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Singapore's Sentosa Island Beaches Closed Due to Oil Spill

Workers clean up the beach following an oil slick, at Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, Singapore June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Workers clean up the beach following an oil slick, at Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, Singapore June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su
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Singapore's Sentosa Island Beaches Closed Due to Oil Spill

Workers clean up the beach following an oil slick, at Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, Singapore June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Workers clean up the beach following an oil slick, at Tanjong Beach in Sentosa, Singapore June 15, 2024. REUTERS/Edgar Su

Beaches on Singapore's Sentosa island were closed on Saturday after an oil spill spread from a nearby shipping terminal to the tourist haven south of the city-state.
A Reuters witness saw tape cordoning off the oil-stained waters and sand of Tanjong Beach from visitors.
"Oil slick spotted. Clean up in progress. Please stay clear of water," read a sign posted on the beach.
An advisory on the Sentosa website said the waters of Tanjong, Palawan and Siloso beaches were closed for cleaning and swimming and sea activities were not allowed.
The oil spill had spread from Pasir Panjang Terminal, less than 10 km (six miles) from the island popular with tourists and locals, after a Netherlands-flagged dredger struck a stationary Singapore-flagged bunker vessel on Friday afternoon. The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore said in a statement on Friday evening some oil from the damaged cargo tank on the bunker vessel had spilled into the water and "the affected cargo tank has been isolated and the spill contained".
In an update on Saturday, the authority said patches of oil were observed off Pasir Panjang Terminal and along Tanjong, Palawan, and Siloso beaches. It said it has deployed 16 oil spill response craft "to continue spraying oil dispersants and to collect the oil slicks on the water surface". "There is no impact on navigational traffic. Berthing operations at Pasir Panjang Terminal remain unaffected," the authority said.

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Indian Artisans Tackle Waste with Creative Upcycling

In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
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Indian Artisans Tackle Waste with Creative Upcycling

In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
In this photograph taken on September 17, 2024, a person with disability, recycles plastic waste as part of the Avacayam employment program by the Society for Child Development, in New Delhi. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)

The world's most populous nation India has a waste problem to match, but one group hopes their efforts can inspire change in one of the top polluters of plastic.

At a bustling workshop north of the capital New Delhi, artisan Ram Babu turns a discarded cigarette packet into a papier mache candle, AFP reported.

Babu, a 28-year-old amputee, is among scores of people with disabilities who have been trained to turn "trash to cash" and do their bit for the environment.

"It feels good to work despite my challenging situation," beamed Babu, as he deftly covered the packet with clay, using sprinkles of water.

Life held little hope for Babu after he lost his right hand and leg in a train accident in 2005.

But he found courage again when he stumbled upon the Avacayam employment program, run by the Society for Child Development, a New Delhi-based charity.

The word "Avacayam" comes from Sanskrit, and roughly translates to "gathering flowers".

Avacayam participants turn orange and yellow flowers that were offered in temples and later gathered up into incense sticks and colored powder used widely in festivals.

They also transform fallen idols of Hindu gods and goddesses -- often left piled under sacred trees -- into sacred powder for temple rituals.

"I have been working for more than 14 years now. My life has found a new direction and purpose," said Babu, who earns 10,000 rupees ($120) a month.

Others like Babu make decorative items, bags and pouches out of recycled waste, which is collected every day at their sprawling center.

Plastic bottles are also reused to make a variety of craft products.

The group's efforts scrape the surface.

In India, municipal governments with limited resources often struggle to manage mountains of waste, with towering piles of foul-smelling rubbish littering the edge of New Delhi.

India generates more than 65 million tons of waste in a year, according to a report by The Energy and Resources Institute, a New Delhi-based research group, but only around a fifth is processed and treated.

A study in Nature published this month named India as the largest plastic pollution emitter, producing nearly one-fifth of global plastic emissions.

Global experts -- including the multi-nation "High Ambition Coalition" -- argue the focus must not only be on waste treatment, but urgently required control measures on plastic production itself.

Charity groups such as Avacayam say they set an example, doing what they can.

"We collect waste and trash from offices, homes and factories," said Madhumita Puri, the founder of the Society for Child Development.

"Then we recycle them to make beautiful things which can be enjoyed again."

Puri said the work also helps people with disabilities live a life of dignity.

Abdul Sheikh, whose legs were stunted by polio, had little means of employment until Puri's charity knocked at his door.

"I learnt that day that we should never lose hope in the face of adversities," said Sheikh, 30, who makes decorative papier mache items.

"Now I don't have to depend on others for anything. I don't have legs but today I am standing on my feet."