SINGAPORE: Construction works to build five MRT stations along the Jurong Region Line (JRL) are expected to start in 2020 and be completed in 2026, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Tuesday (Sep 10). 

The five stations are – Choa Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang West, Tengah, Hong Kah and Corporation. 

Two civil contracts worth a total of S$739.5 million were awarded for the projects, announced LTA in a media release.

For the contract covering Choa Chu Kang, Choa Chu Kang West and Tengah stations, it includes the building of a 4.3km viaduct between Choa Chu Kang and Tengah along Choa Chu Kang Avenue 3. 

There will also be addition and alteration works to the existing Choa Chu Kang station on the North-South Line, to integrate it with the new JRL station.

This contract was awarded to Shanghai Tunnel Engineering (Singapore), which LTA said has an “established track record” of railway infrastructure projects for the Circle Line, Downtown Line and Tuas West Extension.

It is also involved in the construction of some stations along the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

Local construction companies Eng Lee Engineering and Wai Fong Construction will take on work for Hong Kah and Corporation stations. This includes a 3.4km viaduct between them. 

The joint venture company is currently involved in the construction of Mount Pleasant station and tunnels along TEL.

The Jurong Region Line is Singapore’s seventh MRT line, which will open in three stages starting from 2026.

The 24km-long line will have 24 stations above ground, and will connect with the North-South Line and East-West Line with interchange stations at Boon Lay, Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East MRT stations.

READ: Jurong Region Line to serve NTU, Tengah estate, Jurong Industrial Estate

READ: Residents, workers disappointed by Jurong Region Line land acquisition plans

In the initial years, the JRL is expected to serve 200,000 commuters daily, LTA said. This is expected to grow to more than 500,000 commuters daily in the longer term, it added.

NHA TRANG, Vietnam: Hundreds dead in the Philippines; a threefold increase of cases in Vietnam; hospitals overrun in Malaysia, Myanmar and Cambodia – dengue is ravaging Southeast Asia this year due in part to rising temperatures and low immunity to new strains.

But one group of scientists is rolling out trials to breed dengue-resistant bugs in a bid to tackle one of the world’s leading mosquito-borne illnesses, raising hopes the untreatable disease can finally be beaten.

The World Mosquito Program (WMP) has pioneered a method where male and female Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes are infected with the disease-resistant bacteria called Wolbachia before being released into the wild.

In a matter of weeks, baby mosquitoes are born carrying Wolbachia, which acts as a disease buffer for the bugs – making it harder for them to pass on not only dengue, but Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever.

READ: Project Wolbachia still in study phase, will not be deployed in dengue clusters, says NEA

First trialled in northern Australia, it’s been tested in nine countries around the globe, including in Vietnam where early results are promising.

“We have seen a remarkable reduction of dengue cases after the release,” explained Nguyen Binh Nguyen, project coordinator for WMP in Nha Trang.

His team set free around half a million Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes last year in Vinh Luong, a crowded dengue-prone district in southern Vietnam.

Since the trials, dengue cases are down 86 per cent in Vinh Luong compared to nearby resort town Nha Trang.

That’s a major relief for Cong Thi Thu, an accountant who along with her two children suffered an intense bout of dengue in 2016, flooring the family for weeks.

She worries less after the trials but still makes her kids sleep under nets and no longer leaves stagnant water to collect in the pots around her garden, which offer ideal breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

“I feel at ease now, 70 to 80 per cent safe, but I still have to be careful,” Thu said from her leafy compound.

NO IMMUNITY

Today, mosquitoes still buzz about in the open-air shops, cafes and homes of Vinh Luong, but the majority in the test areas now carry Wolbachia compared to none before the trials, WMP said.

Convincing wary residents like Thu, along with health officials and ethics boards, that the mosquitoes won’t make them sick was not an easy task.

Residents have long ascribed to the official motto “no mosquitoes, no larvae, no dengue” to avoid the virus, dubbed “breakbone fever” because of its severe flu-like symptoms.

Dengue is passed along to humans by infected mosquitoes, which thrive in crowded, hot and humid neighbourhoods like Thu’s.

READ: More mosquitoes or mutating virus? Experts have different views on dengue spike

Cases have surged not only in Vietnam this year but across Southeast Asia, with around 670,000 infected and more than 1,800 people dead in the region, according to an AFP tally of national and World Health Organization data.

Experts say it’s the worst outbreak in years.

Warmer weather is one factor – temperatures in July 2019 were the hottest ever recorded globally, and mosquitoes love hot weather – coupled with the introduction of new dengue strains that have spread among populations with no immunity.

Long-term trends are also at play: breakneck urbanisation in Asian megacities, a massive increase in international travel and trade and the cyclical nature of outbreaks.

“That creates the perfect ingredients for the dengue epidemic to happen,” Rachel Lowe, assistant professor at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told AFP.

Even the widespread use of plastics has contributed – as things like garden pots and takeout containers collect water they create perfect breeding pools for mosquitoes.

WOLBACHIA STUDIES PROMISING: SINGAPORE MINISTER

Wolbachia was first discovered by scientists in the 1920s in mosquitoes living in the drainage system beneath the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Found in 60 per cent of all insect species – including dragonflies, fruit flies and moths – the bacteria was mostly ignored until the 1970s when researchers discovered it could be used to prevent the spread of disease by bugs.

Over the years scientists have conducted anti-dengue experiments with Wolbachia-laden mosquitoes with varied success, but now WMP hopes its approach will stick.

It is one of the only organisations in the world seeking to repopulate colonies with Wolbachia-infected mosquitos to fight dengue, estimated to spread to as many as 100 million people globally every year.

Other groups, including in Singapore and Malaysia, are using Wolbachia but only in male mosquitoes who render female eggs infertile – a method that aims to suppress the mosquito population, which rarely lasts.

Singapore’s Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli had said last week that while studies have “shown promise”, the Wolbachia technology has only been tested in small study sites in Singapore.

“The project is now in Phase 3, which aims to determine if the Aedes aegypti population suppression achieved thus far can be sustained in larger areas,” he said.

READ: Most dengue clusters closed, dengue cases down, says Masagos

Mr Masagos cautioned, however, that the Wolbachia method is not a “silver bullet”.

“It will not replace the community’s efforts to ensure good house-keeping, which is still needed to keep our homes and estates free from mosquitoes and dengue,” he said.

“Comprehensive mosquito surveillance, source eradication of mosquito breeding habitats and spraying of insecticide where necessary to control the adult mosquito population, continue to be Singapore’s key strategies for dengue prevent and control.”

RE-INVASION 

Many countries are fogging neighbourhoods with insecticides – effective in the short term, though the mosquitoes often come back in just a few days, or develop resistance to the chemical killers.

“No one has been able to get long-lasting suppression because the mosquitoes just keep re-invading,” said WMP director Scott O’Neill.

Results from WMP’s Wolbachia trials in northern Australia and on the Vietnamese island Tri Nguyen have been positive – local dengue transmissions are almost non-existent – and outcomes from trials in Indonesia are expected in the next year.

But experts say more long-term, and large-scale, studies are needed to see if the approach really works.

Dr Raman Velayudhan, coordinator of WHO’s global control programme on dengue, said: “Our bottom line is to make sure that it leads to the reduction of the disease.”

SINGAPORE: A new crowdsourcing mobile application will allow shoppers to get more bang for their buck by comparing retail prices and promotions of groceries, household items and hawker food being sold at some outlets.

Price Kaki, launched by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) on Tuesday (Sep 10), will also allow users to track price changes and earn cash vouchers by contributing information on prices and promotions.

It can be downloaded on Apple’s App Store and Google Play during a pilot run from Sep 28, before being launched islandwide in early 2020.

“Price Kaki will serve as a tool for consumers to compare prices easily so that they can make more informed decisions and stretch their dollar,” CASE said in a statement after the launch event.

CASE president Lim Biow Chuan said the association has been helping consumers through initiatives like grocery and hawker food price surveys.

“PROGRESSIVE MOVE” 

For a start, the app will list about 3,000 frequently purchased household and grocery items like milk, rice and eggs at 31 supermarkets in the pilot towns of Jurong West, Tampines and Toa Payoh.

Participating supermarkets are NTUC FairPrice, Giant, Sheng Siong and Prime Supermarket. CASE will continue to work with them to ensure the information is up to date.

The app will also list food prices at 11 hawker centres in the same towns, including the ones at Our Tampines Hub, Toa Payoh West Market and Boon Lay Place Market.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Trade and Industry Tan Wu Meng called the app a “progressive move” that “helps people starting with less”.

“It is a bit like a network of ‘kakis’ to share tips on shopping – exchanging knowledge on the best deals,” he said in a speech at the launch event on Tuesday.

“And this especially helps people who have less time; people who are less aware of market prices; people who are less experienced shoppers.”

CUSTOM SEARCHES 

Users can search for items by name or category, and apply search filters like location. For instance, you would be able to compare prices of black carrot cake from different eateries near Old Airport Road.

Users can also scan the barcode of an item in a supermarket to see how much it costs elsewhere.​​​​​​​

The app will notify users of price changes for items that have been added to an alert list, while users will get rank points for submitting new prices and promotions. The most active users stand to win groceries, food and beverage, movie and transport e-vouchers every two weeks.

“The mobile application is simple to navigate, encouraging use and contribution,” CASE said, adding that it had considered user feedback and conducted several user testing sessions.

During the pilot run from Sep 28, users can compare and contribute prices for items in the pilot towns. This also allows the app to be tested and improved based on user feedback and experience.

“To raise awareness among consumers, CASE will be organising a series of outreach activities and tapping on local community events at these towns to guide consumers on how to use the mobile application,” it said.

“Subsequently, consumers will be able to compare and contribute prices for items across Singapore during the nationwide launch.”

CASE said the app is part of its efforts to educate consumers on their rights to choose and make informed purchasing decisions.

Dr Tan said CASE’s efforts to help consumers do not end here, adding that the association will share more “in due course”.

“I am encouraging CASE to continue helping consumers stretch hard-earned dollars with other tools to help our people make more informed decisions,” he stated.