seated before the automated guided vehicle transports the casket to the front of the service hall. The service halls feature slopes instead of steps, to improve accessibility for wheelchair users. At the new facility, the viewing hall – where mourners watch the casket being transported toward the cremators – is located directly in front of the service hall. This is unlike the existing Mandai Crematorium, where the service halls are a distance away from the viewing halls. NEA said the building layout was designed to minimise walking distances, especially for elderly visitors. "A one-way visitor circulation flow caters to back-to-back cremation services, minimising the need for arriving and departing groups to cross paths. This arrangement provides a degree of privacy for each group of visitors and facilitates a sense of closure for the bereaved," the agency said. The new waiting halls at Mandai North Crematorium are also enclosed with glass panels to provide more privacy to families. When the cremated remains are ready, an ash collection permit with a QR code will be sent via email. The registration process will involve verifying the applicant's identity, before a queue number is provided and an ash-sorting room is assigned. When the queue number is called, family members can scan a QR code to unlock a locker containing the ash box. There are three walls of lockers, and the lockers open one at a time for each wall. Families can perform final rites in the ash-sorting room. Each room is equipped with a table, a bench and a wash basin.
