National Environment Agency

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National Environment Agency (Abbreviation: NEA; Chinese: 国家环境局; Malay: Agensi Alam Sekitar Kebangsaan) formed on 1 July 2002, is a statutory board under the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. As a statutory board, it gives NEA greater administrative autonomy to be more nimble in protection of the environment. Having the same objective asUSEPA, protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment, NEA aims to protect air, land and water resources in Singapore as well as ensure high standards of public health through promoting awareness among the people, private and public (3P) sectors.

1 Organisation
2 Highlights of environmental activities
- 2.1 Dengue fever
- 2.2 Climate change
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] Organisation

The Chairman of NEA is Assoc Prof Simon Tay Seong Chee. The NEA comprises of three operational divisions:

Environmental Protection
Environmental Public Health
Meteorological Services

The headquarters of the National Environment Agency, Singapore are located at Environment Building on Scotts Road.

[edit] Environmental Protection Division

The Environmental Protection Division aims to protect the environment by implementing programmes to monitor, reduce and prevent environmental pollution. It is also responsible for the operation of the four refuse incineration plants and off-shore sanitary landfill. To conserve energy resources and landfill space, the division implements programmes to minimize waste generation, and maximize recycling and energy conservation.

[edit] Environmental Public Health Division

The Environmental Public Health Division conducts comprehensive ground surveillance and appropriate preventive measures to ensure a high standard of public health. This Division is responsible for the overall cleanliness in Singapore and a high standard of hygiene in the food retail industry. It also implements the Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP) and the Clean Public Toilets Programme. Its work includes the implementation of the recently-extended smoking ban to places like hawker centres, food shops and food courts; as well as vector control, the latter of which is particularly crucial given the region's susceptibility to dengue fever.

[edit] Meteorological Services Division

The Meteorological Services Division provides weather information to support public health and socio-economic activities. It also issues haze alerts and provides vital meteorological services to the aviation and maritime communities and the military. MSD is now also on tsunami watch as part of a regional network set up after several coastal areas in Asia were devastated by a tsunami on Boxing Day 2004.

[edit] Highlights of environmental activities

[edit] Dengue fever

In July 2005, the number of dengue fever cases in Singapore rose dramatically, exceeding 300 cases per week. The NEA set aside funds and conducted meetings to update the community on the situation. [1] By September, record cases in the region and Singapore brought media attention to the dengue situation to an all-time high. An international expert panel was assembled in Singapore to examine the reasons for the outbreak and provide recommendations for short-term and long-term control of the illness. It was concluded that, paradoxically, due to Singapore's highly successful vector-control programme, herd immunity in the country had fallen, causing higher susceptibility to the disease. The report provided the pros and cons of various vector control methods, including fogging and ovitrap use. A mixed approach to vector control was recommended.

In 2006, NEA took an aggressively pro-active approach to dengue control. In anticipation of the seasonal rise in dengue cases- which traditionally coincided with the hotter Southwest Monsoon period- publicity and public education efforts were stepped up, as were operations on the ground. These included pre-emptive "carpet combing" exercises, which saw NEA officers sweep through common areas in dengue-prone areas to identify and eliminate mosquito breeding spots.

[edit] Climate change

Singapore in April 2006 announced accession to the Kyoto Protocol. As a non-Annex I country, Singapore does not have targets set under KP, but it is eligible to participate in carbon credit exchanges arising from approved Clean Development Mechanism projects conducted in the country. The National Environment Agency is the designated authority coordinating CDMs. It is also managing ongoing measures to encourage energy-efficiency and lower carbon emissions. It supported a recent campaign launched by the Singapore Environment Council to educate the public on what they can do to curb climate change.