Media: Singapore's native species in danger due to acid rain

SINGAPORE, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- Acid rain may be wiping Singapore's native species to extinction, local media reported on Monday.

A National University Of Singapore (NUS) study showed that the 20 species of animals plentiful in the Singapore's Bukit Timah Nature Reserve in the 1980s, including frogs, crabs and fish, are slowly being wiped out, local newspaper the Straits Times reported.

The NUS findings showed that that it may be due to the acidity of a stream in the 80 hectare nature reserve, which offers great biodiversity in plant and animal life.

The four-year study found that the stream, which covers 5 hectare of land, is more acidic after torrential rain. The researchers have found that the water in the stream on the nature reserve have a pH value of 4.4 to 4.7, which is said to be more acidic now than 20 years ago.

Leading researcher of the study David Higgitt suggested that one way to protect the biodiversity in the stream would be to add limestone, a naturally occurring alkali, to slow down acidification.

However, Singapore's National Environment Agency said that the acidity of rain water here, at pH 5, is no different from that of urban cities around the world. It also said that rain water is no more acidic now than in the 1990s.