20090330 自 然 環 境 破 壞 地 圖 今 啟 動

clipped from appledaily.atnext.com 本 港 具 保 育 價 值 的 自 然 環 境 不 斷 受 破 壞 ， 長 春 社 發 現 大 埔 及 西 貢 區 最 為 嚴 重 ， 斬 樹 、 非 法 倒 泥 頭 、 繼 而 大 興 土 木 的 情 況 屢 見 不 鮮 。 長 春 社 批 評 政 府 未 有 切 實 阻 止 自 然 環 境 被 破 壞 ， 該 社 今 日 會 啟 動 「 自 然 環 境 破 壞 地 圖 」 （http://www.cahk.org.hk） ， 收 集 各 地 被 破 壞 的 情 況 ， 讓 市 民 明 白 其 嚴 重 性 。 西 貢 竹 角 最 近 被 人 非 法 斬 樹 開 路 直 通 沙 灘 ， 政 府 及 在 地 盤 豎 警 告 牌 ， 但 該 地 已 遭 嚴 重 破 壞 。 長 春 社 提 供 照 片 大 埔 有 名 的 蝴 蝶 保 育 熱 點 鳳 園 雖 被 政 府 列 為 12 個 優 先 加 強 保 育 地 點 ， 但 長 春 社 理 事 侯 智 恒 表 示 ， 發 展 商 08 年 向 城 規 會 申 請 ， 在 距 離 鳳 園 50 米 的 地 方 興 建 8 幢 大 廈 ， 一 旦 獲 通 過 ， 當 地 的 蝴 蝶 生 態 肯 定 受 損 。 同 區 的 社 山 村 曾 有 10 公 頃 的 農 地 被 用 作 垃 圾 傾 倒 處 ， 但 05 年 政 府 表 明 現 時 法 例 無 權 制 止 ， 「 呢 度 會 興 建 住 宅 ， 發 展 商 賣 樓 時 會 標 榜 綠 色 發 展 住 宅 ， 實 情 係 佢 哋 先 破 壞 自 然 環 境 。 」 「 私 人 土 地 地 主 甚 至 收 費 叫 人 倒 廢 料 ， 填 平 土 地 後 起 屋 。 」 他 慨 嘆 ， 近 年 就 連 在 高 生 態 價 值 地 區 如 米 埔 濕 地 、 塱 原 、 城 門 郊 野 公 園 的 一 些 土 地 ， 都 受 到 同 類 問 題 影 響 。 長 春 社 要 求 政 府 統 一 由 一 個 部 門 處 理 非 法 倒 泥 頭 及 斬 樹 問 題 ， 並 加 強 規 管 先 破 壞 後 建 設 情 況 。

20090329 A Special Report on Chinese Dam Projects

Click the link below for more details: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/19/world/asia/choking_on_growth_4.html#story1

clipped from http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/11/19/world/asia/choking_on_growth_4.html

20090329 Nearly 100 dead in Indonesian dam bursts

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-03/29/content_7627229.htm A large lake bordering a low-lying residential area southwest of Jakarta overflowed early Friday, sending water cascading over the rim with a thunderous rumble. Hours later, a huge section of the earth wall gave away, sending a 10-foot (three-meter) -high wave gushing through Cirendeu. Some residents blamed authorities, saying the 76-year-old dam, built in the Dutch colonial era, had been poorly maintained. They said blocked spillways had led to repeated flooding over the years, weakening it in several points. Seasonal downpours cause dozens of landslides and flash floods each year in Indonesia, a nation of 235 million. More than 40 people were killed in the capital after rivers burst their banks two years ago. Critics said rampant overdevelopment, poor city planning and clogged drainage canals were partly to blame. Search-and-rescue operations would continue for at least a week. Some attention shifted to providing food and shelter to the more than 1,600 people left homeless.

20090329 Dam burst near Indonesian capital kills 50

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-03/27/content_7625023.htm CIRENDEU -- Torrential rain caused an old dam to burst its banks early Friday, sending a wall of muddy water crashing into a suburb of the Indonesian capital. The flood killed at least 50 people, left scores missing and submerged hundreds of homes. Residents are evacuated from the flood-hit area in the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia, March 27, 2009. [Xinhua] Water levels were so high in some places that people waited with their pets on rooftops for rescuers. Telephone lines were toppled and cars swept away, some ending up in parks hundreds of feet (meters) from where they'd been parked. The earthen dam, built in the early 1900s, when Indonesia was still under Dutch colonial rule, surrounded a man-made lake in Cirendeu, on the southwestern edge of Jakarta. It collapsed just after 2 a.m., when most people were sleeping, sending 70 million cubic feet (2 million cubic meters) of water cascading into homes. They predicted the death toll would rise.

20090329 Flash floods kills 52 in dam break

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn Residents and rescue workers stand near a car swept away by a flash flood after a dam burst in Jakarta, Indonesia on Friday. A dam burst in the outskirts of Indonesia's capital before dawn killed at least 50 people, officials said. AP While landslides and floods are common during the rainy season in Indonesia, the latest disaster was probably caused by torrential rain and poor maintenance, some officials said, reflecting years of under-investment in much of the country's crucial infrastructure. The dam, which retained water in Lake Situ Gintung in Tangerang District, 20 km southwest of Jakarta, dated from the 1930s in the Dutch colonial era, according to local media reports. "The dam was an old dam, 16 m deep," said Ratu Atut Chosiyah, governor of Banten province, where the lake is located. "Last night, because of heavy rain, the dam could not hold back the water so it broke," she added.

20090329 'Dark' Earth Hour sheds light on climate change

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2009-03/29/content_7627118.htm About 20 Chinese cities joined a worldwide relay on Saturday night to switch off lights of major buildings for one hour to highlight concerns about climate change while calling for actions. A combination picture shows China's National Aquatics Center "Water Cube" in Beijng before (L) and after the lights were turned off for Earth Hour March 28, 2009. About 20 Chinese cities joined a worldwide campaign to persuade the public to switch off unnecessary lights for one hour Saturday night to support energy-saving efforts and show concerns about global warming. [Xinhua] A combination picture shows a view of the Bund on the banks of the Huangpu River in Shanghai before (above) and during Earth Hour March 28, 2009. [Xinhua] Initiated in Australia in 2007, Earth Hour is a time zone-by-time zone plan in which people around the world are encouraged to switch off their lights for 60 minutes on the last Saturday night of March to show their concern about global warming and climate change.

20090319 天文台設颱風三級制 颱風強颱風超強颱風 提高危機意識

clipped from hk.news.yahoo.com 【明報專訊】天文台    預測今年影響香港的熱帶氣旋數目介乎5至6個，屬於正常，並會引入按強度劃分的颱風三級制﹕颱風、強颱風和超強颱風，至於現有的熱帶氣旋警告制度則保持不變，希望市民能得知在風球懸掛時襲港熱帶氣旋的強勁程度。天文台長林超英    表示，過去近30年「超強颱風」絕迹本港，新一代從未親身感受過1960年代「溫黛」及「露比」的強大破壞力，希望透過分級制令港人提高危機意識。 其實天文台一向有為颱風分級，按颱風中心附近最高持續風速而定，例如每小時63公里以下的風速是熱帶低氣壓，風速愈強，名稱亦有所不同，按次序分別為熱帶風暴    、強烈熱帶風暴及颱風。以往颱風的定義是風速每小時118公里或以上，天文台再將颱風分級，每小時150至184公里的風速稱為「強颱風」，每小時185公里風速以上的便稱為「超強颱風」。 林超英昨日多番強調「非常擔心」年輕一代港人在颱風襲港時警覺不足，「我自己非常擔心，過去10多年發現一個趨勢，以往懸掛8號風球後，香港人會返屋企或到安全地方暫避，慢慢地變成好多人會在颱風襲港期間逛街，熱帶氣旋信號發揮不到作用。」他希望颱風分級制「加多兩錢肉緊」，提醒市民超強颱風的破壞力不容忽視。 天文台助理台長衛翰戈補充說，1950年代至今共有53個颱風襲港，全部懸掛8號或以上風球，當中只有14個的強度達到「強颱風」或「超強颱風」級數，大部分在1950及60年代發生，例如1962年的「溫黛」；不過論風力最強，則以1979年的「荷貝」居首，每小時風速203公里。衛說，颱風襲港懸掛什麼信號取決於本身風力及與香港的距離，市民採取禦防措施應參考懸掛的信號，但分級制則可以提供額外資訊，顯示颱風本身的強度。 天文台長林超英表示，希望透過颱風分級制，令市民在颱風襲港期間提高警覺。（楊陽明攝）

20090311 Sandstorm hits Riyadh of Saudi Arabia

clipped from www.chinadaily.com.cn A huge sandstorm engulfs Riyadh, capital of Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2009. The storm, which was still raging hours after it started, disrupted flights at the city's King Khalid International airport, with weather authorities announcing that visibility would drop to zero, and warning residents to take precautionary measures.[Agencies]

20090312 Australian oil spill blackens beaches

clipped from http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-03/12/content_7572964.htm BRISBANE, Australia -- Beaches along Australia's northeast coast were blackened Thursday by a toxic cocktail of oil and fertiliser spilled from a cargo ship in cyclonic weather, maritime officials said. File photo shows animal rescue personnel cleaning an oil-soaked penguin after being caught-up in oil spill in Australia. Beaches along the country's northeast coast have been blackened by a toxic cocktail of oil and fertiliser spilled from a cargo ship in cyclonic weather, the Environment Protection Agency has said. [Agencies] State officials inspected the coast by air, and about 50 people checked for oil pollution on land and cleaned oil that soiled beaches on the east and northern shores of Moreton Island and Marcoola Beach. A veterinary clinic was set up on a beach to treat affected wildlife. Volunteers were moving turtle eggs away from the area, he said. "The oil is our greatest concern, both to the environment and wildlife," Short said. "Spills and wildlife don't mix."