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 RASCOEandLESLEY 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 (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. 

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

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.

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.

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

“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 

“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.