Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Air pasang besar akibat pemanasan global?

Source : Utusan Online 
url : http://www.utusan.com.my/rencana/air-pasang-besar-akibat-pemanasan-global-1.385366


By : ABDUL RAZAK IDRIS

Keadaan air laut yang melimpah di tebing penampan di  Pantai Kelanang,
Keadaan air laut yang melimpah di tebing penampan di Pantai Kelanang, Selangor dalam kejadian air pasang besar, pagi kelmarin . UTUSAN 


BARU-BARU ini, Menteri Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar, Datuk Seri Dr. Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar dilaporkan berkata, kajian saintifik antarabangsa yang dibuat oleh sekumpulan pakar mendapati sebahagian besar kepulauan Asia Pasifik termasuk Malaysia akan tenggelam menjelang 2100.

Menurut beliau, berdasarkan keadaan bentuk muka bumi yang rendah, Kedah dikenal pasti sebagai antara lokasi yang mempunyai risiko tinggi untuk tenggelam. Selain negeri di utara Semenanjung Malaysia tersebut, kebanyakan kawasan pesisiran pantai turut berdepan dengan masalah berkenaan.

Kenyataan yang dibuat beliau selepas merasmikan Persidangan Antarabangsa Pembangunan Hutan Mampan Mengenai Perubahan Iklim (SFDCC) anjuran Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) pada 9 Ogos lalu sewajarnya dipandang serius dan tidak berakhir begitu sahaja tanpa sebarang solusi.

Fenomena air pasang surut yang sedang melanda beberapa kawasan pantai di Selangor kini sehingga menerjah daratan sepatutnya membuka mata kita untuk lebih pro-aktif menjaga pelepasan gas rumah hijau seperti karbon dioksida.

Mungkin pakar geologi mahupun saintis akan mengatakan apa kaitan fenomena air pasang surut dengan pemanasan global yang sebenarnya ibarat anai-anai memakan gobok kayu sedikit demi sedikit sejak revolusi perindustrian meletus pada awal kurun ke-19.

Sifir matematiknya amat mudah apabila air pasang dari laut maka ia akan melimpah ke tebing dan akan bertemu air dari sungai di muara mahupun pesisir pantai. Jika air dari pemanasan global akibat aktiviti ais yang mencair di kutub utara semakin aktif maka potensi banjir besar berlaku amat tinggi. Kejadian banjir di beberapa tempat di Jeram dan Ijok, Kuala Selangor tahun lalu membuktikan teori ini benar-benar boleh berlaku.

Jika ais masih membeku maka kadar ais yang cair tidak akan menghasilkan kuantiti air laut yang banyak dan mampu mewujudkan air pasang besar. Pada faktanya, aktiviti pelepasan gas karbon dioksida yang banyak akibat kegiatan ekonomi seperti perkilangan dan pembalakan hutan menjadi pemangkin untuk ais beku mencair dan menenggelamkan negeri-negeri di utara Semenanjung Malaysia.

Menurut Wan Junaidi, kajian menunjukkan peningkatan karbon dioksida (CO2) sebanyak 450 bahagian dalam setiap sejuta (ppm) sudah memadai untuk mencairkan ais di kawasan Kutub Utara. Melihat kepada keadaan sekarang, pemanasan global boleh mencecah kira-kira 560ppm menjelang tahun 2100. Keadaan ini mampu meningkatkan paras air laut kira-kira 25 meter.

Selain pembebasan CO2, kecairan ais yang berlaku, adalah berpunca daripada pemanasan global yang disebabkan oleh pembuangan sisa industri yang tidak dikawal dan pertambahan penduduk manusia. Beliau berkata, langkah terbaik untuk memperlahankan pencairan ais ialah dengan mengehadkan aktiviti yang menyebabkan pemanasan global.

Kegagalan Malaysia untuk mematuhi garis panduan yang ditetapkan oleh Konvensyen Rangka Kerja Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu bagi Perubahan Iklim (UNFCCC) juga akan menyaksikan negara berdepan dengan masalah-masalah lain seperti kesukaran untuk meramalkan perubahan iklim termasuk peningkatan suhu, ribut taufan, hujan dan sebagainya.

Kajian-kajian berkaitan perubahan iklim serta strategik perlu dipertingkatkan lagi untuk memastikan bekalan hutan yang mampan dan fungsinya tidak terjejas agar dapat dimanfaatkan kepada generasi akan datang.

Sewajarnya kita harus menjaga dan memulihara hutan hijau sama ada hutan simpan mahupun hutan pokok bakau sepanjang pantai. Kaedah ini mampu mewujudkan keseimbangan eko­logi yang mampu mengimbangi fenomena pemanasan global yang telah menjadi fokus dunia sehingga wujudnya Protokol Kyoto yang gagal mendisiplinkan negara kuasa besar untuk menjaga Bumi ini.

Perubahan cuaca dunia hari ini seolah-olah tidak dipedulikan oleh kita. Dalam kita kalut dengan agenda ekonomi dan politik akhirnya Maha Pencipta sikit demi sedikit menunjukkan kuasanya. Banjir kuning di Kelantan dan Perak awal tahun lalu amat mengejutkan, taufan di Filipina, gempa bumi melanda Sabah menunjukkan negara ini dan jiran kita berkongsi bencana alam yang sama akibat tangan-tangan kita sendiri.

Mungkin fenomena air pasang besar suatu petanda bumi ini sedang merintih kerana dunia semakin panas akibat manusia rakus dengan agenda dunia mereka hingga langsung lupa mereka berpijak di atas apa. Peliharalah bumi ini kerana kita meminjamnya dari anak kita. Jangan sampai tidak mampu ‘membayarnya’ semula.

Monday, September 19, 2016

Alam sekitar: Berkorban atau terkorban? PANDANGAN IKIM

Source : Berita Harian Online
url : http://www.utusan.com.my/rencana/alam-sekitar-berkorban-atau-terkorban-1.384592

Oleh AZRINA SOBIAN


BERSEDIAKAH kita berkorban untuk alam sekitar yang lestari? Sanggupkah kita berkorban mengubah cara hidup yang merosakkan persekitaran kepada cara hidup lestari atau berkorban masa dan tenaga untuk memperoleh alam sekitar yang sejahtera?

Manusia secara semula jadinya tidak dapat lari daripada melakukan pengorbanan dalam hidupnya. Tidak kira pengorbanan kecil atau besar. Sebagai contoh, mengorbankan masa dan tenaga untuk menjaga ibu bapa yang tidak sihat atau mengorbankan masa santai untuk bersukan dan bersenam demi kesihatan tubuh badan.

Sebagai Muslim, di dalam bulan Zulhijah yang mulia ini, kita dituntut melakukan ibadah korban. Dalam hal ini, bukanlah daging korban itu yang diperlukan oleh Allah SWT tetapi tanda keimanan seorang hamba-Nya yang sanggup melepaskan sesuatu (wang ringgit misalnya) untuk melaksanakan tuntutan Maha Pencipta. Ibadah korban ini juga satu tanda kesyukuran atas segala nikmat yang telah dikurniakan Allah SWT kepada manusia.

Berkaitan dengan alam sekitar yang lestari pula, kita semua mendambakan hidup di dalam alam yang bersih dan suci. Alangkah indahnya, jika kita dapat menghirup udara segar tanpa apa-apa pencemaran. Alangkah baiknya, jika kita dapat makan makanan yang terhasil daripada tanaman bebas racun perosak. Kini, semua itu agak sukar diperoleh kerana udara yang kita hirup setiap hari telah dipenuhi pelbagai bahan pencemar. Malah, masalah degradasi tanah dan kekurangan tanah pertanian akibat pembangunan pesat menuntut kebanyakan tapak pertanian menggunakan baja kimia dalam proses pengeluaran hasil pertanian.

Dambaan kita untuk memperoleh alam sekitar yang bersih dan sihat tidak boleh hanya sekadar dambaan. Kita harus berusaha mendapatkannya. Kita harus berkorban sesuatu untuk memperolehnya. Seperti yang disebutkan awal tadi, pengorbanan yang dimaksudkan berkait dengan kesungguhan kita untuk mengubah cara hidup supaya lebih mesra alam.

Cara hidup zaman ini kebanyakannya tidak menggambarkan cara hidup yang lestari. Sebagai contoh, kita menghasilkan terlalu banyak sampah. Ini adalah satu gambaran gaya hidup yang bergantung kepada penggunaan yang tinggi dan juga membazir. Masyarakat zaman ini adalah masyarakat pengguna yang suka membeli mengikut kehendak dan bukannya keperluan. Cuba lihat di dapur rumah masing-masing. Berapa banyakkah sisa makanan yang terbuang setiap hari? Berapa banyak pula sampah plastik atau kertas yang terhasil setiap hari? Banyak bukan? Ini adalah tanda penggunaan yang tinggi dan apabila tinggi penggunaan maka lebih banyaklah sisa yang terhasil. Malah ini juga dinamakan sebagai satu pembaziran dan takutlah kita kerana pembaziran ini amalan syaitan.

Oleh itu, kita harus bersungguh-sungguh mengubah cara hidup agar lebih lestari atau mesra alam. Hakikatnya, kalau kita masih enggan berkorban mengubah cara hidup maka akhirnya kita juga yang akan terkorban. Sudah banyak peristiwa alam yang berlaku sehingga mengorbankan banyak nyawa. Sebagai contoh, kegiatan penebangan hutan untuk pertanian sehingga menyebabkan berlaku kejadian tanah runtuh di Cameron Highlands. Sekitar Disember 1994, tujuh nyawa terkorban. Pada tahun berikutnya iaitu pada Jun 1995, berlaku sekali lagi tanah runtuh yang mengorbankan 20 nyawa serta mencederakan 22 orang yang lain. Tidak cukup dengan itu, tahun seterusnya, iaitu pada Julai 1996, tanah runtuh di Kilometer 15, Genting Highlands, telah menyebabkan sebuah bas terbabas lalu mengorbankan 17 nyawa.

Selain tanah runtuh, kegagalan kita menguruskan kebersihan turut mengundang padah. Masalah pembiakan nyamuk aedes sehingga meningkatnya kes demam denggi menjadi masalah yang tidak pernah selesai. Sumber daripada Bilik Gerakan Denggi Kebangsaan CPRC, Kementerian Kesihatan menunjukkan dari 3 Januari 2016 sehingga 12 September 2016, terdapat 78,460 kes demam denggi dilaporkan yang melibatkan 172 kematian.

Belum pun kita dapat menyelesaikan masalah aedes dan demam denggi, kini muncul pula masalah virus zika. Virus zika ini turut dibawa oleh nyamuk aedes. Masalah ini bukanlah terletak kepada nyamuk tersebut tetapi adalah satu gambaran betapa kita telah mengabaikan aspek kebersihan dalam hidup. Alam sekitar yang kotor dan tidak diurus dengan baik menjadi tempat pembiakan nya­muk tersebut. Sikap pengotor kitalah yang mengundang pelbagai penyakit dan akhirnya, ada nyawa yang terkorban.

Bagi umat Islam, kita seharusnya berasa malu kerana tidak mampu mengekalkan persekitaran yang bersih kerana keadaan ini bertentangan dengan tuntutan cara hidup Islami.

Dengan itu, wajarlah kita berusaha keras untuk mengorbankan cara hidup tidak sihat kini kepada yang lebih baik, agar bukan sahaja bermanfaat kepada manusia tetapi kepada alam keseluruhannya. Jika kita enggan melakukan pengorbanan tersebut, maka bersedialah untuk melihat lebih banyak nyawa terkorban kerana alam semakin tenat. Dalam banyak keadaan, kita berasa selesa kerana masalah alam ini tidak secara langsung berkaitan dengan diri atau ahli keluarga kita. Namun, perlukah kita menunggu sehingga diri mahupun ahli keluarga sendiri terkorban akibat alam yang semakin tercemar?

Oleh itu, jangan tunggu sehingga sudah terlambat. Anggap sahaja pengorbanan yang kita lakukan sekarang sebagai satu kiasan kasih sayang bukan sahaja kepada alam tetapi juga kepada seluruh manusia di dunia ini. Malah, lebih tinggi lagi, usaha itu adalah satu gambaran kasih sayang dan ketaatan kita kepada Allah SWT.

PENULIS ialah Felo Pusat Kajian Sains dan Alam Sekitar, IKIM

Saturday, September 17, 2016

U.S. meeting on ocean conservation nets $5.3 billion in pledges

Source : The Star Online

url : http://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2016/09/17/us-meeting-on-ocean-conservation-nets-53-billion-in-pledges/



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - International participants at a high-level conference on the world's oceans pledged more than $5.3 billion (4.08 billion pounds) for conservation and designated vast areas as protected waters, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday.
More than 90 countries took part in the two-day conference, the third of its kind, in an effort to galvanize attention to the dangers that pollution, climate change and over-fishing may pose to the world's oceans.
"This ocean conference, in order to protect marine eco-systems, to prevent pollution, to address the crippling impacts of climate change, has committed over $5.3 billion of money and initiatives in order to achieve those goals," Kerry said at the meeting's closing session.
Earlier, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said that more than 1.3 million square miles (3.4 million square km) gained protected designation.
The United States and more than 20 countries joined on Thursday at the conference to create 40 marine sanctuaries around the world to protect the oceans from the threat of climate change and pollution. They limit commercial fishing, oil exploration and other activities that affect ocean ecosystems.
President Barack Obama also designated the first U.S. marine reserve in the Atlantic Ocean: 4,913 square miles (12,724 square km) known for underwater mountains and canyons off the coast of New England.
The announcement was part of more than 136 new initiatives unveiled during the event by countries such as Britain, Canada, Cambodia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, France, Kuwait, Lebanon, Malaysia, Malta, Morocco, Norway, Palau, Panama, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand, as well as private charities and foundations.
Kerry, speaking to a Georgetown University audience on Friday as part of the conference, stressed the health of the world's oceans for national security and global stability.
"This is life and death. This is national security. It is international security," he said, saying nearly 50 percent of the world depends on food from the ocean and 12 percent of the world's work force relies on the ocean for their livelihood.
The European Union has committed to hold a similar conference next year, followed by Indonesia in 2018 and Norway in 2019, Kerry said.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed; Writing by David Alexander and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Cynthia Osterman and Andrew Hay)

Hands-on lesson on nature for students

Source : The Star Online

url : http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2016/09/17/handson-lesson-on-nature-for-students-threeday-science-programme-features-naturerelated-talks-and-ex/


Students learning about the importance of environment conservation through numerous activities including environmental talks, water quality analysis and experiments.
Students learning about the importance of environment conservation through numerous activities including environmental talks, water quality analysis and experiments.

TANGKAK: Learning does not only take place in the confines of a classroom.
Sometimes the most important lessons are learnt when students step outside and explore the wonders of nature.
Thirty students and teachers from seven schools in Johor took learning outdoors when they participated in Chemical Company of Malaysia Berhad (CCM)’s three-day Rakan Saintis Sungai Programme (RSS) recently.
Held at the Lagenda Forest Park in the Gunung Ledang National Park, the unconventional-learning programme taught students the importance of natural resources; primarily waterways which are a key source of life for all living organisms.
The programme, led by CCM’s Chemicals Division, also raised awareness on the capacity of humans to safeguard and preserve the health of rivers and lakes.
CCM group managing director Leonard Ariff Abdul Shatar said that the programme gave students a meaningful learning experience as they were able to discover nature and see first-hand the adverse effects of pollution.

“As students become more connected to nature, they are more likely to care about the future of the planet, be good stewards of the environment and understand the importance of preserving our natural resources.
The students and their teachers posing for a group photo at the three-day Rakan Saintis Sungai Programme held in Lagenda Forest Park.
The students and their teachers posing for a group photo at the three-day Rakan Saintis Sungai Programme held in Lagenda Forest Park.
“This responsible behaviour is what we hope to instil in the students through our RSS programmes,” he added.
Jointly organised with the Johor Department of Environment (DOE), the programme gave students theoretical knowledge as well as hands-on lessons on the importance of environment conservation through numerous activities including a nature walk, environmental talks, and water quality analysis and experiments.
The programme also helped students understand the river’s ecology and the processes involved in water treatment or purification.
The students worked in groups to put together a presentation highlighting all they had learnt during the programme.
Tokens were also given out to the most outstanding group during the three-day camp.
CCM Chemical chief manufacturing officer Mukri Harun joined Johor DOE director Datuk Mohammad Ezanni and deputy director-general Rosli Osman to close the programme.
CCM’s RSS involves schools across Perlis, Sabah, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Johor, and has reached out to over 1,500 students since it first began in 2010.

Friday, September 16, 2016

Vietnam investigating new fish deaths

Source : The Star Online

Url  : http://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2016/09/16/vietnam-investigating-new-fish-deaths/

Dead fish started washing ashore in Vietnam in April after a Taiwanese steel firm released contaminated waste into the ocean. - AFP

Dead fish started washing ashore in Vietnam in April after a Taiwanese steel firm released contaminated waste into the ocean. - AFP


Hanoi (AFP) - Vietnam is investigating new mass fish deaths along its central coast, an official said Friday, months after a major steel plant was blamed for a toxic leak that wiped out tonnes of marine life in the fishing hub.
Public anger has mounted in Vietnam since dead fish started washing ashore in April after the Taiwanese steel firm Formosa discharged contaminated waste into the ocean, causing the worst ecological disaster in decades.
Formosa was eventually slapped with a $500 million fine following weeks of rare protests in the authoritarian country.
The government is now looking into new reports that boats were seen dumping sludge into waters off of Thanh Hoa province south of Hanoi, where some 50 tonnes of dead fish washed ashore earlier this month.
Officials initially blamed the deaths on blooming red algae.
"An investigation into the cause of the fish deaths is being carried out by experts from the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources," Cao Thanh Tho, head of aquaculture in the provincial Agriculture and Rural Development department, told AFP.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment said it was analysing waste samples "to determine if there is any link with the fish deaths", with results expected by September 20.
Meanwhile, dead fish, including large carps, also started showing up along the Thu Bon River in central Quang Nam province this week, with state-run Thanh Nien newspaper reporting residents saying the waterway has turned black in recent days.
A Quang Nam official told AFP an investigation was under way.

Earlier this week another Taiwanese firm, Header Plan, was fined more than $9,000 for dumping waste into a canal in Vietnam's southern Dong Nai province, where residents have complained increasing pollution in recent years. 


Obama joins other world leaders to create new ocean sanctuaries

Source : The Star Online

url : http://www.thestar.com.my/news/world/2016/09/16/obama-joins-other-world-leaders-to-create-new-ocean-sanctuaries/




BY AYESHA RASCOELESLEY WROUGHTON

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Thursday joined more than 20 countries in creating 40 new marine sanctuaries around the world to protect oceans from the threat of climate change and pollution.
President Barack Obama designated the first U.S. marine reserve in the Atlantic Ocean: 4,913 square miles (12,724 square km) known for underwater mountains and canyons off the coast of New England.
Britain said it would double the area of ocean under marine protection around its overseas territories to about 2.5 million square miles (6.5 million square km), an area greater than the landmass of India.
The various sanctuaries, unveiled at a high-level conference in Washington, limit commercial fishing, oil and gas drilling, and other human activities that affect ocean ecosystems.
Altogether, countries at the two-day oceans conference will announce new sanctuaries covering nearly 460,000 square miles (1.19 million square km) of ocean, an area around the size of South Africa.
The area designated by Obama includes canyons as deep as the Grand Canyon in Arizona and underwater mountains higher than any in the United States east of the Rockies, according to Environment America, a federation of state-based environmental advocacy organizations. Environment America said it and other groups were pushing for Obama to designate more land-based national monuments before leaving office in January.
Obama, who recalled body-surfing in the Pacific Ocean while he was growing up in Hawaii, called the pledges at the conference a "pretty good down payment" but said bolder international action was needed.
"The notion that the ocean I grew up with is not something that I can pass on to my kids and my grandkids is unacceptable, it's unimaginable," Obama told the conference.
Last month, Obama expanded a massive reserve off the coast of Hawaii, the world's largest such protected area, as he works to cement his environmental legacy.
He travelled to the remote Midway Atoll in the reserve, and told the conference what it was like to snorkel among purple and orange coral as endangered monk seals sunned themselves on nearby rocks.
"I saw it. It was right there, evidence of the incredible power of nature to rebuild itself, if we're not consistently trying to tear it down," Obama said.
Opponents of the new Atlantic reserve have said it threatens the commercial seafood industry in the region. Obama said it was designed to respect the fishing industry's role in the region's economy and history.
Britain's announcement was made by British Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan, who said fully protected marine reserves are to be set up around the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific, and St. Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension islands in the South Atlantic.
This will involve the permanent closure of around 520,000 square miles (1.3 million square km) to commercial fishing, Duncan said.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who has championed environmental causes for years, called for action by world leaders and communities to protect vital marine ecosystems.
"Warming waters, acidification, plastic pollution, methane release, drilling, over fishing and the destruction of marine ecosystems like coral reefs are pushing our oceans to the very brink," the Oscar-winning actor said.

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe and Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Andrew Hay and Alistair Bell)

Proses kitar semula e-sisa mudah alih mengikut piawaian

Source : Utusan Online
url : http://www.utusan.com.my/sains-teknologi/alam-sekitar/proses-kitar-semula-e-sisa-mudah-alih-mengikut-piawaian-1.383274

KETUA Jabatan Pembangunan Teknologi, Bahagian Teknologi dan Masyarakat MCMC, Badaruzzaman Mat Nor (d
KETUA Jabatan Pembangunan Teknologi, Bahagian Teknologi dan Masyarakat MCMC, Badaruzzaman Mat Nor (dua dari kiri) menyampaikan cenderamata kepada Pengarah Urusan Shan Poornam Metals, S. Selvakumar sempena lawatan MCMC, wakil industri komunikasi dan pihak media ke syarikat itu, baru-baru ini. Turut bersama ialah, wakil Malaysian Technical Standards Forum Bhd. (MTFSB), Reza M. Aidid (kiri) dan Pengarah Korporat Shan Poornam Metals, Rose Kuan 


KUALA LUMPUR 15 Sept. - Bagi menjayakan program E-Sisa Mudah Alih: Telefon Lama, Kehidupan Baharu, Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (MCMC) telah menjalinkan kerjasama dengan syarikat Shan Poornam Metals Sdn. Bhd. (Shan Poornam Metals) sebagai rakan kitar semula bagi menjalankan kerja-kerja pelupusan dan mengitar semula e-sisa mudah alih di negara ini.

Sebagai sebuah syarikat pengendali sisa berbahaya dan tidak berbahaya yang berpengalaman selama 55 tahun, Shan Poornam Metals telah dilesenkan oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar sebagai ‘kemudahan pemerolehan kembali penuh bahan buangan terjadual’.

Shan Poornam Metals yang terletak di Pulau Pinang juga mendapat lesen daripada Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang bagi membeli dan mengeluarkan barangan terpakai dari Zon Perdagangan Bebas.

Syarikat itu turut memperoleh lesen daripada Majlis Perbandaran Seberang Perai dalam mengitar semula barangan lusuh dan mengurus bahan bertoksik serta tidak bertoksik, selain lesen daripada Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) untuk berniaga barangan lusuh.
Memperkuatkan lagi portfolionya, Shan Poornam sehingga kini telah dianugerahkan sijil ISO 14001:2004, OHSAS 18001:2007 dan ISO 9001:2008 daripada Afnor Certification yang berpangkalan di United Kingdom.

Antara produk yang dihasilkan syarikat itu daripada sisa-sisa isi rumah dan industri ialah jongkong emas, jongkong perak, jongkong tembaga, jongkong platinum dan jongkong aluminium.

Pengarah Urusan Shan Poornam Metals, S. Selvakumar berkata, pihaknya memproses kira-kira 5,000 tan sisa elektrik dan elektronik atau e-sisa dalam sebulan yang mampu menghasilkan antaranya 35 kilogram emas, 50 kilogram perak dan 15 kilogram platinum.
Beliau berkata, kesemua bahan berharga yang dihasilkan itu buat masa ini dijual di pasaran tempatan, Jepun dan Jerman.

Namun, pihaknya bercadang untuk meluaskan pasaran ke China dan Korea Selatan pada masa hadapan.

“Buat masa ini, jumlah telefon bimbit terbuang atau e-sisa mudah alih yang dibawa dan diproses di kilang kami masih dalam kadar rendah berbanding perkakas elektrik dan elektronik lain.

“Sebenarnya, kesedaran bagi mengitar semula e-sisa mudah alih sangat penting kerana selain mengelakkan bahan bertoksik yang terkandung di dalamnya mencemari alam sekitar, ia juga mampu menjana pendapatan pemain industri seperti kami serta membuka peluang pekerjaan kepada penduduk setempat,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika memberi taklimat mengenai proses kitar semula yang dilakukan Shan Poornam Metals kepada wakil MCMC, rakan strategik dan pihak media di premisnya, baru-baru ini.

Dalam sesi pertemuan itu, para tetamu diberi peluang melawat Shan Poornam Metals dan menyaksikan sendiri mesin-mesin yang dimiliki kilang itu bagi melakukan kerja-kerja kitar semula dengan mengamalkan konsep hijau.

Bagi memudahkan lagi proses mengitar semula e-sisa, Shan Poornam Metals baru-baru ini membeli mesin khas buatan syarikat dari Jerman, Andritz MeWa GmBH sebagai aset tambahan yang dijangka tiba di negara ini pada pertengahan tahun depan.

Mesin berteknologi tinggi yang menggunakan sistem kawalan berkomputer itu dilihat mampu meningkatkan kerja-kerja memproses dan merawat e-sisa serta klorofluorokarbon (CFC).
Mesin itu bukan sahaja dapat mengekstrak logam-logam berharga daripada e-sisa, malah dapat melupuskan dengan sempurna bahan-bahan lain yang tidak diperlukan.

Selain mengambil inisiatif membuat pelaburan tinggi bagi memiliki sistem pengurusan e-sisa berteknologi tinggi itu, komitmen Shan Poornam Metals dalam meningkatkan kelestarian alam turut dapat dilihat dalam inisiatifnya menyediakan 86 buah pusat pengumpulan e-sisa di seluruh negara.

Usaha syarikat itu dalam menguruskan e-sisa selama ini telah mendapat pelbagai pengiktirafan daripada kerajaan seperti Anugerah Produk Cemerlang 2010 yang diberikan oleh Kementerian Perdagangan Antarabangsa dan In-dustri serta Anugerah Bunga Raya Perdana Menteri 2010/2011 (Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar).

Shan Poornam Metals turut diiktiraf oleh Kementerian Tenaga, Teknologi Hijau dan Air dengan dianugerahkan Anugerah Emas Pembuatan Teknologi Hijau 2012 dan Anugerah Kepimpinan Tanggungjawab Sosial Korporat 2012 oleh Pertubuhan Usahawan Generasi Muda Berjaya (GMB) Malaysia.

Selain turut menerima Anugerah Kepimpinan Global 2013 daripada majalah The Leaders International, Shan Poornam Metals juga mendapat pengiktirafan antarabangsa apabila dikurniakan Anugerah Kepimpinan Teknologi dan Tenaga Boleh Diperbaharui 2013 oleh Persekutuan Kerjasama Dewan Perniagaan dan Industri Negara-negara Teluk (FGCCC).

Inisiatif MCMC pulihara alam sekitar

Source : Utusan Online
url : http://www.utusan.com.my/sains-teknologi/alam-sekitar/inisiatif-mcmc-pulihara-alam-sekitar-1.383270


By MOHD. AZRAIE MD. YUSOF  |


KUALA LUMPUR 15 SEPT. - PENGGUNAAN telefon bimbit saban hari semakin meningkat hasil daripada pembangunan luas industri komunikasi dan multimedia sejak pengenalan kepada jalur lebar mudah alih pada tahun 2009.

Statistik daripada SIRIM QAS International Sdn. Bhd. (SIRIM QAS) menunjukkan sebanyak 65.7 juta unit telefon bimbit telah didaftarkan di negara ini antara tahun 2009 dan 2014.

Jumlah itu jika diambil kira pada waktu ini, boleh dianggap sebagai telefon bimbit yang tidak lagi digunakan atau dalam istilah ringkasnya, e-sisa mudah alih.

Hal demikian kerana menurut kajian Agensi Perlindungan Alam Amerika Syarikat, jangka hayat bagi seunit telefon bimbit adalah antara 18 dan 24 bulan.

Bagaimanapun angka sebenar sisa peranti mudah alih itu mungkin jauh lebih besar, jika mengambil kira bilangan telefon bimbit yang dibawa masuk ke negara ini tanpa rekod sah.
Bayangkan apa akan terjadi kepada telefon bimbit sebanyak itu jika tidak dilupuskan dengan sempurna. Apakah kesannya kepada alam sekitar dan kesihatan manusia?

Telefon bimbit diperbuat daripada bahan yang tidak boleh terurai secara semula jadi. Mungkin kebanyakan masyarakat mengetahui perkara ini.

Namun ramai yang tidak menyedari bahawa komponen elektronik di dalam peranti mudah alih tersebut mengandungi bahan pencemar seperti plumbum, kadmium dan merkuri.

Kadmium misalnya, boleh mengakibatkan penyakit paru-paru, kerosakan buah pinggang dan penyakit tulang manakala merkuri mampu merosakkan kulit serta menyebabkan kemerosotan ingatan.

Semakin banyak telefon bimbit dilonggokkan di tapak pelupusan sampah (tidak diuruskan dengan sempurna), semakin banyak bahan bertoksik terlepas ke alam sekitar terutama air bawah tanah yang kemudiannya boleh menjejaskan kesihatan penduduk setempat.

Sehubungan itu, Malaysia kini dalam perancangan untuk memperkenalkan program Kewajipan Lanjutan Pengeluar (EPR) atau sistem pengurusan produk dan sisa bagi menangani isu e-sisa mudah alih.

Melalui EPR, pengeluar bertanggungjawab bagi pengurusan produk (mengumpul, kitar semula dan pelupusan akhir) yang mesra alam apabila produk tersebut tidak lagi berfungsi atau dibuang.

Dalam usaha melengkapkan inisiatif EPR di Malaysia, Suruhanjaya Komunikasi dan Multimedia Malaysia (MCMC) pada tahun lalu telah melancarkan program E-Sisa Mudah Alih: Telefon Lama, Kehidupan Baharu.

Selain telefon bimbit, e-sisa mudah alih juga merujuk kepada peranti mudah alih seperti telefon pintar, tablet, phablet, pengecas, cakera keras, pemain MP3 dan power bank.
Selain ingin mendidik masyarakat mengenai pelupusan e-sisa mudah alih secara selamat, program kitar semula peranti mudah alih terpakai itu juga bertujuan untuk menggalakkan budaya 3R iaitu kurangkan (reduce), guna semula (reuse) dan kitar semula (recycling).

Inisiatif yang diwujudkan MCMC itu juga sebagai sokongan terhadap Resolution 79 yang dipersetujui dalam World Telecommunication Standardization Assembly (WTSA) pada bulan November 2012 bagi menggalakkan semua negara anggota mengambil langkah mengendali dan mengawal e-sisa untuk mengurangkan bahaya akibat peranti telekomunikasi terpakai.

Mengulas lanjut mengenai program itu, Ketua Jabatan Pembangunan Teknologi, Bahagian Teknologi dan Masyarakat MCMC, Badaruzzaman Mat Nor berkata, lebih 90 peratus daripada bahan yang digunakan dalam peranti mudah alih dan aksesori boleh dipulihkan semula.

Malah, jelas beliau, melalui program kitar semula itu, pelbagai logam berharga seperti aluminium, emas dan tembaga dapat diekstrak daripada e-sisa mudah alih.

“Jumlah logam yang diekstrak daripada e-sisa adalah 40 hingga 50 kali ganda berbanding bijih yang diekstrak daripada lombong.

“Sebagai contoh, satu tan bijih emas menghasilkan kira-kira lima gram emas, manakala satu tan papan litar telefon bimbit boleh menghasilkan kira-kira 150 gram emas atau 30 kali ganda banyaknya,” katanya.
Kesemua bahan kitar semula itu kemudiannya akan diproses dan dijual sama ada untuk pasaran tempatan mahu pun dieksport ke pasaran asing.

Antara produk yang boleh dihasilkan daripada bahan terpulih itu ialah keluli tahan karat, bateri, palet plastik dan jongkong emas.

Walau bagaimanapun, jelas Badaruzzaman, proses pemulihan tidak boleh dibuat sebarangan sebaliknya perlu dilakukan di fasiliti yang diperakui mengikut piawaian.

Beliau berkata, buat sementara ini, kesemua e-sisa mudah alih yang terkumpul akan melalui proses kitar semula dengan syarikat pengendali sisa berbahaya dan tidak berbahaya, Shan Poornam Metals Sdn. Bhd.

Syarikat itu yang terletak di Perai, Pulau Pinang diiktiraf kerana berkemampuan menyediakan kemudahan pemerolehan kembali penuh yang dilesenkan oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar.

Bagi memudahkan pengumpulan e-sisa mudah alih, MCMC dengan kerjasama syarikat-syarikat telekomunikasi menyediakan kotak pengumpulan di 74 buah kedai telekomunikasi di seluruh negara selain turut ditempatkan di Pusat Internet 1Malaysia (PI1M).

Malah terdapat syarikat-syarikat telekomunikasi yang mengambil inisiatif dengan memberikan insentif kepada orang ramai jika mereka membawa telefon bimbit yang tidak lagi digunakan ke pusat pengumpulan seperti baucar membeli-belah, cenderahati korporat syarikat masing-masing dan sebagainya.

MCMC dan pihak-pihak berkepentingan yang mengambil bahagian komited untuk memastikan e-sisa mudah alih tidak berakhir di tapak pelupusan dan akan meningkatkan lagi bilangan pusat pengumpulan serta program kesedaran dari masa ke masa.

Melalui kitar semula e-sisa mudah alih, pencemaran bukan sahaja dapat dicegah, malah alam semula jadi dapat dipulihara kerana bahan galian yang digunakan tidak perlu lagi dilombong sebaliknya mengguna semula bahan yang telah dipulih.





TELEFON bimbit terbuang mampu memberi kesan buruk kepada alam sekitar dan kesihatan manusia kerana ia diperbuat daripada bahan yang tidak boleh terurai secara semulajadi selain mengandungi bahan bertoksik. 




Thursday, September 15, 2016

Another dead dolphin found in Penang

Source : The Star Online 
http://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2016/09/15/another-dead-dolphin-found-in-penang/

Sad fate: The carcass of the dolphin that washed up on the Teluk Bayu beach.
Sad fate: The carcass of the dolphin that washed up on the Teluk Bayu beach
GEORGE TOWN: A dead dolphin washed ashore at the Teluk Bayu beach in Teluk Kumbar, the second such incident in the area within a month.
Beach-goers spotted the carcass, took pictures of it and uploaded them on social media. The images have since gone viral.
The first case occurred last month in which a dead dolphin, believed to have choked on plastic, was found along the beach off Pulau Jerejak.
It was not clear how the dolphin in the latest incident had died.
According to Universiti Sains Malaysia marine biologist Dr Aileen Tan, it was common for turtles to choke on plastic refuse, thinking that these were jellyfish.
Dolphins could also make the same mistake, she said after the first incident.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia president S.M. Mohamed Idris said he was saddened by the incidents because two dolphins had died in a month.
“It’s time for people to realise that throwing away rubbish haphazardly can cause the deaths of sea creatures.
“We will be starting a major clean-up campaign at polluted beaches in the state soon.
“I urge other NGOs to join us,” he added.

The state Fisheries Department could not be reached for comment.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Getting to the bottom of drain cleaning in KL

Source : The Star Online

url : http://www.thestar.com.my/metro/focus/2016/09/14/getting-to-the-bottom-of-drain-cleaning-in-kl-while-city-folk-are-urging-authorities-to-clean-drains/

Who's in charge: The cleaning of drains in Kuala Lumpur is no longer under the jurisdiction of DBKL as the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) was gazetted on Aug 30, 2007 and enforced since Sept 1, 2011. It is now the responsibility of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Department.
Who's in charge: The cleaning of drains in Kuala Lumpur is no longer under the jurisdiction of DBKL as the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) was gazetted on Aug 30, 2007 and enforced since Sept 1, 2011. It is now the responsibility of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Department.


Once a month. That is how frequently drains are cleaned at the moment. It used to be worse, said Tiong Nam Kuala Lumpur Area Traders Association chairman Ang Khoon Lock.
“A year or two ago, it was six months once,” said Ang, who has been making a living as a petty trader in Lorong Haji Taib for 30 years.
The filthy drain issue is as old as the hills. Numerous complaints have been made but nothing much has changed.
Who is responsible?
At a recent dialogue in Kepong between residents and the authorities over a morning open-air market, it was pointed out to a Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) senior assistant director that a coffeeshop was discharging wastewater directly into a drain that was also strewn with rubbish and food waste.
When asked if he could take action, he advised them to refer to the Health and Environmental Department.

A subsequent meeting with officers from this department revealed that they could fine the premises for lack of hygiene.
But they said the actual act of cleaning the drain itself was no longer under the jurisdiction of DBKL since the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672) was gazetted on Aug 30, 2007 and enforced on Sept 1, 2011.
The Act states that the responsibilities of collection and disposal of garbage, as well as cleansing of public roads, public places, public toilets and drains are now under Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Department (PPSPPA) which set the cleaning frequency to once a month.
The National Solid Waste Management Policy covers Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Pahang, Perlis and Kedah.
But getting to the reality on the ground, SWCorp Federal Territories director Hazilah Gumri said the local authorities should not completely wash their hands of the matter.
“The local authorities have to make sure that the drains are structurally sound, not damaged and are functioning properly before the infrastructure is handed to SWCorp for management.
"They are responsible to ensure that these drains do not become sewers. This is because they have the power to carry out enforcement,” she said.
She said the local government and local councils were most needed when it came to obstacles that could hamper the cleaning process.
“When cars park on the yellow lines in back lanes, the trucks cannot pass through. When shopowners cover their drains, it blocks cleaners from gaining access,” she added.
At present, the major players tasked with the job of cleaning public drains in all six states and two federal territories are Alam Flora, Environment Idaman and SWM Environment.
Is once a month enough?
In the opinion of a member of the public, Abdul Malik Kassim, the drain-cleaning frequency set by PPSPPA may suffice for a quiet residential area but not for a bustling commercial hub.
“Cleaners not only have rubbish to contend with. The run-off from roads in the form of dirt and automobile grease can fill a drain very quickly during heavy rain.
"Imagine the amount of dirt after a month, plus rubbish,” said Abdul Malik, who pointed out that larger amounts of rubbish and sludge meant more complicated logistics arrangements.
“It can also be demoralising for cleaners to go back to a place they have cleaned before, only to find that it has been dirtied again.
Cleaners not only have rubbish to contend with. Run-off from roads in the form of dirt and automobile grease also clog drains.
Cleaners not only have rubbish to contend with. Run-off from roads in the form of dirt and automobile grease also clog drains
“There are days when it looks like the job is a neverending one. But it is not that the cleaners have not done their job. It is because the dirt has piled up again,” he said.
Alam Flora chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zain Hassan said the city would see dramatic results within the short period of a month if cleaning was done on a daily basis.
But it is an exercise that will require added labour, machinery and cost.
In 2012, The Star report said taxpayers forked out more than RM40mil to clean up monsoon drains nationwide.
Kuala Lumpur currently lists an inventory of 4,504km of closed and open drains.
Based on rough estimates of no more than RM5 a metre for drain-cleaning fees using only manual labour, taxpayers would be looking at a bill of RM9mil or more per month.
Addressing the issue
Instead of seeing money go down the drain, there is a way to ensure it is put to better use. We really have to do something about the littering problem.
Residents in Lorong Haji Taib for example, have a habit of throwing rubbish out of their shophouse windows into the drains below.
Alam Flora cleaners know this area to be a hotspot. They wear hard hats when they come here because some of them have been hit by flying rubbish before.
When approached by StarMetro, Ang said the problem was not only with the residents but with the fruit sellers who come to the area in the wee hours of the morning.
"When business was done, they would leave behind a litter of rotten fruits and durian husks.
A drain in Jalan Kelang Lama filled with greasy water which is flowing from the restaurants piping system. — filepic
A drain in Jalan Kelang Lama filled with greasy water which is flowing from the restaurants piping system. — filepic 
“This is a job for the authorities. They should be the ones doing the inspections and enforcing the law,” he added.
Ang said petty traders and business owners in the areas would be more than happy to meet up with DBKL and Alam Flora to come up with solutions and organise a community clean-up.
DBKL Health and Environment Department director Dr Hayati Abdullah acknowledged that they had not wielded an iron fist in enforcement.
“We should have nipped the problem in the bud,” she said.
The Star reader Wong Peng Choong, a Malaysian who had formerly worked in the Environment Department in Singapore, wrote to tell us that in the 1970s when preliminary study showed that the Singapore River was declared a dead river due to severe pollution caused by discharge from open drains, the country’s then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew ordered the river cleaned up within 10 years.
“I was then working in this department. Iron-fisted actions and very strict enforcement of anti-pollution laws that required investment in modern sewerage facilities finally resulted in a clean river.
“If someone throws rubbish into the drain, the offender can expect swift punitive action, often hefty fines, restaurant closure or even a custodial sentence!” Wong wrote to StarMetro.