Saturday, December 24, 2011

World’s longest bridge – Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau Bridge (HKZMB)

China kickstarted the construction of the world’s longest cross-sea bridge imageon December 13, 2011, in an effort to link its southern economic hub of Guangdong province to Hong Kong and Macau.  Hong Kong began the construction of its part on December 14, linking itself with Macau and Zhuhai. The project finally started, after being delayed for a year due to legal challenges on its environmental consequences. Concern was raised among environmental groups as construction of the bridge will coincide with the natural habitats of the endangered white dolphins. There are about 2,000 white dolphins remaining in China, and more than half of these dwell in the Pearl River estuary. To protect them, a 180 square miles territory had been designated for the white dolphins and builders are restricted them polluting the waters.

The Y-shaped Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) will have a total length of around 50km, of which around 35 km will be built over the sea, allowing it to hold the record of being the world’s longest cross-sea bridge. It is estimated to incur US$11.5 billion of construction expenditure and set to be completed in 2016. The construction cost would be shared between the authorities of the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macau. HKZMB had been described as the most technically complicated landmark projects in China’s transport history. The bridge comprises a tunnel section that travels underwater and constitutes a six-lane expressway that can withstand the impact of a 8.0-magnitude earthquake and possesses the ability to survive being rammed by a large vessel weighing 300,000 tons and withstand slamming winds up to a speed of 51 m/s.  

imageA 150-hectares artificial island would be constructed in the waters northeast of Hong Kong to accommodate the boundary crossing amenities. Reclamation efforts to create the artificial islands in Macau and Zhuhai constitute the first phase of construction.

Upon completion, it would take about half an hour to travel from Zhuhai or Macau on the west bank of the Pearl River to Hong Kong on the east bank, as compared to the current three hours. HKZMB will cut travelling time significantly by 60 to 80 per cent, accelerating the delivery of goods and travelling time of people. Hong Kong investors will concomitantly enjoy substantial business opportunities in the western Pearl River Delta, which houses plenty of land and human resources.

In the long term, HKZMB will function as a critical transportation link between Hong Kong and the Mainland, driving Hong Kong’s long term economic development. Furthermore, it opens windows of new opportunities for Hong Kong’s key industries such as tourism, finance, trade, commerce and logistics. In order to boost the economic benefits of the HKZMB project, toll charges would be kept as low as possible to promote usage of the bridge among the people. Besides construction efforts, around 50 million yuan had been allotted for landscaping activities, such as the inclusion of sightseeing spots for tourists to appreciate the spectacular view of the South China Sea and white dolphins that cruised by.

 

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Philippines Hammered by Typhoon Washi

Philippines President Benigno Aquino declared on December 20, 2011 that the state is imageconfronted with a national calamity as flash floods and landslides triggered by a typhoon took close to  1,000 lives and left tens of thousands homeless.  Typhoon Washi (local name: Sendong) lashed through Southern Philippines on the evening of December 17, with accompanying downpours and strong winds that brought massive flooding and landslides in the Northern Mindanao area. The winds reached up to 80 km/hr and gusts of up to 90 km/hr, and the storm made its landfall in the Northern Mindanao area.


As of December 20, the official death toll stands at 957, with anotherimage 49 people reported as missing. Most of the dead were asleep amidst raging floodwaters tearing through their homes due to swollen rivers. Water cascaded from mountain slopes after 12 hours of pounding rain in the southern Mindanao area. Weather experts highlighted that Typhoon Washi dumped more than a month of average rainfall within 12 hours over Mindanao. Furthermore, the flash floods coincided with high tides.
Most of the deaths stemmed from a coastal village in Illigan. Houses were swept seawards by floodwaters while people were asleep when the typhoon struck. The worst-hit areas were the cities of Illigan and Cagayan de Oro. About 60 people were reported to have been plucked from the ocean off El Savador City, about 10 km north-west of Cagayan de Oro.
The rescue operations was sustained by approximately 20,000 soldiers but efforts were hampered by inundated roads and downed power lines. To aggravate matters, streets were overwhelmed with mud and piles of debris. Regions hit by Typhoon Washi were unaccustomed to typhoons as the area is usually spared from the worst damage. The Philippines is subject to around 20 typhoons annually.
The disaster agency revealed that more than 338,000 people in 13 provinces were affected by the typhoon. More than 10,000 houses were ripped by the typhoon and flash floods. Many schools, roads and bridges were battered. imageMore than US$340,000 worth of crops (mostly rice and corn) were damaged but the Agriculture Department responded that losses were minimal as the crops just entered the initial planting phase. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council estimated that there are around 35,000 people seeking shelters in evacuation centres, as of the evening of December 18. 
President Aquino allowed the government to access funds from international financial institutions, including US$3 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and around $500 million of low-interest loans obtained from the World Bank (WB). The declaration of a national calamity by the President enabled the government to obtain larger pools of funds for relief and rehabilitation.
Cagayan de Oro and Illigan are now battling to prevent disease outbreaks in crowded, cramped evacuation centres. Digging of graves to bury decomposing bodies have been undertaken. Many of the dead bodies in parlous were left unclaimed, suggesting that the entire families had perished in the disaster. Given  that mortuaries were unable to cope with the overwhelming numbers of dead bodies, the authorities have initiated the digging of mass graves to bury the victims of the calamity. The occurrence of Typhoon Washi had exposed that it is imperative that more efforts are required to ensure early warning systems are inherent in the age where climate change is intensifying the impacts of typhoons. 



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Friday, December 23, 2011

The Threat of Logging in the Philippines

Kalamansig in Sultan Kudarat, Mindanao, houses a populace of 48,000 people. Decades of unsustainable practices and illegal tree logging had taken tolls on their imagelivelihoods and food security. About half of Kalamansig’s residents were engaged in illegal logging inside its 40,000 hectares (ha) of forestlands. Significant plots of the forestlands were converted into farmlands. These activities attributed to the drastic decline of Kalamansig’s forest cover from 36,705 ha in 1987 to only 10,000 ha in 2003. The annual clearance of forestlands brought about approximately 2,000 lowland residents to fall as victims to flash floods each year during the wet season.

The recent Typhoon Mashi that battered Mindanao on December 17, 2011, had raised concerns on whether illegal logging had been responsible for exacerbating the impacts that the typhoon entailed. The Philippines President Benigno Aquino ordered an investigation to check out if violations to the logging ban had aggravated the damages inflicted by Typhoon Washi. On Febrauary 2010, President Aquino III declared a total log ban in the Philippines, but illegal logging activities persisted in northern Mindanao. Aquino’s Executive Order 23 discontinued the issuance of permits to any individuals to log trees across the Philippines, in response to widespread flooding and landslides in Mindanao, Eastern Visayas and Bicol regions. Under the executive order, the environment department is prohibited from distributing logging permits and contracts in all natural and residual forests. The prohibition also includes the renewal of tree-cutting permits in all forests across the Philippines.

image Rampant logging activities in the mountainous regions of northern Mindanao  could have caused the heavy flooding that Typhoon Washi entailed. The dwindling forest covers in the area failed to decelerate the flow of rainwater downstream into rivers, attributing to flash floods in the low lying areas. As of  December 18 afternoon, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC) revealed that a total of 332 people were pronounced dead due to flash floods caused by Typhoon Washi. The latest tally on December 21 showed a total of 1,102 people who were confirmed dead, including 650 in Cagayan de Oro and another 283 in Illigan city. The rest of the death tolls were logged in other southern and central provinces. Many victims were swept away by huge logs that were rolled down from denuded mountains facing the two cities that were badly hit by the typhoon. Experts highlighted that unmitigated logging and deforestation were responsible for soil erosion and triggered mudslides. Tampering with the watersheds and forests have revealed the vulnerability of the people in the Philippines during such events. Efforts in cracking down on illegal logging would have to be stepped up in order to prevent further disastrous impacts in the future.

 

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Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Japan and its Tourism in the 2011 Tsunami Aftermath

imageThe  9.0-magnitude earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan on March 11, 2011, led to the concomitant decline in Japan’s outbound and inbound travel. Japan is still troubled by the lingering radiation concerns stemming from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. 

Japan, earthquake, tsunamiPrior to the quake-tsunami event, Japan’s tourism sector showcased remarkable performance, with the arrival of 8.6 million foreign visitors in 2010, registering a 26% increase from 2009. However, in the month after the March 11 catastrophe, visitor numbers plummeted by more than 60%. With aggressive promotional strategies such as offering free return tickets and marketing the unique products that Japan manufactures, foreign visitor arrivals rebounded by September 2011, with the receipt of 539,000 visitors that month. However, the figure was 25% far from that in September 2010.

image Despite rebounds in tourist arrivals, the Japanese government has yet to instil confidence among the global arena that Japan is a destination that is safe to visit. For instance, the outcry in October 2011 was sparked by residents in and around Tokyo performing their own radiation tests and discovered several sites of contamination. Such a situation surfaced despite rounds of assurances  from the government that radiation from Fukushima had not spread 240 km  south to Tokyo and not a risk to residents. Food safety is another area of concern. Foods such as spinach, mushrooms, tea, milk and bamboo shoots from Fukushima were contaminated with iodine and radioactive cesium. They can damage cells and increase the risk of cancer.

Japan believes that positive publicity is essential for bringing back tourists. Many hotels and tour agencies are introducing attractive deals to promote businesses. One ski company known as SkiJapan.com is offering free accommodation at hotels to draw visitors during the winter season. The  Japan Tourism Agency also announced in October 2011 of its plans to offer round-trip airfare to 10,000 foreign residents in 2012 , and is still awaiting budgetary approval and could kickstart by April 2012. This initiative comes amidst the situation of more than 8,000 people who were still missing in northern Japan and the nuclear crisis yet to be resolved.

 

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Magnitude 7.2 Earthquake Rocks Turkey

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It had been estimated that more than 600 people were crushed dead and more than 2.600 injured in a strong earthquake that rocked eastern Turkey. On October 23, 2011, the earthquake registered a magnitude of 7.2 and hit the Van province that was in close proximity to the Iranian border.   USGS revealed that the epicentre of the earthquake was 16 km north-east of Van in eastern Turkey.  After the main quake, approximately 1,400 aftershocks struck the region. One of the major tremors included the 5.6-magnitude quake that shook the Van province on November 9, 2011.
Turkey is subject to frequent earthquakes as it sits atop major geographical fault lines. Two earthquakes with magnitudes of more than 7 occurred in 1999, killing more than  20,000 people in the densely populated areas in the north-west territories of Turkey. The October 23, 2011 earthquake was triggered by the collision of the Arabian and Eurasian plates. The Arabian plate converges with Eurasia at a rate of 24 mm/year.
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The strongest impacts of the quake were felt in Van and neighbouring towns. Serious damage and causalities were witnessed in the Celebibag district. 2,262 buildings were destroyed in the Turkish quake. Collapse of schools remain a key concern in the Turkish quakes and draws the attention of government agencies. As October 23 was a Sunday, the impacts of the Turkish quake could be more catastrophic if the earthquake were to strike on Monday morning instead. The tremors in the aftermath of the 7.2-magnitude main quake further weakened building structures, and even brought down two hotels and 16 other buildings.
One of the hotels that collapsed was Bayram Hotel, Van’s most reputable hotel that was at least 40 years old. It was one of the hotels that accommodated journalists and aid workers involved in recovery efforts following the main quake. Since the onset of the October 23 main quake, many residents had been putting up in tents despite the cold weather. This was so due to the fear of returning to their own homes.  
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The quake had also exposed problems such as the paucity of earthquake-safe buildings. According to the national chamber of mechanical engineers, two out of three buildings in Turkey were illegally constructed without permits or supervision. It was also revealed that of the 18 million buildings in Turkey, 40% were not earthquake safe. Such a problem was sustained by greed and incompetence among builders, coupled with corruption and the lack of supervision by the relevant authorities.
Such a problem was further aggravated by the lack of awareness among the people of the safety of their current residences. The phenomenon of people residing atop earthquake fault lines and not requesting for safety inspection could be attributed to poverty and insufficient legislation. Furthermore, fatalism is embedded within the Anatolia culture, viewing quake occurrences as an act of God and that people could not exert influences on their own lives.
Authoritarian relations between the state and citizens had caused the Turks to develop dependence on the state instead of taking initiatives for their own safety. Many Turks perceive that the state would have to come in to intervene in issues pertaining to earthquake safety. Given the inherent mindset among the people, consequences caused by quakes would remain disastrous.
 
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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Radiation Leak in Japan and Global Food Crisis

Countries around the globe are imposing bans on Japanese food imports when radioactive imagesteam leaked from a disaster-struck nuclear plant. As of March 25, 2011, the official death toll for the March 11 monstrous earthquake had exceeded 10,000.  Water supplies are close to reaching a crisis with hundreds of thousands of people were housed in Tokyo’s evacuation shelters. Damage to the Fukushima nuclear plant attributed to plate movements triggering the quake and tsunami fuelled global anxiety. Increasing number of countries are joining the list of banning food imports from Japan. United States (US), Hong Kong (HK), France have already restricted the imports of Japanese food products. Russia and Canada halted food imports from four perfectures – Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi, which are in the vicinity of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi plant.

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On March 24, 2011, Singapore was reported to have detected low radiation levels in four vegetable samples that were imported from Japan. It was discovered that parsley, rapeseed, mustard and perilla were found to be tainted with radiation levels, but the levels were not life-threatening. Contaminated vegetables discovered in Singapore originated from Tochigi, Ibaraki, Chiba and Ehime. Australia and Singapore have banned agricultural produce from Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki and Tochigi. With  Singapore’s discovery of contaminated samples from Chiba, HK included Chiba in its suspension list. Singapore also suspended imports of chocolates, milk products and other foodstuffs from the four prefectures, Chiba and Ehime.

Food safety concerns are now an additional dimension of the emergency. Amid the fears of nuclear contamination, the Japanese government have informed its people not to consume 11 types of green leafy vegetables that are grown in Fukushima. The Ibaraki prefectures also sees the halting of the shipments of milk and parsley. Radiation fears are likely to affect domestic demand as most of the agricultural produce are consumed domestically. Food exports in Japan is also expected to see a slump.

Problems were compounded with the detection of radioactive iodine image in the drinking water being more than twice the level that was safe for infants. Release of the news by the Tokyo government led to the frenzy among people to sweep bottled water in shops and vending machines. The Tokyo government has also started distributing three 550 ml of bottles to each infant. Japan’s government has stopped shipments of untreated milk and other vegetables from Fukushima and 3 adjoining prefectures. Radiation monitoring has also been levelled up in 6 other prefectures, covering an area bordering Tokyo.   Results of the measurements of radioactivity in foods are also present and announced publicly to reassure the public that foods that they consume do not carry radiation contamination at the unsafe level. 

It was detected on March 25, 2011 that there were more contaminated vegetables as radiation above the legal limit had been detected in Japanese mustard spinach and komatsuna which are cultivated in Tokyo. This discovery followed after tap waters in several territories including Tokyo was discovered to contain radiation levels that was unsafe for infants to consume. Worldwide concerns on Japanese food imports were heightened with the detection of the high radiation levels in agricultural produce of Tokyo. With higher radioactivity being detected in the Pacific Ocean in the vicinity of Fukushima’s nuclear plant, fears concerning the safety of fish and seaweed were stoked as they form the main staples of the Japanese.

 

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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

The Dilemma of Seawalls

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Coastal residents of Japan used to withhold the strong belief of the capability of seawalls in protecting them from the harsh tidal and tsunami waves but the beliefs were shattered with the occurrence of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan. About 40% of the 35,000 kilometre coastline is lined with concrete seawalls, breakwaters or other structures that seek to protect Japan against high waves generated from typhoons and tsunamis.
Besides the development of quake-resistant buildings, coastal defences are also the main initiatives against earthquakes and tsunamis. Devastation of the coastal regions and death tolls that have exceeded the 10,000 mark led to queries related to the design of the seawalls and the necessity of rebuilding and redesigning these structures. The risk of reliance on seawalls was evident at the Daiichi and Daini nuclear power plants, which were both seated along the coast in close proximity to the earthquake zone. This attributed to the failure of the diesel generators that is vital in maintaining the cooling systems of the reactors during meltdown. The seawalls at the power plants were believed to have succumbed to the tsunami waves. Furthermore, the power plants were located at a lower elevation, based on the impression that the seawalls would be able to protect them from the impacts of tsunami waves.
In Kamaishi, 4 metres of tsunami waves surmounted the breakwaters which was constructed several years ago in the harbour of the city at 63 metres deep, spanning 2 kilometres. The city centre was eventually subject to inundation. Preliminary investigations conducted by independent civil engineers revealed that sections of the Kamaishi’s breakwater is broken in the harbour, blunting the force of the tsunami, waves. In Kamaishi, 648 deaths had been confirmed, while 630 people were classified as missing.
In the coastal village of Taro, the tsunami waves swept away people who have climbed atop the seawall, wiping off most of the Taro town. This exhibited that the seawalls have created a false sense of security among the people.  Construction of the seawall began in 1933 after the tsunami event in 1933. There was reinforcement and expanded in the 1960s.
Tsunamis are closely related to the history of Japan’s Sanriku territory. It houses one of the world’s most elaborate concrete seawalls that have transformed the coastal view into garrison-like towns.  However, the recent tsunami have destroyed many coastal defences which are designed and erected to protect coastal communities against tsunami waves. Researchers are beginning to assess the effectiveness of seawalls and breakwaters in dissipating the energy of tsunami waves as people begin campaigning for the halting of such construction projects. Furthermore, the construction of these structures incur high cost. Instead, funds that are allotted for the erection of such coastal defences could be diverted into education and evacuation drills which could better prepare the people in Japan for earthquake and tsunami events.
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