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General environment news Quake hits waters southwest of Ternate
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- Non-native species threaten Viet Nam forest ecosystems
- DOE to check vehicles for smoke emissions
- Chemical arms leave toxic legacy / Disposing of weapons abandoned in China has created new problems
General environment newsQuake hits waters southwest of TernateJakarta (ANTARA News) - An earthquake measuring 5.3 on the Richter scale hit the waters southwest of the eastern Indonesian city of Ternate on Monday. The epicenter of the quake which struck at 11.27 a.m. was 248 km southwest of the capital of North Maluku province at a depth of 30 km, the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said in its official website on Monday. The quake did not have the potential of causing a tsunami, it said. Indonesia sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" where the meeting of continental plates causes high volcanic and seismic activity. North Maluku province lies at the meeting point of the country`s two main chains of volcanoes. http://www.antara.co.id/en/arc/2008/4/28/quake-hits-waters-southwest-of-ternate/ ……………………………………. Non-native species threaten Viet Nam forest ecosystems(28-04-2008) HCM CITY — Several non-native animal species have been brought into Viet Nam in recent years, scientists say, warning that a failure to check this could see the invaders displace native species and damage the ecosystem. Fishermen on the Sai Gon River have recently caught a lot of suckermouth catfish (Hypostonuns lecostomus) – an imported ornamental fish. Fisherman Nguyen Van Chuc of HCM City’s Binh Thanh District said he caught 100 of them daily. "The fish have been reproducing rapidly and I can now catch them everywhere." Dr. Nguyen Tuan of the Research Institute for Aquaculture No.2, said the suckermouth catfish ate indiscriminately and reproduced rapidly. "To compete for food, the fish invades the environments of other species and damages them," he said. Ba Kinh, a fisherman who lives in HCM City’s Thu Duc District, said in the past he could catch 30-35 snake-head fish, catfish, anabas, and shrimps daily in the Sai Gon River, but now he caught only 10 anabas. "Maybe the suckermouth is one of the causes of the disappearance of other fish in the river," he said. The suckermouth has also appeared in rivers in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta in recent years. Two carnivorous fish species, ca chim trang (Colossoma brachpomum) and ca hoang de (Cichla ocellaris), are threatening the ecology of the Tri An Reservoir in the southeastern province of Dong Nai, according to local scientists. Farmers originally brought the two fish species, which are native to the tropical areas of the Amazon River, and bred them in the reservoir. They are now reproducing rapidly and making short work of their indigenous cousins. Yabby (Cherax destructor), a species of crayfish from Australia, was recently imported and bred by local farmers in the central province of Phu Yen. Tuan said the yabby was threatening irrigation works because of their habit of burrowing into levee banks and dam walls. "If farmers let the yabby get out of captivity, they can cause considerable damage to dams on the Hong (Red) River," he warned. Dr. Nguyen Dang Nghia, director of the Agriculture Technology Transfer Centre, said authorities were lax about controlling the entry of non-native species into the country. Several species had been imported without careful research into their impact on the ecosystem, he said. Many animals are also illegally imported into the country. Phan Van Nghiem, head of the HCM City Department of Health’s Medicine Division, said officials had discovered and destroyed some strange mosquito larvae imported illegally. — VNS http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01ENV280408 …………………………………… DOE to check vehicles for smoke emissionsPETALING JAYA: The Department of Environment will conduct a simultaneous operation nationwide to ensure vehicles do not emit smoke above the permitted level in a move to have a cleaner and fresher environment. In a statement issued by the Federal Territory of Department of Environment, it stated that the operation that started Monday would be carried out until May 2 at all major highways and roads in the country. The department's director Wan Ramlah Wan Ibrahim said the operation was also to ensure that awareness was created among road users on the importance of curbing pollution, which among others was due to vehicles emitting excessive smoke. "The operation will be done simultaneously nationwide for both vehicles using petrol and diesel. "The department together with other enforcement agencies such as the Road Transport Department and traffic police will conduct static operations at all the major highways and roads during the four days. "Besides that, the department's enforcement unit will also patrol major roads to book vehicles using diesel that emitted smoke above the permitted level, and those found flouting the law will be fined the maximum of RM2,000,'' she added. Wan Ramlah said that the smoke emission level allowed for vehicles manufactured before 1997 was 4.5% carbon monoxide and 600 parts per million (ppm) of hydrocarbon. For vehicles manufactured after Jan 1, 1997, she said the level allowed is 3.5% carbon monoxide and 600 ppm of hydrocarbon. "The smoke emission level allowed for vehicles using diesel engines is not more than 50% of the permitted 50 HSU (Hartridge Smoke Unit). "Owners and drivers of vehicles which emit smoke with the density of carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon above the permitted levels could be fined up to RM2,000,'' she added. She said over 300 compounds were issued last year, with the bulk of compounds issued to small lorries (278) followed by lorries (64), light trucks (9) and vans (4). http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/4/28/nation/20080428132354&sec=nation ……………………………………….. Chemical arms leave toxic legacy / Disposing of weapons abandoned in China has created new problemsThe Yomiuri Shimbun The latest scandal over alleged misappropriation of funds for a government-commissioned chemical weapons disposal project in China has shown that the undertaking is a lucrative business that involves vested rights and interests acquired by some Japanese corporations. The case raises some fundamental questions about the method and purposes of the project to dismantle chemical weapons discarded in China by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II. This article focuses on such areas as: -- What kinds of weapons are covered by the project. -- Why the Japanese government has been carrying out the project. -- Why the undertaking has become a breeding ground for corruption. The Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons defines abandoned chemical weapons as those discarded by a state after Jan. 1, 1925, "on the territory of another state without the consent of the latter." The multilateral pact also states the weapons in this category include "old chemical weapons." According to the Cabinet Office, the list of chemical weapons abandoned in China by the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II includes a mix of mustard gas--a substance that can cause blisters on the skin and in the lungs--and lewisite. It also includes sneeze gas, which causes enemy soldiers to sneeze and cough violently, thus reducing their combat capability, as well as phosgene, which can suffocate the enemy. In some cases, abandoned chemical weapons in China are contained in shells, bombs, smoke pots and oil drums. It is not clear how many abandoned chemical weapons lie buried in China. Some researchers have said the bulk of the weapons were not discarded by the Japanese army, but handed over to the Chinese army. Most abandoned chemical weapons are believed to lie underground in the mountains of the Haerbaling district, 43 kilometers southeast of Dunhua, Jilin Province, in northeast China, which was called Manchuria in the prewar days and during the war. China once claimed there were as many as 2 million abandoned chemical weapons on its soil. However, research conducted by Japan in China contradicted Beijing's assertion. In 1997, Japan submitted a report to the Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), stating that there were an estimated 670,000 such weapons in the Haerbaling district, and about 700,000 in the country as a whole. In 2002, Japan carried out another study in China, using magnetic prospecting devices to produce a more accurate estimate of the number of abandoned chemical weapons in China. The new survey found that there were 300,000 to 400,000 abandoned chemical weapons in the Haerbaling Mountains. In a report submitted to the OPCW in 2005, the Japanese government corrected its earlier estimate. Today, the Chinese government basically accepts the Japanese estimate. The project to dispose of abandoned chemical weapons started in 1990, when Beijing asked Tokyo to settle the dispute over this legacy from the Sino-Japanese War. Beijing's request reflected the fact that Chinese were still suffering from damage caused by the discarded chemical weapons. One day in August 2003, five drums containing a poison gas solvent were discovered at a construction site in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province. Ding Shuwen, 28, a former construction worker, inadvertently touched the liquid that leaked from the drums. Five years after the accident, he is still suffering from the aftereffects of his contact with the liquid, including a weakened immune system. "Chemical weapons [abandoned by the Japanese army] have left people disabled, destroyed their families and shattered their dreams," he said. Ding was exposed to the chemical weapon while he was carrying the drums in his bare hands, believing they contained oil. He vomited on the day of his exposure to the solvent, and blisters shaped like clusters of grapes formed on his legs. His eyes hurt so much he was unable to open them. The accident killed one of Ding's fellow workers and poisoned 43 others. Since the end of the Sino-Japanese War, more than 2,000 Chinese are believed to have been injured by abandoned chemical weapons. In recent years, there have been a number of cases in which such weapons have been dug up because of the construction boom that accompanies China's rapid economic growth. Critics have said few residents in areas feared to be rife with abandoned chemical weapons have been informed of the dangers from them. Ding and other Chinese have filed suits against the Japanese government seeking damages. In 1992, the U.N. Conference on Disarmament adopted the Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Japan ratified the treaty in 1995. The convention took effect in 1997. Japan is held responsible for providing all necessary resources for the disposal of abandoned chemical weapons in China, including funds, technology, experts and facilities. Meanwhile, China, a signatory to the pact as a nation in which chemical weapons were abandoned by the Japanese army before the war, is required to extend appropriate cooperation for Japan in carrying out the disposal project. In 1999, the Japanese and Chinese governments signed a memorandum on the dismantlement of abandoned chemical weapons, confirming that such weapons would be disposed of inside China in a manner that would ensure the protection of the environment and the safety of work to dismantle them. In 2000, the Japanese government launched small-scale projects to recover abandoned chemical weapons in many locations in China. The Convention on the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons requires Japan and China to complete the disposal work by the end of April 2007. However, difficulties experienced by the two nations in working necessary arrangements made it impossible to achieve the goal. In 2006, Tokyo and Beijing asked the OPCW to extend the April 2007 deadline for five years, and their request was approved. This means the new deadline set for the two governments is April 2012. How weapons are made safe The disposal of abandoned chemical weapons, such as artillery shells, is no easy task because of the dangers involved in the process. Since many of the weapons are corroded, they may suddenly explode or toxic chemicals leak out of them. According to the Cabinet Office, very few countries, even in the West, have disposed of abandoned chemical weapon stockpiles left to decay underground for many years. In disposing of weapons, the government has adopted the following procedure: -- Dig up and retrieve abandoned chemical weapons in China and examine them based on their appearance and X-ray data. -- Secure and temporarily store in China any retrieved weapons found to have been abandoned by the Imperial Japanese Army. -- Render weapons harmless by incinerating them. Any conventional weapons unearthed will be handed to China. Thus far, the government has extracted and stored the weapons, but not destroyed them. This final step will start in earnest from now on. The government will build a disposal facility in the Haerbaling district of Jilin Province, where most of the abandoned chemical weapons are believed to be buried. This will enable the whole process, from digging to disposal, to take place at or near the facility. Outside the district, the government has retrieved abandoned chemical weapons on 18 occasions between 2000 and February this year in Hebei and Heilongjiang provinces. About 44,000 weapons have been recovered, including those retrieved during surveys by the Foreign Ministry. These weapons have been secured at the sites at which they were found for the time being because it is dangerous to move them. The government is planning to render them harmless using a portable disposal facility to be introduced soon. In 1999, the government established a section in charge of the disposal of the abandoned chemical weapons inside the former Prime Minister's Office (part of the Cabinet Office since 2001). The section is now staffed by about 30 employees from various ministries, including the Foreign; Defense; Finance; Health, Labor and Welfare; Environment; and Internal Affairs and Communication ministries. In 2000, the Chinese government also set up a section that has been dealing with the disposal of the weapons in the Asian bureau of the foreign office. The section has been coordinating its work with the Japanese government. Cost may surpass 1 trillion yen The government spent 47.1 billion yen between fiscal 1999 and 2006 on the disposal of chemical weapons found in China. In fiscal 2007, the government initially earmarked about 21.2 billion yen for the project to cover the cost of excavation activities in Haerbaling district and for the construction of facilities to enable the collection of chemical weapons. In fiscal 2008, even after the scandal surfaced, about 15.5 billion yen of the initial budget was still set aside for the project. The total cost of excavating the site in Haerbaling district and constructing the storage facilities is estimated to be about 94 billion yen. In addition, the cost of constructing facilities to incinerate chemical substances contained in the weapons, is also expected to be high. Another concern is that only a few private companies have been contracted to carry out the work. Between fiscal 2000 and 2003, the government had awarded the majority of contracts to Project Management Consultant, a consortium that included Pacific Consultants International and the Japan Institute of International Affairs. The government says the payments were to conduct studies and research for the project. Since fiscal 2004, the government had signed discretionary contracts with Abandoned Chemical Weapons Disposal Corp., a company established by a holding firm of the PCI group. In the wake of the scandal involving PCI and the contracts, the Cabinet Office held open bids for the project for fiscal 2008. Opposition party members have criticized the way contracts have been awarded in the past. One party member said: "It's obvious that this type of discretionary contracting leads to corruption. It's irrational that the government poured huge amounts of taxpayers' money into the research and study stage of the project." An official of the Cabinet Office explained: "The disposal of [chemical weapons] is a unique process as work is often carried out while accumulating new techniques and knowledge. Because it is difficult for the government to directly procure, maintain and control the facilities to excavate and store weapons and to incinerate chemicals found in the weapons, we judged it necessary deal with a corporation that would manage the work in an integrated manner." Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties have voiced differing opinions on the matter. One of them said, "The total cost of the final stage of the project may exceed 1 trillion yen in the future." Another said, "The government has been keen to carry out the project to dispose of abandoned chemical weapons as an alternative for official development assistance because it has decided to discontinue ODA to China." Fumio Kishida, state minister for Okinawa and other affairs, who is responsible for the project, said, "Though I can't say what the figures [about the total cost] are, we are trying to make the project more rational and acceptable for the public." (Apr. 29, 2008) http://article.wn.com/view/2008/04/28/Chemical_arms_leave_toxic_legacy_Disposing_of_weapons_abando/ ……………………………………… Directory: cpi -> briefs briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news briefs -> The environment in the news Download 0.5 Mb. Share with your friends:
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