SHES2050 GROUP 7

Garbage FLOOD, caused by human !!

2007-11-02T18:50:00.000-07:00

Greek officials protest garbage flood from Bulgaria

Fri Nov 2, 1:11 PM ET

SALONIKA (AFP) - Officials and ecologists in northern Greece were in an uproar after garbage from neighbouring Bulgaria flooded into protected wetlands following heavy rains, a local activist said Friday.

"Most of the discarded plastic containers have Bulgarian labels," said Stavros Daglis, head of the Ecological Action Group in the city of Drama.

In a letter sent Monday to the Bulgarian consul in the city of Salonika, the mayor of Kato Nevrokopi said "massive" quantities of waste from households and industry were swept into the Nestos River on October 22 and 23.

"This is the fourth time this has happened ... and we just completed a costly cleanup from waste coming from your country last year," Mayor Vassilis Yiannopoulos wrote.

"Obviously the garbage was swept from disorganised (Bulgarian) landfills after the heavy rains that fell recently," he said.

The Nestos River delta and adjoining lagoons, which extend over a 21,930-hectare (54,190-acre) area, are protected wetlands.

"We cannot have the Nestos turning into a garbage dump every time it rains," Drama prefect Costas Evmoiridis told the regional Makedonia daily.

Mexico's Flood !!

2007-11-02T18:10:00.001-07:00

Hundreds of thousands flee Mexico floods

By ANTONIO VILLEGAS, Associated Press Writer 44 minutes ago

VILLAHERMOSA, Mexico - Hundreds of thousands of Mexicans fled a flooded region of the Gulf coast Friday, jumping from rooftops into rescue helicopters, scrambling into boats or swimming out through murky brown water. President Felipe Calderon called the flooding in Tabasco state one of Mexico's worst recent natural disasters, and pledged to rebuild.

A week of heavy rains caused rivers to overflow, drowning at least 80 percent of the oil-rich state. Much of the state capital, Villahermosa, looked like New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, with water reaching to second-story rooftops and desperate people awaiting rescue.

At least one death was reported and nearly all services, including drinking water and public transportation, were shut down. The flood affected more than 900,000 people in the state of 2 million — their homes flooded, damaged or cut off by high water.

A 10-inch natural gas pipeline sprang a leak after flooding apparently washed away soil underneath it, but it was unclear if other facilities operated by the state-run Petroleos Mexicanos were damaged or if oil production was affected.

Workers tried to protect Villahermosa's famous Olmec statues by placing sandbag collars around their enormous stone heads, and built sandbag walls to hold back the Grijalva River in the state capital.

But the water rose quickly, surprising residents used to annual floods and forcing soldiers to evacuate the historic city center. The dikes failed Thursday night, and water swamped the capital's bus station and open-air market.

Rain gave way to sunshine Friday, but tens of thousands of people were still stranded on rooftops or in the upper floors of their homes. Rescue workers used tractors, helicopters, jet skis and boats to ferry people to safety, while others swam through water infested by poisonous snakes to reach higher ground.

Calderon met with state officials and flew over the affected areas. The extent of the flooding was clear from the sky — Tabasco state seemed like an inland sea with only rooftops and treetops protruding from the water.

"This is not just the worst natural catastrophe in the state's history but, I would venture to say, one of the worst in the recent history of the country," Calderon said Friday during an emergency meeting with state officials in Villahermosa.

The president ordered the armed forces and federal police to maintain order and prevent looting, and asked residents to remain calm. He canceled a trip to Panama, Colombia and Peru.

"Once we have passed the critical stage ... we are going to reconstruct Tabasco, whatever it takes," Calderon said.

Mexicans rallied around the disaster, with people across the country contributing money and supplies. Television stations dedicated entire newscasts to the flooding and morning shows switched from yoga and home improvement to calls for aid. Friday was the Day of the Dead holiday, but banks opened to accept donations for flood victims.

Food and clean drinking water were extremely scarce in Tabasco state, and federal Deputy Health Secretary Mauricio Hernandez warned that there could be outbreaks of cholera and other waterborne diseases.

"With so many people packed together there is a chance that infectious diseases could spread," he said.

Officials tested for 600 suspected cases of cholera, but none was positive, he said. The waterborne sickness, which can be fatal, has not been reported in Mexico for at least six years.

The government also sent 20,000 Hepatitis A vaccinations and were giving booster shots to children to prevent outbreaks, Hernandez said.

Medical care was difficult, however, because at least 50 of the state's hospitals and medical centers were flooded.

Hotels, parking garages and other dry structures were converted into temporary shelters for those forced from their homes.

Guadalupe de la Cruz, a receptionist at the Hotel Calinda Viva Villahermosa, said the hotel's meeting rooms were being used as shelters for employees' families. She said the 240-room hotel was completely booked, mostly by people who had fled their homes.

Many people were headed to nearby cities unaffected by the floods. Highways that weren't covered with water were packed with residents fleeing in cars and on foot. The exodus appeared to be orderly with no reports of violence.

Villahermosa resident Mauricio Hernandez, 27, who is not related to the federal official, paid a taxi to go to Cardenas, 30 miles away. From there, he planned to hop a bus to the port city of Coatzacoalcos.

"We are leaving because we cannot live like this," he said. "We don't have any water, and the shelters are full. Where are we going to go?"

State officials sent 50 buses to a museum in the capital where hundreds of people gathered.

"We wanted to stay in the city but it is no longer possible," said Jorge Rodriguez, 43. "We have lost everything."

"Malaysia rise up !!"

2007-10-31T02:22:00.000-07:00

Country profile: Malaysia

Malaysia boasts one of south-east Asia's most vibrant economies, the fruit of decades of industrial growth and political stability.

Its multi-ethnic, multi-religious society encompasses a majority Muslim population in most of its states and an economically-powerful Chinese community.

Consisting of two regions separated by some 640 miles of the South China Sea, Malaysia is a federation of 13 states and three federal territories.

It is one of the region's key tourist destinations, offering excellent beaches and brilliant scenery. Dense rainforests in the eastern states of Sarawak and Sabah, on the island of Borneo, are a refuge for wildlife and tribal traditions.

Malaysia made the transformation from a farm-based economy

Ethnic Malays comprise some 60% of the population. Chinese constitute around 26%; Indians and indigenous peoples make up the rest. The communities coexist in relative harmony, although there is little racial interaction.

Although since 1971 Malays have benefited from positive discrimination in business, education and the civil service, ethnic Chinese continue to hold economic power and are the wealthiest community. The Malays remain the dominant group in politics while the Indians are among the poorest.

Malaysia's economic prospects remain healthy, although it faces fierce competition from its neighbours, and from China and India.

Free trade talks were opened with the US, but the US has said it will not be able to conclude a deal in 2007 as the two sides failed to meet a deadline to secure a deal before President George W Bush's fast-track trade authority expired in June.

The country is among the world's biggest producers of computer disk drives, palm oil, rubber and timber. It has a state-owned car maker, Proton, and tourism has considerable room for expansion.

But it also faces serious challenges - politically, in the form of sustaining stability in the face of religious differences and the ethnic wealth gap, and, environmentally, in preserving its valuable forests.

Malaysia's human rights record has come in for international criticism. Internal security laws allow suspects to be detained without charge or trial.

Tidak ada kesedaran punca lambakan komputer lama

2007-10-31T02:13:00.000-07:00

Oleh Afiq Hanifmafiq@hmetro.com.my
MEMANG menjadi sifat manusia, sentiasa inginkan barang baru untuk dilengkapkan tidak ketinggalan produk berasaskan komputer apalagi ia berubah mengikut perkembangan semasa dan gaya dunia.Apabila bercakap mengenai komputer, tidak ramai individu yang menghiraukan komponennya termasuk monitor dan unit pemprosesan pusat (CPU) apabila ia menjangkau usia tertentu menyebabkannya terus dibuang jika diganti dengan produk baru.Sebaik memiliki model baru, pengguna hanya mencampakkan komputer lama ke dalam tong sampah depan rumah atau mengumpulkannya dalam ruang simpanan barang tanpa memikirkan berpuluh-puluh komponen yang boleh dikitar semula.Kebanyakan rakyat Malaysia menukar komputer tiga hingga lima tahun. Jika terdapat satu komputer dalam satu keluarga seramai lima orang, jumlahnya ialah 5.4 juta!
Bayangkan jumlah itu dilonggok begitu saja di tempat pembuangan sampah? ia pasti merugikan apatah lagi masih terdapat komponen yang boleh dikeluarkan untuk digunakan sebaik mungkin.
Tambahan pula, pencemaran alam sekitar pasti berlaku kerana terdapat bahan toksik terkandung dalam komputer boleh meresap ke tanah sehingga mengganggu punca air yang diminum setiap hari jika tidak dikawal.Tiub aliran katod dalam monitor memiliki toksid mengandungi plumbum, raksa dan kadmium (logam seperti timah yang lembut dan berwarna perak).Di California, tiub diisytiharkan sebagai bahan berbahaya yang menjadikan pembuangannya menjadi lebih sukar kerana ia kini tidak lagi dibenarkan ditanam.Sikap malas menjadi punca utama mengapa komputer tidak dikitar semula apatah lagi ganjaran yang terhasil apabila menukarkan komputer lama tidak menguntungkan.Mentaliti seperti ini harus dikikis memandangkan sikap sebegini menyumbang sebahagian pembaziran bahan mentah yang menimbun setiap hari di pusat pelupusan sampah.Jika diperhati dengan teliti, bahan terkandung pasti menghasilkan banyak barangan terpakai atau baru yang mempunyai nilai sekurang-kurangnya mengurangkan pencemaran alam berleluasa kini.Contoh komponen yang boleh dikitar semula:* Plumbum pada tiub sinar katod dan pateri* Arsenik pada tiub sinar katod lama* Selenium pada papan litar sebagai pembekal tenaga* Perencat nyala polibrominan pada selongsong plastik, kabel dan papan litar* Stibium trioksida* Cadmium pada papan litar dan semikonduktor* Kromium pada keluli sebagai pencegah hakisan* Kobalt pada keluli bagi struktur dan kemagnetan dan raksa pada suis serta pembalutBahan seperti ini akan terbuang begitu saja malah mencemarkan alam sekitar dengan prosesnya menghasilkan sisa toksik berbahaya kepada nyawa manusia.Sesungguhnya bahan berbahaya daripada pembuangan komputer berlaku melalui penyerapan logam berat ke dalam air bawah tanah dan pengeluaran asap yang beracun ke udara.Program Alam Sekitar Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) menganggarkan sejumlah 50 juta tan bahan komponen komputer dibuang setiap tahun.Ia satu jumlah yang menakutkan apatah lagi pencemaran mampu menyebabkan pelbagai penyakit seperti kanser jika tidak ditangani dengan bijak oleh manusia.Kajian juga menunjukkan sejumlah 300 juta PC bakal bertaburan menjadi bahan buangan menjelang 2010 akibat kekurangan ruang untuk melupuskan bahan pepejal itu.Usaha dilakukan bukan tertumpu kepada individu saja, organisasi besar harus mengambil langkah proaktif mengitar semula komputer pada kuantiti banyak.Enam tahun lalu, Hewlett Packard (HP) sendiri melaksanakan program kitar semula membabitkan produk PC dan elektronik lain yang mengandungi bahan kimia toksid di kilangnya, Roseville.Program kitar semula HP satu daripada usaha untuk mengatasi berjuta produk elektronik yang tersimpan di gudang atau stor disebabkan tidak dapat dibuang begitu saja tanpa mengikut prosedur ditetapkan.HP akan mengenal pasti PC yang masih boleh dipakai dan kemudian dibaiki untuk dijual semula manakala PC tidak boleh dibaiki akan diambil alat gantinya sebelum ia dimusnahkan sepenuhnya.Besi pada PC akan dihancurkan dan plastik dikecil termasuk debunya sekali akan dileburkan untuk menjadi tenaga. Setiap komponen PC akan dihantar ke bahagian yang dapat diguna semula bagi memastikan tiada yang akan ditanam.Sementara itu, syarikat swasta juga tidak ketinggalan mewujudkan peluang kepada orang ramai untuk mengitar semula PC atau laptop mereka bagi diguna pakai golongan yang inginkan harga murah.Antara syarikat bertanggungjawab mengitar semula PC dan komputer terpakai termasuk Apex Computer Services Sdn Bhd yang beroperasi sejak 2004. Pengarah Urusannya, Hafiz Hashemi Johaini, berkata syarikatnya mempunyai tanggungjawab sosial yang perlu dilakukan agar kempen kitar semula berjaya selain menyelamatkan alam sekitar daripada tercemar.“Produk komputer tidak seharusnya dibuang begitu saja, ia mampu diguna pakai untuk kegunaan orang yang memerlukan seperti golongan yang berpendapatan rendah,” katanya.Menurutnya, golongan seperti pelajar institusi pengajian tinggi (IPT) dan ibu bapa yang kurang mampu membelikan PC untuk anak mereka boleh manfaat hasil daripada barangan yang dianggap tidak berguna itu.“Tak perlu buang. Apa salahnya jual saja untuk dikitar semula bagi manfaat lain, malah kita mampu mendapat hasil daripada komputer terpakai,” katanya.“Perniagaan saya dapat membantu usaha kerajaan menerusi program kitar semula. Daripada komputer lama dan rosak dibuang dan dilupuskan begitu saja, lebih baik dijual. Kami akan baiki dan jual semula dengan harga murah,” katanya.Katanya, komputer terpakai akan dibaik pulih dan jika ada komponen yang tidak boleh digunakan lagi akan dikitar semula untuk menjadi bahan berguna lain.Tambahnya, pihak swasta seperti sektor perbankan contoh terbaik organisasi yang melupuskan komputer lama secara sistematik.“Mereka (pihak bank) memberikan kerjasama baik dalam mengitar semula komputer terpakai. Kesedaran seperti itu perlu ditingkatkan,” kata Hafiz.Monitor yang tidak mahu digunakan lagi pula boleh dijadikan diskaun untuk mendapatkan model baru di kedai Apex di Gombak, Shah Alam, Kajang dan Melaka.“Kami menawarkan servis pelupusan, penjualan komputer serta laptop terpakai pada harga rendah dan membeli PC lama dengan harga berpatutan,” katanya yang juga mempunyai kilang pelupusan di Bukit Kemuning, Shah Alam.Baru-baru ini Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar menimbang mewujudkan memberi insentif bagi mengatasi masalah sisa buangan elektronik atau e-waste melalui mekanisme yang dirangka.Timbalan Menterinya, Datuk S Sothinathan, berkata soal pemberian insentif dibincangkan pada mesyuarat kementerian tiga bulan lalu bagi mewujudkan kesedaran mengenai pentingnya mengatasi buangan elektronik yang memberi kesan buruk ke atas alam sekitar.Menurutnya, telefon bimbit dan bateri terpakai, peralatan komputer serta bahan lain adalah buangan terjadual yang jika tidak dilupus dengan sempurna boleh mencemarkan alam sekitar, terutama kepada tanah dan sistem air bawah tanah.Pada 2005, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd dengan kerjasama Persatuan Industri Komputer dan Multimedia Malaysia (Pikom) melaksanakan kempen kitar semula.Hasil sepanjang enam bulan itu menyaksikan sebanyak 1,424 barangan komputer yang terdiri daripada 443 monitor, 378 unit pemerosesan pusat (CPU), 555 pencetak dan 48 aksesori termasuk tetikus, papan kekunci dan cakera keras dikutip oleh 36 pusat kitar semula Alam Flora.Kelebihan kitar semula komputer lama mampu mendatangkan hasil walaupun tidak lumayan, sekurang-kurangnya ia dapat membantu golongan lain lebih memerlukan.Adakah kita mahu planet dan bumi Malaysia tercemar hanya kerana sikap tidak mengambil berat dan tak kisah terus menjadi musuh yang menyebabkan kehancuran diri kita sendiri?

"Behind Pollution"

2007-10-31T02:10:00.000-07:00

Water Service 'behind pollution'

The service was blamed for a major fish kill

The Water Service in Northern Ireland has caused more than 1,500 pollution incidents in the five years to 2005 - almost one a day.

The figures were revealed under the Freedom of Information Act following a request from BBC Radio Foyle.

The incidents of pollution include a major fish kill on the River Roe near Limavady last July.

However, Jack McFarland, regional manager with the Water Service, said most incidents were of a minor nature.

He said the Water Service was third highest when it came to pollution, with industry second and farming at the top of the list.

"These are figures we are not very proud of," he told the BBC.

"We have hundreds of pumping stations, hundreds of sewerage works. Not everything works exactly to plan, as we would wish. We do have failures and we are not proud of them.

"But in fairness they are not causing any great degree of pollution; it is manageable."

A new water company will be formed in April

The Department of Regional Development confirmed that the Water Service caused 1,527 pollution incidents between 2000 and 2005.

These included waterways being polluted with raw sewage.

The Church Brae Burn near Derry was found to be "grey with fungus" and "septic" for six weeks last summer.

Mr McFarland said in the north-west area over the last five years there were 291 incidents, with only one of those deemed high, 5-6% deemed medium and the others low.

"The impact on the environment from our activities has been very low," he said.

"The quality of our infrastructure in some areas would probably be the major cause.

"Most of our sewerage depends a lot on pumping stations. We have power failures... but they don't last for long.

"But it's long enough for a sump to build up and maybe start to overflow - that in itself will create an incident. We do have pump failure and of course there are times when we do get things wrong ourselves."

Currently the Water Service is not prosecuted over such incidents, but Mr McFarland said Crown immunity would cease after it becomes Northern Ireland Water Ltd in April.

Menanti Olimpik 2008

2007-10-31T02:06:00.000-07:00

Oleh AZLINARIAH ABDULLAH (Yang melawat Beijing, China, baru-baru ini)
DAPAT difahami kegembiraan China semasa ia diumumkan berjaya menjadi tuan rumah kepada penganjuran Sukan Olimpik 2008.
Pengumuman yang dibuat oleh Presiden Jawatankuasa Olimpik Antarabangsa (IOC), Juan Antonio Samaranch di Moscow pada 14 Julai 2001 itu segera disambut dengan sorakan, nyanyian dan pesta oleh sebahagian besar penduduk China.
China sebenarnya telah lama mengidamkan untuk diberikan tugas sebegitu, menjadi tuan rumah Sukan Olimpik memandangkan ia percaya kepada keupayaannya sendiri.
Turut berusaha memenangi hati anggota IOC bersama-sama Beijing untuk penganjuran Olimpik 2008 ialah Toronto (Kanada), Paris (Perancis), Istanbul (Turki) dan Osaka (Jepun). China pernah tewas dua undi kepada Sydney bagi penganjuran Sukan Olimpik 2000.
Menganjurkan sukan sebegitu hebat seperti Olimpik tentulah memberi makna yang besar dari segi martabat, ekonomi dan prestij, apalagi buat China yang mempunyai 1.2 bilion penduduk dan sering dikritik kerana rekod hitam hak asasinya.
Kita di Malaysia sendiri sudah merasai betapa kesan positif yang dibawa oleh Sukan Komanwel 1998 dari segi pembinaan bangsa dan negara.
China yang kini menerima pelaburan asing terbesar di dunia diramalkan lambat- laun akan menjadi kuasa besar ekonomi. Olimpik 2008 pasti akan menjadi pemangkin untuk mencapai matlamat berkenaan.
Dalam pada itu, di kalangan negara Asia, China belum pernah menjadi tuan rumah bagi Olimpik moden sejak ia diperkenalkan pada 1896. Sejarahnya, Olimpik dua kali diadakan di Asia, di Tokyo pada 1964 dan Seoul pada tahun 1998. Kini, peristiwa meraikan kegembiraan mendapat hak penganjuran Sukan Olimpik 2008 itu telah lama berlalu. Malahan, tuan rumah kepada sukan Olimpik 2012 telah pun diketahui, diserahkan kepada London.
Tinggal kurang daripada setahun sahaja lagi dari sekarang, China akan menunjukkan kepada dunia bahawa ia benar-benar boleh menganjurkan sukan paling berprestij di dunia itu. Kesediaan Beijing dapat dilihat dari segi fizikal, semangat dan teruja warga-warga di negara tersebut.
Berkesempatan melawat Beijing baru-baru ini, penulis dapat melihat bahawa ibu kota negara China, yang dulunya dikenali sebagai Peking itu benar-benar komited untuk memberikan ‘sesuatu’ kepada dunia semasa penganjuran itu nanti.
Sukan Olimpik 2008 bertemakan Satu Dunia, Satu Impian (One World, One Dream) akan diadakan di Beijing bermula 8 Ogos 2008.
‘‘Sebelum ini, pihak kerajaan berjanji bahawa semasa Sukan Olimpik 2008, di Beijing nanti tidak akan dilitupi asap atau kesesakan lalu lintas.
‘‘Usaha ke arah itu telah dilakukan,’’ kata Liu Qi, Setiausaha Parti Komunis Beijing, seperti yang dipetik oleh majalah bulanan dwibahasa, Beijing Time.
Kata beliau, yang juga merupakan Datuk Bandar Beijing, pembinaan lebih banyak jalan, laluan kereta api bawah tanah merupakan antara persiapan untuk mengatasi masalah kesesakan sekali gus persediaan menghadapi temasya itu.
Beijing juga kelihatannya memulakan langkah dengan baik dalam usaha memperbaiki kualiti udara sejak beberapa tahun lalu dan situasi itu bertambah baik dari semasa ke semasa.
Dalam hal ini, Zhou Rong dari Institut Alam Sekitar dan Pencemaran berkata, dengan jumlah pemilik kereta terus bertambah di bandar raya yang mempunyai 15 juta penduduk, beberapa langkah lain juga perlu diambil untuk memperbaiki kualiti udara. Bilangan penduduk sejumlah 15 juta orang menjadikan Beijing sebagai tempat kedua terpadat di China selepas bandar raya Shanghai.
Tambahnya, sebanyak 9,000 kawasan pembinaan Beijing diarahkan oleh kerajaan agar menutup kawasan-kawasan berpasir dan berdebu bagi mengelak ia mencemari ruang udara.
‘‘Pada masa sama, syarikat pembinaan yang mempunyai kadar pencemaran alam sekitar paling tinggi seperti kilang besi Beijing Shougang telah dipindahkan daripada bandar raya itu.
“Semuanya adalah menjadi sebahagian persediaan Beijing menganjurkan Sukan Olimpik,’’ katanya seperti dipetik dalam temu bual siaran langsung program Dialogue di China Central Television Corporation (CCTV) baru-baru ini.
China akan menyambut hampir 500,000 pelawat asing dan sejuta penduduk tempatan sewaktu berlangsungnya temasya itu, menurut anggaran kerajaan.
Sementara itu, dalam Newsweek bagi edaran bertarikh 13 Ogos, majalah mingguan itu turut menyiarkan betapa kerajaan China berhabis untuk program menghijaukan bandar raya Beijing demi Olimpik 2008.
Laporan oleh Melinda Liu itu menyebut bahawa sebanyak 12 bilion yuan diperuntukkan untuk mengindahkan kawasan perumahan, taman dan perbandaran, tidak ketinggalan memberi ‘sinar terang’ kepada lampu-lampu serta meletakkan pokok-pokok.
Dan, semasa di Beijing baru-baru ini, dapat dilihat bahawa ibu kota China itu seolah-olah bertukar wajah.
Keadaan persekitarannya bersih. Pokok-pokok dibiarkan tumbuh tinggi memberi teduh tetapi dijaga daun-daunnya agar tidak menjadi longgokan sampah.
Tidak kelihatan sampah sarap atau pemandangan mencacatkan imej terdapat di tempat-tempat tumpuan pelancong seperti Dataran Tiananmen, Tembok Besar China, Summer Palace dan Forbidden City.
Di kalangan warganya pula, mereka kelihatan lebih berdisiplin di mana penulis tidak terserempak dengan adegan ‘tipikal’ penduduk China iaitu meludah merata-rata tempat.
Pendek kata, panorama Beijing kelihatan indah, menarik dan harmoni, tidak ketinggalan meriah di sana sini dengan logo Olimpik – lima bulatan warna biru, hitam, kuning, hijau dan merah.
Turut menggambarkan keterujaan Beijing mengalu-alukan Olimpik 2008 ialah betapa kempen pemasarannya begitu rancak sekali.
Dapat dilihat di mana-mana – daripada kedai biasa sehingga di hotel-hotel, tempat tumpuan pelancongan, cenderahati memaparkan maskot Olimpik 2008– Bei Bei, Jing Jing, Huan Huan, Ying Ying dan Ni Ni dijual kepada umum.
Cenderahati seperti rangkaian kunci, kemeja T, topi dan pin laris dijual dan mendapat permintaan tinggi.
Logiknya pula, pemasaran untuk barangan Olimpik 2008 itu bakal meraih untung berjuta-juta dolar.
Laporan sebelum ini memetik IOC sebagai menjangkakan Beijing mampu mengatasi rekod keuntungan yang dicatatkan oleh Los Angeles ketika menjadi tuan rumah Sukan Olimpik 1984 iaitu AS$220 (RM831.6 juta).
Dalam pada itu, tinjauan ke stadium utama, dikenali sebagai National Stadium di Beichen Road mendapati, kerja-kerja pembinaan masih dijalankan dan tidak dibuka kepada awam.
Stadium itu nanti berupaya menempatkan seramai 90,000 pengunjung.
Di kalangan warganya sendiri, James Wang Li, seorang pemandu pelancong, mengakui sangat teruja menantikan Olimpik 2008.
‘‘Pelancong yang saya bawa rata-rata bertanya pandangan saya mengenainya. Jawab saya, Beijing ternanti-nanti dan sangat gembira menunggu detik itu.’’

Keselamatan Alam Sekitar

2007-10-31T02:01:00.000-07:00

TINDAKAN kerajaan mengumumkan perubahan mengetatkan kadar hukuman ke atas kesalahan pencemaran toksik dan meletakkan pengawalan yang ketat di pintu-pintu sempadan Malaysia adalah satu pendekatan yang mencerminkan keprihatinan kerajaan dalam usaha menghadapi ancaman keselamatan bentuk baru.
Terma ‘masalah alam dan sekitar’ dahulunya sering kali dirujuk kepada masalah-masalah pencemaran, pembuangan sampah, pencemaran sungai dan sebagainya.
Namun kita tidak sedar bahawa terma ‘alam dan sekitar’ ini adalah konsep yang merangkumi manusia, alam sekeliling dan aktiviti ketamadunan.
Terma ini secara langsung membawa kepada penjelasan bahawa konsep keselamatan alam sekitar merangkumi melindungi manusia dan alam yang didiami daripada ancaman dan bahaya.
Dengan perkataan lain, konsep keselamatan alam sekitar tidak lagi tertumpu kepada isu-isu pencemaran tetapi juga ia turut merangkumi bencana alam, kepupusan sumber, penebangan hutan secara tidak terkawal, kestabilan ekonomi, jenayah rentasi sempadan, pemberontakan, penyakit dan sebagainya.
Malah di negara maju seperti Amerika Syarikat dan Jepun, isu-isu ini telah diutamakan sebagai elemen dalam keselamatan negara.
Bencana alam yang mampu meragut kestabilan ekonomi, tamadun dan nyawa, kepupusan sumber yang mampu membawa kepada pencetusan konflik antara negara, kegiatan jenayah merentasi sempadan yang menggugat keselamatan dan kedaulatan sesebuah negara merupakan contoh kemampuan isu-isu ini menggugat kestabilan dan keselamatan negara yang dikategorikan sebagai isu bukan tradisional.
Realitinya keperihatinan kerajaan terhadap masalah alam sekitar bukanlah pendekatan yang sia-sia, sebaliknya kita perlu sedar ia adalah pendekatan yang sama sepertimana yang telah diambil oleh negara-negara maju terhadap isu-isu bukan tradisional.
Dengan kata lain, Malaysia pada ketika ini telah mula mengorak langkah memperkukuhkan konsep keselamatan negara seiring dengan pendekatan negara-negara maju dalam soal keselamatan dan kedaulatan negara.
Tindakan kerajaan yang mengetatkan kawalan di pintu-pintu sempadan negara adalah usaha untuk mengatasi cabang-cabang isu bukan tradisional seperti jenayah merentasi sempadan, pencerobohan, pendatang tanpa izin, penyeludupan, dadah, penyakit, jenayah awam dan sebagainya.
Usaha ini bagi memastikan keselamatan dan kedaulatan rakyat dan negara dapat dikekalkan dan diperkukuhkan.
Pencemaran
Teguran Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yang menyentuh mengenai masalah pencemaran alam sekitar di Malaysia melambangkan keprihatinan kerajaan terhadap isu-isu alam sekitar yang semakin lama dilihat akan menggugat keselamatan rakyat dan negara.
Kita dapat lihat dengan jelas pendedahan-pendedahan oleh media massa terhadap isu-isu keselamatan alam sekitar yang pada ketika ini telah menjadi sebagai cabaran besar kepada negara.
Apa yang menyedihkan ialah keprihatinan kerajaan dan pendedahan-pendedahan yang dibuat oleh media massa terhadap isu alam sekitar tidak dijadikan sebagai teladan dan pengajaran, sedangkan isu-isu ini yang menggugat keselamatan rakyat dan negara.
Di negara-negara maju, masalah alam sekitar merupakan salah satu komponen keselamatan negara dan ia bukan lagi dianggap sebagai isu keselamatan ‘remeh- temeh’.
Sebaliknya isu-isu ini dilihat sebagai masalah yang mampu mengancam kestabilan, keselamatan dan kedaulatan negara. Konsep keselamatan alam sekitar sebenarnya merupakan konsep yang berkembang seiring dengan perkembangan ancaman-ancaman terhadap sesebuah negara.
Ketika era Perang Dingin (1945-1991) masalah alam sekitar merupakan ‘topik’ yang tidak mendapat perhatian masyarakat dunia.
Namun keruntuhan persaingan kuasa Kesatuan Soviet dan Amerika Syarikat pada tahun 1991, dunia global mula memperkembangkan konsep keselamatan negara yang mana ia turut melibatkan ancaman-ancaman bukan tradisional.
Tamatnya persaingan kuasa di peringkat antarabangsa telah mempengaruhi negara dunia termasuk Malaysia untuk melihat dan menilai semula konsep keselamatan negara.
Justeru, masalah-masalah alam sekitar seperti pencemaran, penyakit (AIDS, JE, SARS, dan lain-lain), penebangan hutan, ekonomi, jerebu, bencana alam, kekurangan sumber, perebutan sumber dan sebagainya telah dilihat mampu mengancam keselamatan negara. Bagaimana isu-isu ini mampu menggugat keselamatan negara?
Sebagai contoh masalah sumber air yang pernah dianggap sebagai isu ‘remeh-temeh’ terbukti mampu membawa sesebuah negara ke kancah peperangan.
Perebutan sumber air Sungai Tigris dan Eupharates pernah membawa Iraq, Turki dan Syria menghadapi konflik. Sungai Nil yang merupakan nadi bagi Timur Tengah dan Afrika pernah mencetuskan konflik antara Mesir, Habsyah dan Sudan.
Manakala di Malaysia, isu air yang melibatkan Kuala Lumpur-Singapura pernah membawa kedua-dua negara ke kancah ketegangan dan risiko konflik antara negara.
Masalah jerebu yang melanda Asia Tenggara pada tahun 1997, 2003 dan 2006 yang berpunca daripada aktiviti pembakaran terbuka di wilayah Indonesia telah menjadi isu yang menggugat keselamatan negara serantau khususnya Malaysia yang terpaksa menanggung kos dan kerugian yang besar bagi menghadapi masalah alam sekitar iaitu jerebu.
Ia jelas memperlihatkan kedaulatan dan keselamatan negara tercabar dengan ancaman isu-isu bukan tradisional.
Malah isu-isu ini sekiranya tidak ditangani, ia akan mencabar kedaulatan dan meletakkan negara dalam risiko menghadapi ancaman keselamatan.
Perluasan konsep ancaman keselamatan negara yang melibatkan isu-isu bukan tradisional telah meletakkan Malaysia di landasan kestabilan dan jaminan keselamatan.
Isu-isu bukan tradisional ini perlu diperjelaskan dan disebarkan kepada rakyat dengan secara meluas sebagai elemen yang mampu mengganggu gugat keselamatan negara.
– MOHAMAD FAISOL KELING,
Fakulti Pengajian Antarabangsa,
Universiti Utara Malaysia.

To Nature's Rescue

2007-10-23T06:20:00.000-07:00

Tuesday October 23, 2007

By TAN CHENG LI
chengli@thestar.com.my
Malaysians from various walks of life share their ideas on saving the world.
WHAT would you do if you were in the seat of power, with clout to influence the state of our environment? What would you do if you were the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment? We posed this question to Malaysians and here are their replies:

“If I were the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, I would ...”

“... walk more and follow our drains (or should I say rivers). There is nothing like being close to the ground to understand what needs to be done. I would also increase the price of fossil fuels and tax all petroleum-based industries (which includes plastics). This tax would be channelled to a special fund to support environment programmes nationwide.” – Dr Reza Azmi, conservation planner and founder of Wild Asia

The Tanjung Piai park in Johor shelters a lush mangrove forest. We need more such protected areas. –Pic by CHOU K.S.
“... take the lead role to ensure basic environmentalknowledge is passed on to every child. Children must be taught basic things such as the three Rs so that it becomes second nature to them. Schools must be made environmentally-friendly. They can be places where children will learn to love our planet and be responsible for it. It is at this age that they will love animals and want to protect them. I would work with the Education Minister to develop learning tools and project-based activities to keep children interested in what this planet offers us, what are its threats and how each individual, young or old, can play a role in keeping it healthy. There would be loads more that can be done.” – Lara Ariffin, producer

“... pass the death penalty for people who poach the Sumatran rhinoceros and Malayan tiger, ensure that no more forest is converted into urban areas or agricultural land, fight for more budget to improve the environment and safeguard it from further deterioration.” – Julia Ng, programme officer, Traffic South-East Asia

“... enforce rigorously the many laws which are in place, to make a difference. A trinity of anti-pollution laws combined with environmental education and strict enforcement, will ensure that society appreciates and upkeeps a pristine environment. These laws need to control hill-cutting, illegal logging, waste dumping and throwing of plastic bags out of car windows. They must also reward recycling and reuse as efficient means to avoid energy wastage which contributes to global warming. Only when the last tree is dead will we realise that money cannot be eaten.” – Dr Richard Cropp, chemical engineer

“... I’d first and foremost send my entire staff for training on basic compassion for animals. I’d fly down experts from Animals Asia Foundation (AAF), who are respected worldwide for their outstanding work in animal rescue and education, to train all my staff on the ethical treatment of animals. And, it can’t hurt for municipal council officers to attend these classes too. I’d also protect our wildlife in our rainforest, not in zoos and tourists resorts where wildlife like the orang utan is made to cycle and perform kick-boxing. You cannot create a society mature enough to recycle and use less plastic unless you deal with their hearts first. And a healthy heart comes firstly from treating those who are helpless, like this country’s animals, with care and respect.” – Shoba Mano, animal rights activist

To enjoy swimming among fishes in the sea, we must stem all marine pollution. –Pic by ANTHONY TAN / The Star"... I’d start a year-long ‘Community for Clean Air and Clean Water’ campaign whereby each community, neighbourhood, village, school or Felda scheme is given cash to commit to one thing to ensure clean air and/or clean water – complete with measurable outcomes. On top of that, the community which best achieves its goals will win a prize and be used as a model to be replicated elsewhere." – Wong Siew Lyn, writer

“... push for Environmental Education to be an official part of the school curriculum – if not as a subject by itself, then as a module or section of the Science subject. It’s good to start them young. I would also keep an eye on existing green lungs and parks to make sure they don’t get bulldozed for development, and try to set up new ones, where possible. I would also review the Environmental Impact Assessment procedures to raise the bar to make sure EIA consultants are doing a proper job and developers do not start work on a project before the EIA has been officially approved. All stakeholders and other relevant parties should be notified of a project development and invited to comment on the EIA report.” – Khor Hui Min, copywriter

“... commute by bus, train and LRT once a week, to see how bad the public transportation is and how it can be improved. I would also encourage other agencies to create more car-free zones in the city and build more cycling lanes. Not only will this lessen traffic congestion, it will lead to cleaner air and less global warming.” – Dennis Quah, college student

“... provide justifications to the Economic Planning Unit, Public Services Department and Treasury to provide more staff and resources to the Conservation and Environmental Management Division. This is the main agency co-ordinating biodiversity conservation but it has only a handful of officers. Although water and air quality are important matters and deserve attention, biodiversity conservation is a much-neglected area.
“There are overlaps between the functions of the Forestry Department, and the Wildlife and National Parks Department (Perhilitan). Forestry staff mainly enforce laws against illegal logging and pay little attention to poaching of wildlife and non-timber plants. Officers from both departments patrol the forest for different purposes. Therefore, resources are not optimised. I would instruct them to conduct joint patrols but, ultimately, I would merge the two, as is done in Sarawak.
“I would also work with the Housing and Local Government Ministry to ensure that every local council has environment and biodiversity officers. This will ensure that environmental considerations are integrated into planning and management at the local level, in the hope that projects that are detrimental to the environment are rejected early on. I would also meet the Mentri Besar and Chief Minister of every state so that Perhilitan is included in state planning committees. So far, it is usually not consulted when projects are discussed but is blamed when human-wildlife conflict occurs.” – Surin Suksuwan, conservationist

“... make flash floods a thing of the past. I would ensure that the Drainage and Irrigation Department enforces laws on stormwater management in urban areas, development sites and cleared lands. Very often, it is the water runoffs from these places that silt up our rivers and make them shallow, thus causing flash floods.” – Colin Dass, lawyer

“... make financial institutions play a bigger role in environmental conservation, and not just in terms of supporting green campaigns or wildlife research. Conservation concerns should be integrated into how banks operate. For instance, banks should scrutinise the environmental risks and liabilities, as well as social impact, of development projects before financing such schemes.” – Ridwan Mohamad, surveyor

Even as we organise tree-planting campaigns, we are clearing more forests. – Pic by MUSTAFA AHMAD / The Star“... amend the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 urgently, to embrace current needs, in light of the levels and sophistication of crimes against wildlife. It has been 35 years since this Act came into force, and amendments are long overdue. Wildlife criminals escape with minute fines compared to the contraband value of the wildlife they profit from. I would push for a new Act to address the need for greater penalties, including mandatory imprisonment, and to seal existing loopholes. It should no longer be possible for wildlife criminals to escape prosecution and punishment because of a legal inadequacy. And I would ensure that the new Act is enforced on the ground, and stretches to actual wildlife protection beyond mere paper protection.” – Loretta Ann Soosayraj, co-ordinator, Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers

“... create a comprehensive and representative protected area system for the country, by requiring all states to set aside protected areas under a single system that enables on-the-ground management, and supported by the required expertise and funding. To achieve this goal, the ministry needs to firmly place the environmental agenda within the portfolio of every public sector agency. I would put a paper to cabinet to, once and for all, set up this protected area system through a single inter-agency umbrella body, possibly under the ministry itself. I would then commit resources to making this happen within five years.” – Anthony Sebastian, president, Malaysian Nature Society

“... ensure that the ministry lives up to its role as custodian of the environment. I would apply my Five Action Plans to make the ministry more effective, responsible and accountable. First, I would review the institutional set-up of the ministry to determine the responsibilities of various departments, and decide whether solid waste management comes under my purview or that of the Housing and Local Government Minister.
Second, I would review the capabilities of my staff and give them training, to ensure that they are competent.
Third, I would set up a technical advisory working group of my officers, specialists, academicians and professionals, to guide the ministry. We would meet regularly to foster greater public-private consultation. I would formulate policies only after consultation with them. It would be premature for me to implement ad-hoc policies and actions that could be counter-productive. Take for instance, the call by many to ban plastic bags. To me, it is the disposal of plastic bags that is damaging the environment, not the bags themselves. If citizens dispose of the bags carefully and insist on better landfill management to recover and recycle the bags, then perhaps we would not have a problem.
Fourth, I would set up an information centre to document all environmental problems and issues, so that we can learn from past mistakes. It will also be a resource centre for the public to enhance their environmental knowledge.
Fifth, I would set up an Environmental Crime Scene Investigation Department. Many environmental problems would be avoidable if detected early. It is the lack of diligence and monitoring that usually leads to environmental disasters.” – Ng Han Kok, mechanical engineer

-Everyone should have awareness like those people above-Earth Smile We Happy

RIO TINTO CONDUCTS EIA

2007-10-23T06:18:00.001-07:00

Wednesday September 26, 2007

KUCHING: Rio Tinto Aluminium has appointed Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd and URS Australia Pty Ltd to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study for the proposed US$2bil (RM6.9bil) aluminium smelter in Bintulu.
The EIA, which is expected to take 15 months to complete, will include studies on air quality, noise, flora and fauna, land use and social impact.
Waste management, transport, surface water and groundwater impacts would also be included in the study, Rio Tinto general manager (smelter project development) Matt Liddy said in a statement.
The proposed smelter, to be known as Sarawak Aluminium Co (Salco), is a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd.
Liddy said the EIA was the first step towards ensuring all aspects of the environment were taken into account.
“Respect for the environment is a fundamental part of Salco’s approach and the study will ensure a smelter operation that uses world-class environmental management practices.
“We take these responsibilities seriously and environmental protection will be an integral part of the management of the smelter during construction and in operations,” he said.
The EIA outcome would be used to optimise the design of the smelter and to prepare environmental management plans for Salco’s construction and operation, he added.

Sarawak To Host Meeting On Environs

2007-10-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Friday October 12, 2007

KUCHING: An international conference on natural resources and environmental management, to be held here next month, is expected to attract 400 local and foreign participants.
Organising chairman Dr James Dawos Mamit said the latest findings on current environmental issues would be presented at the conference themed “Clean and Safe Environment”.
“Now we can use constructed wetlands for ecological sanitation but we still lack experience in this area,” he said.
The Nov 27-29 conference is organised by the state Environment and Public Health Ministry, Natural Resources and Environment Board, Institut Kimia Malaysia and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.

Laporan EIA dikaji semula

2007-10-05T07:45:00.000-07:00

KETATKAN UNDANG-UNDANG ALAM SEKITAR

2007-10-03T23:30:00.000-07:00

TAJUK utama akhbar dan disusuli berita utama yang bertajuk ‘10 tahun baru bertindak’ hanyalah dua daripada beratus berita kegiatan jenayah alam sekitar yang didedahkan media sekian lama.

Hasilnya? Tidak pasti. Tujuan media mendedahkan isu-isu itu bukan untuk mencari salah atau mempunyai ‘agenda’ tetapi adalah untuk membuka mata semua pihak atas kegiatan itu.

Memetik kata-kata Timbalan Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak semalam: “Kalau media melaporkan sesuatu, mereka hanya memainkan tugas untuk memperjuangkan kepentingan orang ramai.”

Kegiatan tersebut jika tidak diambil peduli akan menjadi barah dan akhirnya boleh mengancam nyawa, kesihatan manusia dan alam sekitar yang kita kongsi ini.

Semua pihak, baik Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS), atau pihak-pihak berkuasa tempatan harus memastikan alam sekitar ini adalah agenda utama yang perlu diberi perhatian.

Sisa-sisa toksik, aluminium dan logam berbahaya yang dibuang tanpa pengawalan akan menyebabkan sistem ekologi terganggu. Ia berkait dengan sistem-sistem lain yang akhirnya mewujudkan ‘barah’ kepada keseluruhan sistem alam.

Jika ini berlaku, secanggih mana sekalipun rawatannya tidak akan berguna.

Sebenarnya, pihak-pihak tidak bertanggungjawab membuang sisa-sisa toksik ini tidak ambil peduli atas apa yang berlaku di sekeliling mereka, asalkan dapat mengaut keuntungan yang banyak.

Orang seperti inilah yang perlu dihukum sekeras-kerasnya atas jenayah alam sekitar.

Sudah banyak gesaan dibuat agar undang-undang lebih keras atas jenayah ini digubal.

Jika Kementerian Tenaga, Air dan Komunikasi baru-baru ini mencadangkan pesalah pencemar sistem bekalan air dikenakan hukuman mati, tidak keterlaluan, jika Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar patut mengikuti langkah sama.

Telah tiba masanya, kita tidak lagi hanya bersorak dan mengambil tindakan semasa isu itu panas dan selepas itu semua pihak lupa. Isu pelupusan sisa aluminium sekarang adalah isu yang akan terus didedahkan. Tapi sampai bila?

Kita khuatir, jika berita ini didedahkan terlalu kerap ia tidak akan lagi menjadi nilai berita. Jika itu berlaku, tiada siapa lagi yang akan peduli.

Oleh itu, satu sistem pengawalan, pemantauan dan penguatkuasaan kemas dan mantap dapat dilaksanakan oleh JAS mahupun pihak lain agar sistem ekologi dan biodiversiti kita terpelihara.

Lebih penting daripada itu, ‘manusia-manusia’ yang melaksanakan tanggungjawab itu harus amanah, ikhlas, bersih dan dedikasi bagi menjamin sistem tersebut terlaksana.

Jika tidak ia akan menjadi sia-sia – seperti apa yang berlaku sekarang.

Alam sekitar: Pakar Indonesia ikuti kursus di Malaysia

2007-10-01T10:35:00.000-07:00

JAKARTA 24 Jun - Pemerintah Indonesia akan menghantar sekumpulan hakim, pendakwa raya dan pegawai kanan polis untuk menjalani kursus penguatkuasaan undang-undang alam sekitar di Malaysia mulai bulan depan.
Pembantu kepada Menteri Negara Alam Sekitar Indonesia, Effendi Sumardja berkata, langkah penghantaran adalah sebagai proses pembelajaran dalam usaha mempertingkatkan undang-undang alam sekitar di Indonesia.
Beliau berkata, pemerintah Indonesia memilih Malaysia kerana Malaysia tegas dalam soal pelaksanaan undang-undang alam sekitar sehingga mereka yang melakukan kesalahan tidak pernah terlepas daripada dihukum. ''Ini kerana dalam setiap kes, pihak berkuasa Malaysia menyertakan bukti cukup kukuh sehingga mereka yang melakukan kesalahan itu tidak mampu berdolak-dalih.''
Effendi berkata, di kalangan negara ASEAN, Indonesia dianggap paling lemah dalam bertindak terhadap mereka yang mencemarkan alam sekitar.
''Akibatnya gejala itu terus berlaku sehingga mengganggu negara ASEAN seperti peristiwa pembakaran hutan yang mengakibatkan jerebu,'' katanya.
''Sudah tiba masanya, kita benar-benar tegas dalam soal ini kerana walaupun kita mahu pembangunan tetapi ini tidak bermakna kita harus merosakkan alam sekitar sehingga menjejaskan kehidupan rakyat,'' katanya. - Utusan

Pelaporan alam sekitar syarikat belum memuaskan

2007-10-01T10:33:00.002-07:00

KONSEP pelaporan alam sekitar mula diberikan perhatian di Rio de Janeiro ketika Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) menganjurkan Persidangan Alam Sekitar dan Pembangunan tahun 1992. Persidangan yang mendapat julukan `Rio Earth Summit' mengesyorkan agar pelaporan dibuat setiap tahun bagi memantau kesan industri ke atas alam sekitar. Ia mendapat sambutan baik seluruh dunia dan banyak syarikat melaksanakannya termasuk segelintir di Malaysia.
Pelaporan ini menuntut industri melaporkan kesan-kesan aktiviti syarikat ke atas alam sekitar dan langkah-langkah yang diambil untuk mengatasinya. Berdasarkan amalan industri, pelaporan ini turut dimuatkan di dalam laporan tahunan syarikat seperti yang dilakukan oleh Golden Hope Plantation Bhd. (Golden Hope). Tetapi ada juga yang mengambil inisiatif untuk menerbitkan pelaporan khas alam sekitar seperti Shell Malaysia.
Status pelaporan di Malaysia
Malaysia ketika ini tidak mewajibkan syarikat-syarikat membuat pelaporan alam sekitar dan setakat ini, tiada tumpuan dibuat ke arah pelaporan komprehensif. Berdasarkan kajian ``Keadaan Laporan Alam Sekitar Korporat di Malaysia'' yang dijalankan oleh ACCA, apa yang boleh dikaitkan dengan penggubalan undang-undang alam sekitar ialah Akta Keselamatan dan Kesihatan di tempat kerja (Occupational Safety and Health - OSH), syarat-syarat penyenaraian BSKL dan Standard Perakaunan Malaysia (Malaysian Accounting Standard - MAS).
OSH meliputi soal keselamatan, kesihatan dan kebajikan pekerja-pekerja semasa di tempat kerja. Di bawah akta tersebut, Peraturan Kecil 17 menghendaki syarikat mendedahkan maklumat yang berkaitan dengan soal keselamatan peribadi dan ini termasuklah sebarang situasi yang melibatkan pekerja dan alam sekitar. Peraturan Kecil 22, Pengawalan Pencemaran Utama Industri juga turut menghendaki syarikat-syarikat pembuatan memaklumkan kepada masyarakat perkara-perkara yang berkaitan dengan ciri-ciri dan keadaan kemalangan yang besar meliputi kesan-kesan yang bakal timbul ke atas populasi dan juga alam sekitar.
Bursa Malaysia telah meminda syarat penyenaraian syarikat seperti termaktub di bawah Bab 9 - Pendedahan Maklumat Berterusan dan Bab 15 - Makluman Tadbir Urus Korporat. Menurut pindaan ini, walaupun syarat penyenaraian tidak menghendaki sebarang makluman alam sekitar secara terperinci, tetapi senarai ini memerlukan laporan umum untuk sebarang potensi ataupun faktor yang boleh mempengaruhi prestasi kewangan sesebuah syarikat. Ini berlainan sekali dengan Akta Syarikat 1965 yang hanya menyediakan panduan pengendalian syarikat dan tidak menuntut sebarang pelaporan alam sekitar.
MASB yang menjadi mekanisme pengawalan peraturan dan amalan perakaunan di Malaysia menggariskan dengan jelas akan keperluan pelaporan alam sekitar. Perenggan 10 MASB 1 merujuk kepada `pelaporan alam sekitar dan penyataan nilai tambahan'. Fasal ini menggalakkan syarikat melaporkan maklumat tambahan sekiranya pihak pengurusan yakin bahawa maklumat itu akan membantu pengguna membuat keputusan yang bercirikan ekonomi. Selain itu, MASB 20 merujuk kepada peraturan perakaunan dan keterbukaan maklumat yang mengambil kira soal liabiliti kontigen.
Walaupun ia tidak menyatakan secara jelas apakah jenis liabiliti yang harus dimaklumkan, namun peraturan ini menyenaraikan risiko-risiko seperti tanah yang tercemar, kos penyelenggaraan pelantar minyak dan kos memasang alat penapis asap untuk mengawal pencemaran daripada operasi syarikat.
Sambutan syarikat terhadap pelaporan
Malaysia masih lagi mengkaji keperluan mewajibkan pelaporan alam sekitar di kalangan masyarakat industri. Namun begitu, beberapa syarikat telah mula mengorak langkah memasukkan pelaporan dalam laporan tahunan syarikat.
Kajian ACCA menunjukkan bahawa jumlah syarikat yang membuat pelaporan telah meningkat daripada 25 kepada 40 buah sepanjang tahun 1999 - 2001. Jumlah ini mewakili 7.7 peratus daripada jumlah syarikat yang tersenarai di Papan Utama Bursa Malaysia.
Sektor industri merekodkan bilangan tertinggi pelaporan iaitu sebanyak 23 peratus, diikuti sektor perladangan 18 - 19 peratus, dan sektor barangan pengguna 15 - 19 peratus. Tiada pelaporan dibuat oleh syarikat daripada sektor perlombongan, teknologi dan perhotelan.
Separuh daripada syarikat yang membuat pelaporan tersenarai dalam 100 buah syarikat paling terkemuka di Malaysia. Bagaimanapun, pelaporan alam sekitar hanya menjadi sebahagian elemen laporan tahunan syarikat.
Dalam tahun 1999 contohnya, lebih 95 peratus daripada syarikat yang melapor telah mengehadkan pelaporan alam sekitar hanya kepada satu muka surat sahaja. Tahun 2001 menyaksikan lebih 40 peratus yang melapor memuatkan lebih daripada satu muka surat untuk maklumat alam sekitar. Secara umumnya, peningkatan ini boleh dilihat sebagai perkembangan positif yang mendedahkan kesan perindustrian kepada alam sekitar.
Terdapat juga sebilangan syarikat yang memperuntukkan segmen berasingan untuk pelaporan alam sekitar dan angka ini meningkat kepada 8 dalam tahun 2001 daripada hanya 3 syarikat dalam tahun 1999.
Secara keseluruhan, syarikat-syarikat yang melapor kebanyakannya tertumpu kepada aspek pengurusan dan pencapaian alam sekitar. Isu-isu seperti teknologi mesra ekologi, pengurusan alam sekitar, latihan, penyelidikan dan pembangunan mendapat perhatian dalam laporan yang disediakan. Hanya sebuah syarikat, iaitu Shell memberi tumpuan terhadap pembangunan mapan iaitu meminimumkan impak alam sekitar.
Terdapat dua faktor yang menggalakkan syarikat-syarikat ini membuat pelaporan alam sekitar. Pertamanya, tadbir urus korporat dan keduanya perkembangan teknologi komunikasi dan informasi (ICT).
Peningkatan mutu tadbir urus korporat mampu mengukuhkan lagi hubungan syarikat dengan pemegang-pemegang amanah harta. Pelaporan alam sekitar juga boleh menarik dan mengekalkan warga kerja yang berbakat dan berkualiti.
Perkembangan ICT memudahkan pelaporan kerana ia membantu usaha pengumpulan, menganalisis dan menerbitkan maklumat yang berkaitan dengan alam sekitar, sama ada dalam bentuk media cetak ataupun elektronik. Antara syarikat-syarikat yang menggunakan laman web sebagai alat penyebaran pelaporan ialah Golden Hope, Puncak Niaga Bhd. dan Tenaga Nasional Bhd.
Walaupun kedua faktor ini cukup besar untuk menggesa syarikat menyediakan pelaporan alam sekitar, namun hanya segelintir sahaja yang kelihatan bersungguh. Sememangnya, hakikat hanya 7.7 peratus daripada keseluruhan syarikat tersenarai di Papan Utama Bursa Malaysia menyediakan pelaporan amat menyedihkan. Kelembapan syarikat untuk memberi reaksi positif terhadap pelaporan sebahagiannya berpunca daripada ketiadaan perundangan yang mewajibkan pelaporan ke atas syarikat. Selain itu, pelaporan alam sekitar merupakan fenomena baru di mana perkembangannya masih lagi terhad.
* Artikel ini disediakan dengan kerjasama Persatuan Akauntan Bertauliah (ACCA).

Kajian EIA tentukan projek insinerator

2007-10-01T10:33:00.001-07:00

CYBERJAYA 11 April - Kedudukan projek insinerator pertama Malaysia di Broga, Semenyih, kini bergantung pada laporan hasil Penilaian Kesan Alam Sekitar (EIA), kata Menteri Perumahan dan Kerajaan Tempatan, Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting hari ini.
``DOE (Jabatan Alam Sekitar) mesti puas hati mengikuti semua peraturan, undang-undang alam sekitar, kemudian keputusan, hasil siasatan EIA akan menentukan sama ada projek itu boleh dilaksanakan atau tidak,'' kata beliau.
``Kerajaan akan melulusan projek RM1.5 bilion itu dengan syarat EIA dipatuhi dengan ketat,'' katanya kepada pemberita selepas melancarkan Pusat Kemasyarakatan Rumah Bijak Cyberia bernilai RM5 juta dan penyerahan kunci kepada 10 pembeli unit kondominium, di situ.
Ong diminta mengulas tentang bantahan baru penduduk Broga dan kawasan berhampiran yang menyerahkan petisyen mengandungi 1,077 tandatangan ke ibu pejabat JAS di Putrajaya semalam melahirkan kebimbangan mereka berhubung kawasan longgokan sampah di kawasan tadahan air.
Tahun lalu, penduduk berkenaan membuat aduan polis mengenai cadangan membina insinerator bagi tujuan pelupusan sampah.
Ong berkata jika projek itu dibuktikan tidak selamat dari segi alam sekitar oleh DOE, kerajaan tidak akan membenarkan pembinaannya.
Kerajaan, katanya, tidak akan bertolak ansur dalam hal keperluan alam sekitar dan piawaian alam sekitar antarabangsa yang lain.
Beliau percaya laporan EIA akan siap sedikit masa lagi.
Insinerator itu pada awalnya dirancang dibina di Kampung Bohol, Puchong, tetapi selepas bantahan penduduk, ia dipindahkan ke Broga.
Terletak di kawsan seluas 265 hektar, insinerator itu dijangka mula beroperasi pada 2007 dan akan dapat mengendalikan 1,500 tan metrik bahan buangan sehari. - Bernama

Pembangunan lebih 50 hektar wajib dapat kelulusan EIA

2007-10-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR 21 Feb. - Setiap pembangunan di kawasan melebihi 50 hektar, pihak pemaju diwajibkan mendapat kelulusan Penilaian Kesan Alam Sekitar (EIA) daripada Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) sebelum memulakan sebarang aktiviti pembangunan.
Setiausaha Parlimen Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar, Sazmi Miah berkata, dalam kes di Taman Pertanian Malaysia Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam, JAS mendapati pemaju terbabit tidak mempunyai kelulusan EIA.
Bercakap kepada Utusan Malaysia, di sini, hari ini, beliau bagaimanapun berkata:
``Berkemungkinan pembangunan di Taman Pertanian Malaysia Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam telah dipecahkan kepada blok-blok kecil yang kurang daripada 50 hektar bagi mengelakkan prosedur EIA.
``Keadaan ini menyebabkan pembangunan berangkai telah berlaku di kawasan seluas 1,200 hektar tersebut dan ia akan membawa kepada kemusnahan alam sekitar yang tidak terkawal,'' katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas laporan Utusan Malaysia baru-baru ini yang mendedahkan Taman Pertanian Malaysia Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam kini menghadapi kemusnahan ekologi setelah dihimpit pembangunan di sekelilingnya.
Taman Pertanian yang diwujudkan pada tahun 1986 itu hampir menjadi pulau kerana rata-rata garis sempadan kawasan tersebut sedang dibangunkan sebagai kawasan penempatan.
Menurut Sazmi, menerusi EIA, pihak beliau akan dapat mengkaji sama ada kawasan-kawasan hutan yang hendak dibangunkan akan dapat berjalan dengan lancar tanpa menjejaskan keseimbangan alam sekitar.
``Kelulusan bagi pembangunan di Taman Pertanian Malaysia Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam adalah di luar kawalan Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar kerana ia diwartakan di bawah Hutan Simpan Negeri Selangor.
``Dalam hal ini, Kerajaan Negeri Selangor mempunyai kuasa bagi mengubah status mana-mana hutan simpan di Selangor untuk digazet sebagai kawasan pembangunan,'' katanya.
Kata Sazmi, beliau menyarankan undang-undang alam sekitar dipinda semula bagi membolehkan EIA dilakukan secara menyeluruh dan tidak terhadap kepada kawasan melebihi 50 hektar sahaja supaya pembangunan secara besar-besaran di setiap negeri dapat dipantau oleh kementeriannya.
``Dari segi ekologi, tidak ada apa lagi yang boleh kita lakukan untuk memulihkan semula Taman Pertanian Bukit Cahaya Seri Alam kerana pembangunan yang berlaku telah memusnahkan keseimbangan alam sekitar kawasan tersebut,'' katanya.

Bangunan pencakar langit tidak tumbang – Pakar

2007-09-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR 17 Sept. – Bangunan-bangunan pencakar langit di negara ini tidak akan tumbang walaupun bahagian dasarnya tidak direka untuk menahan gegaran akibat gempa bumi yang berlaku di kepulauan Indonesia.

Pakar geologi, Profesor Dr. Abdul Ghani Rafek yang pernah terlibat dalam kajian Kesan Penilaian Alam Sekitar (EIA) bangunan tinggi di ibu kota berkata, gegaran pada bangunan itu bergantung kepada kekuatan kejadian gempa bumi tersebut yang berpunca daripada tenaga di bawah tanah akibat pergerakan kerak bumi.

Justeru, Pensyarah Geologi Kejuruteraan, Fakulti Sains dan Teknologi, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) itu berpendapat, penghuni bangunan kediaman tinggi dan komersial tidak perlu bimbang kerana kestabilan bentuk muka bumi negara ini mengurangkan risiko ditimpa bencana alam tersebut.

Ketika ditanya kemungkinan Malaysia dilanda gempa bumi dalam tempoh 100 tahun akan datang, katanya, perubahan bentuk muka bumi tidak akan berlaku dalam tempoh sesingkat itu kerana ia mengambil masa jutaan tahun.

“Secara ringkasnya, saya boleh katakan, kita masih selamat daripada gempa bumi walaupun jarak Kuala Lumpur dengan Sumatera agak dekat sekitar 350 kilometer sahaja,” ujarnya ketika dihubungi Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

Beliau turut mengutarakan pendapatnya mengenai kesan minimum gempa terhadap struktur binaan sensitif seperti jambatan panjang, empangan hidroelektrik dan bangunan yang terlalu tinggi.

Abdul Ghani menjelaskan, beliau percaya kerajaan sudah mengambil kira kesan minimum terhadap struktur tersebut kerana gegaran yang kecil sekalipun dikhuatiri boleh memberi kesan kepada binaan berkenaan.

Beliau mengulas kekhuatiran pelbagai pihak mengenai tahap ketahanan bangunan tinggi di negara ini selepas siri gempa bumi yang berlaku di Sumatera.

Sehingga semalam, lapan lagi gempa susulan dengan kekuatan sederhana dan lemah melanda Pulau Sumatera selepas gempa bumi pertama berukuran 8.4 pada skala Richter melanda Bengkulu pada 12 September lalu, yang mengorbankan 10 penduduk manakala berpuluh-puluh lagi dikhuatiri terperangkap bawah runtuhan bangunan.

Mengulas lanjut, Abdul Ghani memberitahu, kejadian gempa bumi pada ukuran 8.4 skala Richter itu cukup kuat untuk meranapkan bangunan di Sumatera tetapi ia tidak di Malaysia.

Control Measures Taken By DOE

2007-09-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

1.Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974 was enacted to prevent, abate, control
pollution and enhance the quality of environment. The Department of Environment
administer and enforce the EQA 1974, and Section IV of the Economic Exclusive
Zone Act 1984.
2.Inspection and enforcement visits are being carried out to industrial premises to
ensure that industrial sectors comply with the Environmental Quality Act 1974:
3.Road side inspections on motor vehicles are conducted;
*Approved Facilities
*List of Aprroved Facilities
4.Aerial and ground surveillance on pollution sources are being carried out;
5.Air quality in the country is monitored for 24 hours to detect any changes in the
ambient air quality status that may cause harm to human health and the environment;
#Air Quality Monitoring
#Recommended Malaysian Air Quality Guidelines
#Air Pollutant Monitored
#Air Pollutant Index (API)
#Calculation of API (Flow Chart)
#Pollutant Measurement Technique
6.Awareness programme are conducted to educate public on the need to protect the
environment;
7.Initiate and promote research collaborations on relevant environmental area;
8.Participate in international negotiations on relevant environmental issues

Approved Facility

PROGRAMME FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF APPROVED FACILITY' FOR TESTING EMISSIONS FROM MOTOR VEHICLES

'APPROVED FACILITY' means a facility or place approved by the Director General which is equipped with the necessary smokemeter and/or gaseous meter and trained personnel for carrying out any smoke and gaseous emission test from motor vehicles.

PURPOSE

The purpose of establishing the 'Approved Facility' are as follows :-

i) To prepare testing facilities to enable the vehicle owners/drivers to send their vehicles (petrol or diesel) for testing their exhant emission (at their own cost).This would assist the vehicles owners / drivers to observe the level of their vehicle emission and its compliance to the environmental laws.

ii)To enable corrective action be immediately taken on the vehicle engines to stop emitting excessive smoke/gaseous (to stop pollution the environment)

LAW AND EMISSION LIMITS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

Diesel :Environmental Quality (Control of Emission from diesel engine) Regulation, 1996
Vehicles enforced since September 1996.

Limit for Black Smoke : 50 Hartridge Smoke Unit ( HSU ) or 50 % opacity .
Emission

Petrol : Environment Quality (Control of Emission from Petrol Engine) Regulation, 1996.
Vehicles enforced since September 1996.

Limit for Gaseous : Vehicles of New Model
Emiission ( introduced after 1-1-1997 )
CO = 3.5 % ; HC = 600 ppm.

: Vehicles of Existing Model
( introduced before 1-1-1997 )
Co = 4.5 % ; HC = 800 ppm.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

1.Person/Company who own/operate:

i). Motor Vehicle Test Centre
ii). Motor Vehicle Service Centre
iii). Service Station ( Petrol Kiosks )
iv). Motor Vehicle Workshop

CRITERIA FOR OBTAINING RECOGNITION AS AN 'APPROVED FACILITY'

Motor Vehicle Test Centre / Service Centre/ Service Station / workshop that is equipped with:-

1. Smokemeter and/or CO & HC Analyzer.
2. Trained personnel prossessing the Certificate of Competency from Department of
Environment (DOE).
(DOE will conduct training and issue the Certificate of Competency to trainees which have undergone the DOE training).
(Training is given upon applications)

ISSUANCE OF THE 'APPROVED FACILITY' CERTIFICATE

'APPROVED FACILITY' Certificate would be issued to the applications by DOE as a recognition to facilities which fulfil the stipulated criteria.

HOW TO APPLY

1. Applicants need to fill the JAS/KYDL/01 Form obtainable at:-

i) /doe/KYDL/borangKYDL.pdf

ii) Department of Environment
Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
Level 1-4, Podium 2 & 3, Lot 4G3, Presint 4
Federal Government Administrative Centre
62574 PUTRAJAYA

iii) The States Department of Environment Offices.

2. Returned the above Form to any of the DOE offices as above

NO CHARGE OR FEES WILL BE IMPOSED IN THE PROCESSING OF THE ABOVE ' APPROVED FACILITY'

BENEFITS OBTAINED BY THE APPLICANTS

Your Motor Vehicle Test Centre / Service Station / Workshop would be ' upgraded and recognized as an APPROVED FACILITY' for conducting exhant test from motor vehicles by the Department Of Environment Malaysia.

Department of Environment only recognizes vehicular emission test conducted by 'APPROVED FACILITY' in enforcing the environmental laws and regulations.

Environmental Impact Assessment

2007-09-30T04:03:00.000-07:00

What is Environmental Impact Assessment?

The aim of the environmental impact assessment is to assess the overall impact on the environment of development projects proposed by the public and private sectors. The objectives of environmental impact assessment are:
1.To examine and select the best from the project options available;
2.To identify and incorporate into the project plan appropriate abatement and
mitigating measures;
3.To predict significant residual environmental impacts;
4.To determine the significant residual environmental impacts predicted; and
5.To identify the environmental costs and benefits of the project to the community.

Why do we need EIA?

EIA is essentially a planning tool for preventing environmental problems due to an action. It seeks to avoid costly mistakes in project implementation, either because of the environmental damages that are likely to arise during project implementation, or because of modifications that may be required subsequently in order to make the action environmentally acceptable. In Malaysia, EIA is required under section 34A, Environmental Quality Act, 1974.

How to conduct EIA?

To assist you in the preparation of environmental impact assessment reports, you may refer to "A Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines" and EIA guidelines for specific activities published by the Department of Environment.

What are the EIA procedures?

The EIA procedure adopted in Malaysia consists of three major steps. The steps in the EIA procedure are as follows:

1.Preliminary assessment of all prescribed activities;
2.Detailed assessment of those prescribed activities for which significant residual
environmental impacts have been predicted in the preliminary assessment;
3.Review of assessment reports;

What are the steps of the EIA?

Preliminary Assessment
The objectives of Preliminary Assessment for prescribed activities are:

~to examine and select the best from the project options available.
~to identify and incorporate into the project plan appropriate abatement and mitigating
measures.
~to identify significant residual environmental impacts.

A Preliminary Assessment should normally be initiated during the early stages of project planning. Standard Procedural Steps are provided and the assessment might be conducted "in house", or by a consultant. Some form of public participation is mandatory. Environmental data collection may be necessary and close liaison between the assessor and relevant environment related agencies is encouraged. The results of Preliminary Assessment are reported formally for examination and approval by the project approving authority and the Director General of Environmental Quality. Preliminary Assessment requires resources that are a small proportion of the man-hours, money, skills and equipment committed to a pre-feasibility study and the assessment should be completed within the time frame of that study.

Detailed Assessment

The objectives of Detailed Assessment for prescribed activities with potentially significant residual environmental impact include :
1.to describe the significant residual environmental impacts predicted from the final project
plan;
2.to specify mitigating and abatement measures in the final project plan; and
3.to identify the environmental costs and benefits of the project to the community.

Detailed Assessment should continue during project planning until the project plan is finalised. Standard procedural steps are provided and specific terms of reference based on the results of Preliminary Assessment are issued for each project. The Assessment might be conducted "in house" or by a consultant. The assessment method is selected according to the nature of the project; some form of public participation is required. Environmental data collection is almost certainly necessary. The results of Detailed Assessment is reported formally.

The EIA Review Process

The objectives of Review for Prescribed Activities subjected to Detailed Assessment include:
1. to critically review the Detailed Assessment reports;
2. to evaluate development and environmental costs and benefits of the final project plan; and
3. to formulate recommendations and guidelines to the project approving authority relevant to the implementation of the project.

Review of EIA Reports is carried out internally by the DOE with the assistance from the relevant technical agencies for preliminary assessment reports and by an ad hoc Review Panel for detailed assessment reports. Recommendations arising out of the review are transmitted to the relevant project approving authorities for consideration in making a decision on the project. According to the DOE's Client Charter, the period allocated for a review of a term of reference (TOR) and EIA report are as follows:

Preliminary EIA Report - 5 weeks

Terms of Reference (TOR) for the preparation of Detailed EIA Report - 4 weeks

Detailed EIA Report - 12 weeks

The DOE maintains a list of experts who may be called upon to sit as members of any Review Panel established. The selection of the experts depends on the areas of environmental impacts to be reviewed.

Last Updated ( Friday, 17 August 2007 )

Ukay Heights project is safe

2007-09-27T00:32:00.000-07:00

By BAVANI M

THE 61.54-acre site in Ukay Heights, near the Taman Hijau Apartments, which has been earmarked for a mixed development project was vetted by over 13 government agencies including the Public Works Institute (Ikram) and the Department of Environment (DOE).

According to a source from the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) it went through stringent regulation check and technical experts from the various agencies had scrutinised the drawings and proposals put forward by the developer.

MAA senior managing consultant (property and project development) Ho Chin Hoy said a comprehensive master plan had been thought out to support the development that comprised office and residential space.

“Concerns of safety pertaining to hill slope development have been looked into thoroughly. Apart from the fact that the project is of low-density – the lowest in Malaysia, work being carried out on the engineered slopes are also known to be the safest,’’ he said.

Ho said extensive and relevant soil test were also carried out to address some of the concerns voiced by residents.

"Work will be carried out on the terrain, with minimal slope cutting, and land filling and regular and close monitoring of slopes,’’ Ho said.

Ho also pointed out that the development is located over 53 metres away from the Taman Hijau apartments and will not be bordering their backyard.

Residents were concerned that a retaining wall would be built too close to their backyard as a buffer, but MAA assured them that the boundary is no where near the vicinity of the apartments.

Ho said the company had even revised the layout plans five times to meet guidelines.

“As a responsible landowner we have done everything that we possibly can to make it right,’’ Ho said, adding that repeated attempts to meet the residents to discuss details of the project proved futile.

“Everything is as transparent as can be,'' he said, adding the development will improve the stability of the existing slopes, the infrastructure and overall image of the area.

The proposed development had been scrutinized by the Public Works Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department, TNB, Syabas, Town Planning Department, Health Department, District Land Office and other agencies.

The following reports and assessment were also carried out: Geotechnical Assessment Report, Independent Geotechnical Audit Report, Traffic Impact Assessment Report, Environment Impact Assessment Report, Environmental Management Plan, Geology Terrain Mapping Report, Geology Physical Mapping Report, Soil Investigation Report, Soil Erosion Assessment Report and Proposed Development Report.

Ho said that all information pertaining to the development could be obtained at the info kiosk located at the MPAJ building lobby area.

The project is a mixed development involving 149 bungalows and 460 shop/office units in a 10-storey building.

The objection hearing on the project is being held today at MPAJ.

Residents want a proper study

2007-09-26T19:43:00.000-07:00

By SALINA KHALID

MEDAN Damansara residents are up in arms against the proposed development on a slope near their houses. They say the project should at least be postponed until a proper study has been conducted.

A group of 30 residents gathered at the site on Monday to voice their objections and ask for a meeting with the Kuala Lumpur mayor.

Medan Damansara Residents Association president Datuk Seri Dr Abdul Shukor Abdullah said their main concern is the safety of the residents if the project were to be allowed.

“There have been several landslides at the slope.

“Now, we are worried about the possibility of what could happen if the development is carried out,” he said.

He added that the slope's gradient was more than 30°, making it unsafe for development.

Also present were Segambut MP Datuk Dr Tan Kee Kwong and Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad.

Dr Abdul Shukor also expressed his dissatisfaction over the decision by DBKL to allow such a development.

“This is the only green lung in the area and the earlier developer SPPK (Syarikat Perumahan Pegawai Kerajaan) promised to keep it as such.

“Now DBKL has approved development and we were not consulted at all,” he said.

He added that developing the site would also cause environmental harm.

The residents association had also requested that City Hall disclose documents including the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) and DBKL Geological reports on the development.

Medan Damansara was developed about 40 years ago for government servants. Now, a majority of them have retired from their service in the public sector.

Dr Abdul Shukor said the land, measuring more than five hectares, has been approved for 21 bungalow units.

Shahrir said the authorities should abide by the rules and guidelines especially when it comes to such developments to avoid unnecessary expenses later on.

“We have had several development projects which gave problems including landslides and other defects which only cost more money to rectify them.

“PAC does not want to see any implausible expenses by the government which could have been avoided,” he said, urging City Hall to also consider the voice of the residents.

Meanwhile, Dr Tan also said DBKL should have considered the voice of the residents and met with them prior to giving the green light.

Dr Tan added that he would write a letter to the mayor soon and would also bring the matter to the Federal Territory Action Council Meeting.

EIA study for Bintulu smelter

2007-09-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

By SHARON LING

KUCHING: Rio Tinto Aluminium has appointed local environmental consultant Chemsain Konsultant Sdn Bhd and URS Australia Pty Ltd to conduct an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study for the proposed US$2bil (RM6.9bil) aluminium smelter in Bintulu.

The EIA, which is expected to take 15 months to complete, will include studies on air quality, noise, flora and fauna, land use and social impact.

Waste management, transport, surface water and groundwater impacts will also be included.

The proposed smelter, which will be known as Sarawak Aluminium Co (Salco), is a joint venture between Rio Tinto and Cahya Mata Sarawak Bhd (CMSB).

Rio Tinto's general manager (smelter project development) Matt Liddy said the EIA was the first step towards ensuring all aspects of the environment are taken into account in the project.

"Respect for the environment is a fundamental part of Salco's approach and the study will ensure a smelter operation that uses world-class environmental management practices.

"We take these responsibilities seriously and environmental protection will be an integral part of the management of the smelter during construction and in operations," he said in a statement Tuesday.

The EIA study outcome will be used to optimise the design of the smelter and to prepare environmental management plans for Salco's construction and operation, he added.

An avenue for Ukay Heights folks

2007-09-23T18:41:00.000-07:00

By BAVANI M

COME Wednesday, the residents of Ukay Heights will be coming forward for a third time to voice out their objections to the Ampang Jaya Muni-cipal Council (MPAJ) over a proposed hill side development in their neighbourhood. While the developers insist that they have followed all the rules and regulations pertaining to the hillside development, residents are still sceptical.

Tengku Rozani Putra was busy laying out the placards neatly together. The words in bright red read: MPAJ Please Learn From Your Mistakes were simple enough, but she wonders if they ever would learn.

"It’s common sense! It’s so simple, yet why do they not see the truth,’’ she sighed.

Tengku Rozani, a long time resident of Ukay Heights said that she was unable to understand why the authorities did not learn from past mistakes.

She was helping out with the preparation for the MPAJ up-coming objection hearing on Wednes-day with residents of Ukay Heights at the Taman Hijau apartments recently.

Residents from nearby areas had gathered and are busy preparing the placards and notes ready.

The first two meetings were deemed null and void due to technical matters and discrepancies between the notice sent to residents and the development proposal that was announced by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ).

The objection hearing is being carried out for a mixed development project involving 149 bungalows and 460 shop lots in a 10-storey building.

Like many others, Tengku Roza-ni feels that the project should not have been considered in the first place.

She is afraid and no one can blame her after the tragic High-land Tower, Taman Hillview and Zooview incidents that claimed innocent lives.

“I paid a deposit to buy a unit in Highland Towers years ago, so did my mother and aunt. And not long after that the tower came down.

“I then bought a house in Zoo-view and lived there for nine years, and then the Zooview landslide happened.

“Last November I moved into Taman Hijau and now this. It's frustrating that they (MPAJ) never learn. All it takes is some rain and some soil movements for disaster to happen. I guess we just have to keep fighting and protesting,'' she said.

Taman Hijau residents’ association president Datuk Abdul Aziz said the residents were totally against the development, as it did not comply with regulations on hill slope development.

“Nothing has changed – the whole project is still contravening guidelines on hill slope development. The layout of the project is the same- despite the changes made, there is still going to be a lot of tree cutting activities and land filling. The original landscape of the area will be gone,'' Aziz said.

Taman Hijau Apartments Com-mittee chairman Datuk Mus-tapha Mahmud said that he was disappointed with MPAJ for not providing residents with a proper avenue to access all the geological, EIA reports and maps pertaining to the proposed project.

“We have to go to MPAJ and view the documents at an info kiosk situated in their lobby area.

“No room is provided to look through the maps and reports for privacy purposes. No copies are provided for inspection, no pictures are allowed to be taken. As layman we need time to look at the reports and this is really strange behaviour from a government department,'' Mustapha said.

“The greatest fear with any hillside development project is the pressure that might be exerted on the hill slope during heavy rain,'' said Aziz, adding that the felling of trees was also going to lead to the weakening of soil and cause massive erosion and even flooding.

When contacted, the developer Malaysian Assurance Alliance Bhd (MAA) said that the development was one of the lowest density developments in Malaysia with three units per acre.

“We are building along the terrain, there is no heavy cutting, or land filling and it is of low density. We have spent millions on technical reports and went through 13 government agencies scrutinising our proposals and drawings.

The proposed development have been scrutinised by the Public Works Department, Ikram, TNB, Syabas, Town Planning De-partment, Health Department, District Land Office and other agencies.

The following reports and as-sessment were also carried out: Geotechnical Assessment Report, Independent Geotechnical Audit Report, Traffic Impact Assess- ment Report, Environment Impact Assessment Report, Environmen-tal Management Plan, Geology Terrain Mapping Report, Geology Physical Mapping Report, Soil In-vestigation Report, Soil Erosion Assessment Report and Proposed Development Report.

“We have revised the layout plans five times. Everything is as transparent as can be,'' he said, adding the development will im-prove the stability of the existing slopes, the infrastructure and overall image of the area.

Burden on proof to be put on those found with logs

2007-09-22T09:51:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 18, 2007
By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: Laws will soon be changed to place the burden of proof on those found in possession of logs instead of the authorities having to prove that the logs were obtained illegally.

The amendment to the National Forestry Act, to be made within the next few months, will see those suspected for carrying out illegal logging, having to prove the commodity was obtained from legal sources. Failing which, they will be deemed to have obtained the logs through illegal means.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the new law would enable better prosecution of those involved in illegal logging, which does not only cause damage to the environment but also tarnishes Malaysia's image in the eyes of the world.

Najib admitted that prosecuting those who log illegally was currently difficult and even though cases were brought to court, the level of success was small.

"This is because the need for burden of proof is high. We will fare better with this fundamental shift in the law, which we believe will be a sufficient deterrent.

"We will also be using new technologies, including remote sensing to detect areas where such activities take place," he said, after chairing the National Forestry Council's 21st meeting on Tuesday.

He said illegal logging was a multi-dimensional issue as apart from it affecting the Government's policy in providing sustainable management to the environment, it also gave Malaysia a bad image.

"The country's wood industry is worth RM23bil a year and if developed countries take action against us for illegal logging activities, it will affect the economy.

"We also have to consider the transboundary issue where logs sought illegally are brought into the country either to be exported or to be used illegally by the local factories," he said, adding that between 2004 and 2006, a total of 166 illegal logging cases were recorded at permanent forest reserves.

Najib said Pahang, Perak and Kedah top the list of illegal logging activities being recorded but "the biggest destruction is in Kelantan". He added that in the case of land clearing in Lojing Highlands in Kelantan, the state government had de-gazetted the area, making activities there legal.

"The biggest destruction (of forest) is in Kelantan but the state has circumvented it. I do not know if we can prosecute them as the logging was legal with the state de-gazetting the area," he said.

Earlier this year, The Star broke the story about the lush forest reserves in Lojing being logged almost bare by 22 companies, of which only five had their Environmental Impact Assessment approved.

Najib also asked states to look for new areas to be gazetted for water catchment, adding areas totalling more than 800,000ha had been gazetted for the purpose.

Now it’s ‘cut and paste’ EIA reports

2007-09-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

LUMUT: The "cut and paste" syndrome has now been found in environmental impact assessments (EIA) reports, which shows that some consultants have been unethical and have not made a real study, said the Perak Department of Environment (DOE).

There were cases where consultants copied directly from EIAs of other projects, said state DOE deputy director (development) Norazizi Adinan yesterday.

"I have examples, but I won’t reveal them because it will make matters worse," he said at a seminar to increase the comprehension and quality of EIA reports at Teluk Batik near here.

There was also reports which had poor graphics, including the topography maps, figures, photographs, graphs, contour and terrain maps. Norazizi added that some even omitted facts such as the presence of squatters and asked the DOE to "assume that they aren’t there".

Norazizi also complained of inconsistent information submitted in the EIA, differences in the translation of the executive summary, the lack of in-depth analysis and the failure of consultants to provide additional information as requested by the department.

"I’m sorry to have to say this, but some consultants are not prepared to make a presentation because they don’t even know the contents of their own report."

Norazizi said some failed to comply with specific EIA guidelines and depended on DOE officers to do the checks and corrections.

Due to the report problems and the poor quality reports, 34 of the 120 reports submitted to DOE Perak between 2000 and last year were rejected, he said.

Norazizi estimated that about 10 per cent of the 26 reports submitted this year suffered the same fate.

Asked to rate the quality of EIA reports, Perak DOE director Abu Hasan Mohd Isa said that they were neither excellent nor good, but merely "fair" and had room for improvement.

The consultants, hired by the project owners, emphasised the positive elements of the project and hid the negative elements.

DOE would begin blacklisting unethical consultants by Oct 1 and only accept EIA reports from registered consultants.

State Environment Committee chairman Datuk Tan Chin Meng, when launching the seminar, said EIA reports should not be viewed as a document to fulfil legal requirements, but should contain realistic and comprehensive studies on all elements of the environment.

Earlier, Norazizi said DOE officers were also involved in making an EIA reports for projects of public importance and that the long approval process were due to late submissions, difficulties in getting a date for pre-EIA visits with consultants and incomplete reports.

There were pressures from both state interests and developers for the DOE to approve the EIA report, leading to some projects not being sufficiently studied, he said.

Part of the problem was also because environmental concerns were not incorporated into national and regional policies and programmes but only considered when planning and implementing specific projects, he said

Environmental Assessments: EIA process is not red tape

2007-09-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

WWF-Malaysia views with concern the recommendation made by the Special Task Force to Facilitate Business (Pemudah) that the approval of environmental impact assessments (EIAs) be shortened from three months to five weeks in an effort to improve the public delivery system.

Although it is not entirely clear how the quicker timeframe for approval will be accommodated, WWF-Malaysia is fearful that this move will compromise public participation in the EIA process.

In Peninsular Malaysia, EIAs have been divided into Preliminary EIAs and Detailed EIAs.

Currently, public participation is only solicited for Detailed EIAs, and a month is given for the public to review EIA reports in public offices during office hours.

EIAs have long been recognised as an essential planning tool for effective environmental management.

This ensures that the importance of the predicted impacts and the measures for mitigating them are properly understood by the public, stakeholders and the relevant authorities before a decision is made.

Public participation is an integral part of the EIA process of a proposed project and brings numerous benefits.

Well-planned and timely public participation and consultation not only contributes to the successful design of the project but also enhances the effectiveness of the EIA process itself.

The public can provide valuable information. Therefore, the public’s views and opinions should be taken into account in the final decision.

Public participation also ensures that the EIA process is open and transparent and based on justifiable analyses.

Furthermore, the importance of fostering increased public participation in environmental decision-making has been recognised at the international level through numerous international environmental treaties, many of which Malaysia is a party to.

The EIA process must not be viewed as red tape that hinders a project.

There are numerous benefits of conducting an EIA at the planning stage, among which is to arrive at best practice prediction and measures to mitigate a project’s adverse effects.

WWF-Malaysia is of the opinion that rather than looking into minimising the so-called red tape of the EIA process, efforts should be made to address inherent weaknesses in the current system which undermines the whole process.

One glaring weakness is that, in reality, a project is designed and the site is predetermined and approved by the authorities even before an EIA is commissioned.

Therefore, EIAs which are consequently prepared normally seek to justify the pre-chosen option and site rather than evaluating all design and site options and recommending the option which will cause the least impact.

Recently, the Department of Environment has taken steps to improve the EIA process and these include posting summaries of Detailed EIAs on the department’s website and introducing a registration scheme for EIA consultants.

WWF-Malaysia welcomes these initiatives and hopes that more positive steps are taken to make the EIA process more robust.

This will include making the terms of reference for EIAs and Preliminary EIAs available to the public for review, and institutionalising public participation in the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

Law against illegal logging to be made tougher

2007-09-18T12:26:00.000-07:00

Tuesday September 18, 2007
MYT 6:15:47 PM
The Star

PUTRAJAYA: The National Forestry Act, 1984 will be amended soon to ensure more effective prosecution of illegal loggers and those who buy illegally felled timber.

Under amendments to be made soon, those suspected of carrying out illegal logging would have to prove that the timber was obtained legally.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the new law would enable better prosecution of those involved in illegal logging, which damages the environment and tarnishes Malaysia’s image globally.

Najib admitted that prosecuting illegal loggers was difficult, and even if cases were brought to court, the level of success was low.

“This is because the need for burden of proof is high. We will be able to fare better with this fundamental shift in law, which we believe will be a sufficient deterrent. “We will also be using new technologies, including remote sensing, to detect areas where such activities take place,” he said after chairing the National Forestry Council’s 21st meeting Tuesday.

He said between 2004 and 2006, a total of 166 illegal logging cases were recorded in permanent forest reserves. Pahang, Perak and Kedah were high in the list of illegal logging activities.

However, he said the biggest destructions were in Kelantan where the state government had de-gazetted the Lojing Highlands area, making land-clearing activities there legal.

Earlier this year, The Star broke the story about the lush forest reserves in Lojing being logged almost bare by 22 companies, of which only five had Environmental Impact Assessments approved.

“I do not know if we can prosecute them as the logging is legal with the state having de-gazetted the area,” he said.

Najib also asked states to look for new areas to be gazetted for water catchments, adding areas totalling more than 800,000ha has been gazetted for the purpose.

Govt to close down 16 ‘critical” dumpsites

2007-09-18T12:23:00.000-07:00

Monday September 17, 2007
MYT 10:34:28 PM

KUALA LUMPUR: The Government has identified 16 “critical” dumpsites that need to be closed immediately, said Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The Deputy Prime Minister said this would be done in a safe, sanitary and environmentally friendly manner and that RM160mil had been approved for this purpose.

“We have appointed a consultant to do a study. We should be ready to award the contracts by next year,” he said Monday at the rehabilitated Taman Beringin Landfill, which he described as a "model".

“This is a fine example. I wanted to see for myself what they had done, and it is obvious we have local technical capacity. We have the technology to turn something smelly and stinking into a pleasant, clean place with a potential to become a park."

“It is a matter of pride when a local company can carry out a job like this. We don’t need foreign expertise for this,” he added.

The Taman Beringin dumpsite was a 40m mountain of rubbish last year but it has now been transformed into a green hill with a great view of the city. Cypark Sdn Bhd carried out the RM33mil restoration work.

Asked about the time frame to close all 16 dumpsites, which are mostly located within the Klang Valley, Najib said:

“We want it done as soon as possible but this depends on when the contracts are awarded and the time needed (to close and restore it).”

Najib said if there were a need for new ones, they would either be sanitary landfills or incinerators.

“We are looking at the possibility of using incinerators. But if we want to use incinerators, we must use the appropriate technology,” he added.

He said the Government had received various proposals that were being studied by a technical committee under the Housing and Local Government Ministry.

The Government, he said, was committed to protecting the environment and that Kuala Lumpur needed more green lungs so that it would be known as a garden city.

Cypark CEO Daud Ahmad said it would take about 10 years for the restored dumpsite to be safe for recreational park.

Sabah & Sarawak: Empat kilang kena kompaun

2007-09-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

Oleh Mohd Azrone Sarabatin

Premis langgar akta diarah henti salur habuk kayu, minyak hitam terpakai hingga cemar Kuala Merotai, jejas nelayan

KOTA KINABALU: Empat kilang papan yang dikesan mencemar Kuala Merotai di Tawau sehingga menyebabkan 2,000 nelayan kecil kehilangan sumber pendapatan, disahkan melanggar Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974.

Sehubungan itu, Pengarah Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) Sabah, Abdul Razak Abdul Manap, berkata pihaknya sudah mengarahkan kilang terbabit menghentikan pembuangan habuk kayu dan minyak hitam terpakai ke kuala itu serta-merta.

Katanya, semua kilang terbabit sudah dikenakan tindakan penguatkuasaan iaitu kompaun dan notis arahan supaya menghentikan kegiatan pembuangan bahan berkenaan bagi mengatasi pencemaran Kuala Merotai.

Sekiranya pengurusan kilang terbabit melanggar arahan itu, katanya, tindakan tegas akan dikuatkuasakan dengan memfailkan kes berkenaan di mahkamah.

"Siasatan JAS Tawau mendapati semua kilang terbabit melanggar Akta Kualiti Alam Sekitar 1974 dan peraturan mengikut akta berkenaan," katanya kepada Berita Harian di sini, semalam.

Siasatan terhadap kilang terbabit adalah susulan laporan akhbar ini pada 20 Julai lalu yang mendedahkan nelayan kecil Bumiputera di Kuala Merotai kehilangan sumber pendapatan tetap, angkara kerakusan kilang papan yang membuang sisa industri di tebing sungai yang kemudian dihanyutkan ke laut.

Pembuangan sisa industri membabitkan serpihan kayu balak dan papan dikesan mengandungi bahan kimia menyebabkan Kuala Merotai kehilangan sumber perikanan yang selama ini menjadi sumber rezeki penduduk setempat.

Justeru, lebih 2,000 nelayan yang mencari rezeki di situ mahukan pembelaan supaya pihak berkuasa mengarahkan kilang terbabit menghentikan operasi.

Mengenai kematian ikan yang diusahakan Keluarga Isi Rumah Termiskin (KIRT), Abdul Razak berkata, pihaknya menyerahkan kes itu kepada pihak berkuasa lain termasuk Jabatan Perikanan negeri.

"Mengikut Akta Alam Sekeliling 1974, sesiapa yang didapati membuang bahan pencemar seperti efluen kilang sawit atau getah melebihi had boleh didenda kurang RM100,000 atau penjara lima tahun atau kedua-duanya sekali.

"Sekiranya pihak terbabit melakukan kesalahan melupuskan bahan buangan terjadual seperti minyak pelincir terpakai atau bahan klinikal, mereka boleh didenda maksimum RM500,000 atau penjara tidak lebih lima tahun atau kedua-duanya sekali," katanya.

Minda Lestari: Alam sekitar, ekonomi diberi tumpuan seimbang

2007-09-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

BAJET 2008 mempunyai tiga strategi teras iaitu mempertingkatkan daya saing negara, memperkasa pembangunan modal insan dan menjamin kesejahteraan rakyat.

Menerusi strategi mempertingkatkan daya saing negara, Bajet 2008 antara lain mencadangkan agar dipercepatkan tempoh kelulusan Laporan Penilaian Impak Alam Sekitar (EIA) dari tiga bulan ke lima minggu. Ini bagi menggalak dan meningkatkan daya saing iklim pelaburan. Inisiatif itu wajar dialu-alukan, biarpun ada kebimbangan di kalangan pencinta dan pakar alam sekitar kerana prosedur kajian EIA memakan masa untuk dilaksanakan sebaik-baiknya.

Hal ini lebih ketara bagi projek memerlukan penilaian EIA terperinci (DEIA) dengan masa sekurang-kurangnya enam bulan untuk menilai sejauh mana impak sesuatu projek terhadap alam sekitar. Masa lebih panjang diperlukan bagi kawasan yang komponen alam sekitarnya tidak dipantau secara terperinci dan berterusan oleh pihak berkuasa.

Azmi: Government agencies not spending enough time, money on environs issues

2007-09-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Government agencies are not spending enough time and money to raise awareness on environmental issues among their staff, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said.

Expressing his disappointment, he said that as a result most of them lacked knowledge on environmental issues and ended up cutting corners when developing projects.

“There are government agencies, when they do things they don’t think about the environment because they are used to the old ways.

“And only when something happens, they come and investigate, find fault and start pointing fingers,” he told reporters yesterday when asked to comment on the problems faced by the Government in changing Malaysians’ attitude towards environmental issues.

Earlier, he opened a one-day conference on climate change themed “Preparedness Towards Policy Changes”.

On a related matter, Azmi said the Cabinet had decided that all development project proposals must be furnished with environmental input.

He said the decision would ensure government departments and agencies involved in planning projects would be provided with guidelines on environmental aspects before approving development projects.

“Every planning for development projects must have an environmental policy,” he said.

Asked whether the planning was to complement the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, Azmi said the EIA was more on technical aspects while the new policy dealt directly with environmental aspects on the ground.

“The EIA designed in the 1970s purely looks into the technical aspects and compliance in certain issues. We are looking at the larger issues now,” he added. – Bernama

Solid Waste Bill

2007-09-13T09:26:00.002-07:00

Solid Waste Bill In Final Fine-tuning Stage, Says Ong
PETALING JAYA, Sept 16 (Bernama) -- The National Solid Waste Management Bill, expected to better protect the environment, is in the final fine-tuning stage before it is tabled in the next parliament sitting, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said Saturday.He said the bill, which takes into account landfills and recycling, would be implemented after it was gazetted."There are lots of legal matters that are being sought out as provisions in the Bill involves both federal and state governments," he said at the launch of the Plastics Coding System and the Malaysian Plastic Forum.Ong said this was part of the government's continuous measures to work out appropriate incentives besides instituting new regulations to promote recycling in the country.He said findings of a recent study by the ministry on current recycling practices showed plastics accounted for about 9.7 per cent of household waste.However, the rate of plastic recycling was comparatively low, only about five per cent. Plastics are mostly collected by waste pickers and scavengers.Ong said his ministry was also in the final stages of compiling a directory of recyclers, including those from the plastics industry.He said the directory can lead to the creation of a viable recycling industry through the formation of close networking among the various parties involved in recycling.He also said the National Technical Committee on Management of Solid Waste was still studying various proposals on the use of modern technology for solid waste disposal to replace existing techniques.The proposals include the use of incinerators, a method used in developed countries, he added.Meanwhile, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the new legislation would empower the Federal Government to take action against solid waste handlers for flouting the solid waste management law.He said Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, which manages solid waste in several states, would be vested with more powers to collect garbage in a more systematic manner to be recycled."When the law comes into force, Alam Flora will be given responsibilities legally," he told reporters after launching Buharry Green Zone 2006 at Buharry Bistro.Azmi said Alam Flora was currently implementing a pilot project around Petaling Jaya to collect garbage systematically by segregating waste which could be recycled.He urged Alam Flora to provide user-friendly recycling bins to encourage the public, particularly children, to separate the garbage for recycling."Since the bins being used now are high and are unsuitable for children, I'd like to suggest to Alam Flora to come up with more attractive bins with catchy slogans apart from the confusing symbols of glass and newsprint," he said.Azmi said his ministry would discuss with the parties engaged in the recycling industry to find out their problems and the assistance needed."We will ask them the problems they faced, incentives to be given and the form of assistance needed to expand their business and to operate efficiently," he added.-- BERNAMA

RM9.09 juta indahkan sungai

2007-09-13T06:58:00.000-07:00

KUALA LUMPUR 11 Sept. – Kementerian Sumber Asli dan Alam Sekitar memperuntukkan RM9.09 juta untuk mengindahkan sungai dan kawasan sekitar dalam Kempen Kesedaran Alam Sekitar dan Pemulihan Sungai.

Setiausaha Parlimennya, Datuk Sazmi Miah berkata, kementeriannya juga mengadakan kerjasama dengan Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS) dan Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) dalam memperkasakan setiap kempen pencemaran terutamanya pencegahan dan pemulihan.

“Penguatkuasaan ditekankan terutama dalam memantau pencemaran lembangan sungai untuk memastikan tiada sumber air utama yang tercemar.

“Kementerian juga mengambil pendekatan bersepadu melalui pelbagai agensi dengan menetapkan garis panduan, rujukan dan undang-undang supaya kawasan tadahan ini dapat diurus dengan baik,” katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian semasa menjawab soalan asal Datuk Hasan Malek (BN-Kuala Pilah) yang meminta kementerian mengemukakan langkah dan cadangan masa depan untuk memastikan sumber air tidak tercemar pada persidangan Dewan Rakyat hari ini.

Menurutnya, dalam aspek pemulihan sungai, pihak kementerian juga menjalankan pelbagai aktiviti dan projek pemulihan sungai-sungai yang telah dicemari.

“Program-program yang telah dijalankan oleh kementerian ialah pembinaan perangkap sampah dan perangkap keladak.

“Kawalan kumbahan dan sisa pepejal dilakukan dengan pemasangan Sistem Penapis Sisa Makanan (FOG) untuk semua premis makanan dalam kawasan Pihak Berkuasa Tempatan (PBT),” katanya.

Sazmi memberitahu, kementerian juga menjalankan kerja-kerja pemuliharaan sungai untuk mengembalikan ekosistem sungai.

Menjawab soalan tambahan Datuk Markiman Kobiran (BN-Hulu Langat) tentang kedudukan kilang haram dan rumah setinggan yang terletak di tebing sungai sekali gus menyumbang kepada pencemarannya, Sazmi mengakui hubungan kementeriannya masih longgar dengan majlis perbandaran negeri.

“Satu koordinasi akan dibuat untuk memastikan kerjasama dapat dibentuk daripada semua pihak dan masalah ini dapat diselesaikan dengan segera,” ujarnya

Sawmills in Tawau found discharging waste in river

2007-09-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

The Star, Tuesday September 11, 2007

By RUBEN SARIO

KOTA KINABALU: Four sawmills in the east coast district of Tawau have run afoul of the law after they were found to have been discharging oil waste and saw dust in the Merotai River where thousands of farmed fish have died.

The sawmill owners were fined RM2,000 last month and ordered to ensure their plant wastes were no longer dumped into the waterway.

"We are watching them and if they fail to abide by the directive we will take harsher measures including court action," Sabah Department of Environment (DOE) director Razak Abdul Manaf said Tuesday.

He said under Section 25(3) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, offenders could face a fine of up to RM100,000 or a jail term of up to five years.

Razak said those convicted for dumping oil waste in the rivers could face a further fine of up to RM500,000 and five years' jail term under Section 34B(4) of the same Act.

He said the department's enforcement personnel went into action after receiving word hundreds of fish farmed by fishermen along the Merotai River had died due to pollution in the waterway.

"Further checks revealed that the four sawmills were discharging their oil waste and saw dust into the river.

"However further investigations must be carried out to determine what caused the deaths of the fish," Razak added.

DOE gets strict over EIA

2007-09-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

The Star, Monday September 10, 2007

LUMUT: From Oct 1, only consultants registered with the Department of Environment (DOE) will be allowed to prepare Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.

Perak DOE director Abu Hasan Mohd Isa said this was because many of the previous reports were not up to mark.

“Before this, any Tom, Dick and Harry was allowed to prepare the EIAs,” he said after the launch of a two-day seminar on the improvement of EIAs here.

Abu Hasan said the department would blacklist consultants if unethical methods had been used to file the reports or certain information had been omitted to expedite the approval of projects.

“Once the consultant is blacklisted, he or she will be barred from preparing other reports.”

Abu Hasan said the EIA should not be used as a licence to approve a project but to help the authorities make sound decisions.

On the DOE’s recent challenge to cut the time taken for an EIA approval from 10 weeks to five, Abu Hasan said:

“It is not a problem. As long as the reports are properly prepared, approval can be given even within two weeks or less.”

Later, department deputy director Norazizi Adinan said that shoddy EIAs put the department under tremendous pressure as it had to assess and approve them quickly in order for projects to move on.

Only DOE-registered consultants allowed to prepare EIA reports

2007-09-11T09:10:00.000-07:00

the star, Saturday September 8, 2007

By CLARA CHOOI

LUMUT: Come Oct 1, only consultants registered with the Department of Environment (DOE) will be allowed to prepare Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.

Perak DOE director Abu Hasan Mohd Isa said this was because many of the previous reports were shoddy and not up to mark.

"Before this, any Tom, Dick and Harry were allowed to prepare the EIAs," he said after the launch of a two-day seminar on the improvement of EIAs here on Saturday.

"That is why the reports have not been up to standard. On a scale of one to five, I would rate the quality of previous EIAs at three," he added.

Abu Hasan said that on some occasions, the department would discover that consultants had merely "cut and pasted" old data from previous reports to prepare a new one.

"As such, we have to ask them to redo it or to get more information where it is lacking."

With the new ruling, only consultants with good experience, knowledge and expertise in the field were allowed to register, he said.

He added that the department would blacklist errant consultants if found that unethical methods had been used to file the reports or certain information had been omitted to expedite the approval of projects.

"We will not hesitate to do this. Once the consultant is blacklisted, he or she will be barred from preparing other reports," he said.

Abu Hasan said the EIA should not be used as a license to approve a project but instead used to help the authorities make sound decisions.

Be sensitive to the environment

2007-09-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

The star

Friday September 7, 2007

PENANG: All government departments, MPs and assemblymen have to refer to the relevant departments managing environment-sensitive areas before commencing any construction in these places.

State Tourism and Environment committee chairman Teng Chang Yeow said inter-departmental communication was very important to avoid unnecessary speculation.

He said this when commenting on recent re-ports on complaints by environmentalists and Friends of Penang Hill about alleged illegal clearing on Penang Hill.

It was reported that Friends of Penang Hill spokesman Ahmad Chik had suspected a far-mer was clearing land and cutting trees to build a cement road in the government forest reserve.

Teng told a press conference yesterday that the claims were not true, adding that the work was done by George Town district Public Works Department (JKR) that was upgrading the 1.2km road stretch off Tunnel Road on Penang Hill.

“The state Forestry Department has done its investigations and there is no violation of the law in this case,” he said.

State Forestry Department deputy director Foong Lai Hoy said a check in the area showed that the road and drainage upgrading project was being done properly.

“The department was upgrading the existing road and only three trees, which were leaning and hazardous, were felled.

“Some clearing of shrubs and weeds were also done by the roadside,” he said.

He added that a proper drainage system was also built, adding that bamboo trees had been planted on the slopes to prevent soil erosion.

Serius bina lapangan terbang di Tioman

2007-09-06T08:09:00.000-07:00

04/09/2007

Oleh ARSHAD KHAN (WARTAWAN UTUSAN)

PULAU Tioman boleh dianggap antara pulau peranginan yang paling berpotensi bukan sekadar di Pantai Timur tetapi juga untuk seluruh negara.

Kecantikan pantai, laut dan pulau menjadikan ia begitu digemari bukan sahaja pelancong tempatan tetapi juga pelancong luar negara.

Usaha pihak kerajaan dan beberapa agensi seperti Kastam Diraja Malaysia yang baru-baru ini membuka sebuah jeti baru bagi memudahkan pelancong untuk terus turun dan daftar masuk ke Berjaya Tioman Beach, Golf & Spa Resort mencerminkan kesungguhan semua pihak untuk memajukan pulau itu.

Seperti kata Pengurus Besar Berjaya Tioman Beach, Golf & Spa Resort, Gordon Koh, sistem pengangkutan yang lebih baik terutama di pintu masuk di tanah besar pasti akan membawa kemasukan pelancong dalam jumlah yang lebih ramai lagi.

Apabila Kerajaan Persekutuan mencadangkan pembinaan sebuah lapangan terbang baru di pulau itu pada tahun 2003, ia disambut dalam nada berbeza, ada yang mengalukan, ada yang bimbang.

Tidak kisah apa pun reaksinya, namun kini, selepas empat tahun, masih belum ada sebarang tanda-tanda nyata lapangan terbang itu akan dibina.

Persoalan penting, apa sudah jadi dengan lapangan terbang baru bernilai RM150 juta di Pulau Tioman seperti yang diuar-uarkan empat tahun lepas?

Mengikut perancangan, lapangan terbang baru itu bakal dibina di Kampung Paya pada 2003 sebaik sahaja kajian terhadap penilaian kesan alam sekitar (EIA) selesai dijalankan.

Projek itu juga dilihat bakal merancakkan lagi industri pelancongan di pulau bebas cukai itu.

Namun selepas empat tahun berlalu, tidak terdapat sebarang tanda yang menunjukkan projek berkenaan akan dilaksanakan.

Status lapangan terbang baru itu kini bukan sahaja menjadi persoalan kepada para penduduk Pulau Tioman, malah kepada pihak kerajaan negeri, yang sebelum ini telah pun bersetuju dengan projek Kerajaan Persekutuan itu.

“Projek itu merupakan projek Kerajaan Persekutuan, sehingga kini kita tidak dimaklumkan sama ada projek itu akan diteruskan atau tidak, kita (kerajaan negeri) telah pun bersetuju pada peringkat awal,” kata Timbalan Menteri Besar, Datuk Tan Mohd. Aminuddin Ishak kepada Utusan Malaysia.

“Sehingga kini kami tidak dimaklumkan secara rasmi berhubung status pembinaan itu,” katanya.

Pada 27 April 2003, Menteri Kewangan Kedua ketika itu, Datuk Seri Dr. Jamaludin Jarjis berkata projek pembinaan lapangan terbang baru itu akan dimulakan pada tahun itu juga, sebaik sahaja kajian terhadap penilaian kesan alam sekitar (EIA) selesai dijalankan.

Jamaludin berkata ia akan dibina di atas laut dan selari dengan kawasan pantai dan kawasan landasan lapangan terbang itu boleh mendaratkan beberapa pesawat Boeing 737.

Malah, kerajaan juga akan menjadikan Lapangan Terbang Tioman yang sedia ada di Kampung Tekek sebagai kawasan pusat membeli-belah.

Jamaludin dipetik berkata keputusan membina lapangan terbang baru dibuat kerana lapangan terbang yang sedia ada di Kampung Tekek dilihat sebagai tidak lagi sesuai.

Perhubungan

“Kerajaan telah bersetuju mengganti (lapangan terbang) yang dah ada, yang berbahaya kerana ia (pesawat akan) turun di kaki bukit.

“Jadi untuk memajukan (pulau itu) mesti ada perhubungan udara, darat dan laut yang baik. Jika tidak, ia tidak ada nilai tambah, kita mesti pasarkan pulau itu, orang akan tanya apakah perhubungan untuk ke pulau itu,” kata Jamaludin.

Sementara itu, Pengurus Besar Lembaga Pembangunan Tioman, Datuk Hashim Mat Tahir turut bersetuju bahawa pembinaan lapangan terbang baru itu akan menjadi pemangkin bagi menarik lebih ramai lagi pelancong ke pulau bebas cukai itu.

Mengikut statistik terkini, hampir 300,000 pelancong berkunjung ke pulau yang disenaraikan 10 tercantik di dunia itu, dan 80 peratus daripada jumlah itu menggunakan pengangkutan laut.

Ketika ditanya sama ada penduduk Pulau Tioman mengharapkan projek itu menjadi kenyataan, Hashim berkata majoritinya menyokong: “Ada juga yang menentang, tapi seperti juga projek pembinaan marina di kampung Tekek, apabila sudah siap, mereka tahu, projek itu menguntungkan industri pelancong di sini.”

Sebelum ini (pada tahun 2004), projek pembinaan marina bernilai RM40 juta turut mendapat bantahan pelbagai pihak yang khuatir projek itu akan menjejas batu karang di taman laut di situ.

Sementara itu pelbagai pihak termasuk penduduk pulau berkenaan berharap projek itu dapat dilaksanakan seperti yang dirancang bagi merancakkan lagi industri pelancongan di pulau itu.

Seorang penduduk, Abdul Latif Salam, 45, dari Kampung Mukut di sini berkata, beliauyakin lebih ramai lagi pelancong luar akan mengunjungi pulau itu sekiranya kemudahan lapangan terbang yang baru dibina.

Pulau Tioman diisytiharkan sebagai pulau bebas cukai pada 1 September 2002.

Ia menjadikan pulau itu setanding dengan Pulau Batam dan Bintan di Indonesia yang berjaya menarik ramai pelancong luar terutamanya Singapura.

Namun hakikatnya kini, hasrat penduduk Pulau Tioman untuk melihat pesawat-pesawat Boeing 737 yang membawa lebih ramai pelancong luar mendarat di lapangan terbang baru pulau itu masih jauh.

environmental law

2007-09-01T12:30:00.000-07:00

For economic growth, tougher environmental laws?

By Mark Clayton Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

When tiny Clipper Windpower builds its first factory, perhaps this year, it will automatically become America's second-largest manufacturer of wind turbines. The Carpinteria, Calif., company even has a hot new technology that should be a sure thing.

But it's still hunting for financing because being a wind-turbine builder in the United States is tough, so tough that only one other US manufacturer exists.

In 20 years, the US has gone from leading the world in wind-energy manufacturing - with at least a dozen enterprising firms - to lagging badly. Companies in Germany, Denmark, Spain, and elsewhere have grabbed the technological lead and now hold roughly 80 percent of a $8 billion market that's growing 25 to 35 percent a year.

The reason? Some experts point to lax clean-air laws in the US. That's right. Weak environmental regulations may hurt, not help, industries by blunting their technological edge. Such contrarian logic, controversial among economists, is about to be put to the test.

By not signing the Kyoto Protocol, the US has set itself apart from most of the industrialized world. So will its companies flourish, thanks to lower environmental costs - or lose out to foreign firms that cut greenhouse gases?
When it comes to green technologies, some contend the record is pretty clear.
"There are major technological and competitive benefits in getting to clean up your act," says Amory Lovins, who heads the Rocky Mountain Institute, an energy and environment think tank in Snowmass, Colo. "By passing on Kyoto, the US will reduce its competitive advantage compared to overseas firms paying attention to carbon reduction."

Consider air-pollution controls, known as scrubbers. After the 1970 Clean Air Act mandated that about a third of power plants clean up their emissions, the US scrubber industry became a world leader. American companies became the first large exporters of scrubber technology to other nations, industry experts say. But after a fast start, the industry stagnated during the 1980s as many power plants were able to avoid scrubbers. When tougher laws went into effect in the '90s, the industry perked up.

Meanwhile, Germany and Japan implemented strict air-pollution laws that kept getting stricter. Today, Japanese, German, and Danish companies have pioneered technologies while some experts say the US lags in key areas.

"The country that's first with the toughest regulations becomes the biggest net exporter of pollution-control equipment," says Robert McIlvaine, an industry analyst. For example: Germany and Japan have been requiring power plants to reduce nitrogen oxides (NOX) for at least 20 years. Result: German and Japanese firms have a big edge today in the lucrative market for selective catalytic reduction technology. Now that NOX regulation has come to the US, American pollution-control companies are sometimes forced to license or purchase crucial anti-NOX technology from Japanese, German, or other foreign firms, Mr. McIlvaine says.

Sometimes even more dramatic has happened in solar photovoltaics. Solar cells, which convert sunlight into electricity, were invented and pioneered in the US. A domestic industry began growing rapidly. As recently as 1997, the US still led the world in solar panel production.

Today, though, the US makes only about 10 percent of global solar panel output, says the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a trade group. Major subsidies and other government incentives in Japan and Germany created the markets and the technological, manufacturing, and cost advantages to those countries. Many US solar panel installers now buy Japanese modules.

"It's not that our technologies were inferior, but we didn't have the public policy or patience to build the industry," says the SEIA's Colin Murchie. While Europeans subsidized solar and wind production, the US offered tax breaks for fossil fuels and has allowed its wind-production tax credit to lapse repeatedly.

When the US did lead on a global environmental issue, however, it translated into a substantial competitive advantage for a number of American manufacturers.

Road to success: not always paved with green technologies
Many countries have tried to boost their competitiveness by supporting research in green technologies. But the results are mixed. For example:
• The United States in the '70s and the '90s increased research funds, but with few long-lasting effects.
• Japan launched its Research Institute of Innovative Technology in 1990 as a research hub. It regularly announces new initiatives, such as biodegradable plastics, that some Japanese corporations have picked up. Critics remain skeptical.
• The European Commission last year launched a plan to boost funding in research in fuel-saving engines, soil-cleaning techniques, and other Earth-friendly technologies. It's too soon to judge its lasting impact.
In the mid-1980s, when British scientists documented a huge hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica, Dupont was a leading maker of chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, a refrigerant and one of the chief causes of ozone depletion. But instead of fighting to block CFC regulation, the company joined the Reagan administration in leading the global community in a phaseout of CFCs. Dupont soon developed an alternative to CFCs it deployed ahead of competing products, developing a lucrative global market.

The development of new technology that could use one of Dupont's alternative cooling substances, dubbed HFC, helped spawn a new generation of more efficient compressors that have led to refrigerators that use only about a third of the energy they did in the 1970s. The result has been a huge energy savings worldwide.

Of course, green technology represents only a small part of the nation's economy. Gauging whether stricter environmental regulation helps - or hurts - the overall economy is tougher and more controversial.

"We find no evidence that improving environmental quality compromises economic progress," wrote Michael Porter of Harvard Business School and Daniel Esty of Yale University in a 2002 study of leading industrialized nations. That doesn't prove that one causes the other, Dr. Esty is quick to point out in a phone interview. But "there's good reason to believe that there's a connection."

Many economists disagree. "To suggest that there will be all of these savings as [businesses] comply with regulations is just silly," says Paul Portney, president of Resources for the Future, a nonpartisan economic think tank. "It's wishful thinking. I would love it if, when regulating firms, we helped them see all these other opportunities, but it's a hopelessly naive view."

In any case, all of America's green technology isn't lost. For example: US firms, pioneering a nanotechnology that can print solar cells on fabric or plastic to make flexible solar power, could become world-beaters, Mr. Murchie says. But they may only have a few years to do it.

U.S environmental laws

2007-09-01T12:15:00.000-07:00

U.S ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
A list of major U.S. federal laws (unless otherwise indicated) pertaining to the environment.

Atomic Energy Act (1954): Was passed because of the government's keen interest in monitoring the commercial and national defense uses of atomic energy. Government concerns included radiation hazards and the disposal of radioactive waste. The act establishes a general regulatory structure for construction and use of nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons facilities. Unlike most environmental statutes, it does not permit citizen suits and affords only limited opportunities for suits by public interest groups.

Clean Air Act (1970): Sets goals and standards for the quality and purity of air in the United States. By law, it is periodically reviewed. A significant set of amendments in 1990 toughened air quality standards and placed new emphasis on market forces to control air pollution.

Clean Water Act (1972): Establishes and maintains goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been amended several times, most prominently in 1987 to increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more effectively address the hazard of oil spills.

Coastal Zone Management Act (1972): Provides a partnership structure allowing states and the federal government to work together for the protection of U.S. coastal zones from environmentally harmful overdevelopment. The program provides federal funding to participating coastal states and territories for the implementation of measures that conserve coastal areas.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (1980): Requires the cleanup of sites contaminated with toxic waste. This law is commonly refered to as "Superfund." In 1986 major amendments were made in order to clarify the level of cleanup required and degrees of liability. CERCLA is retroactive, which means it can be used to hold liable those responsible for disposal of hazardous wastes before the law was enacted in 1980.

Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1986): Requires companies to disclose information about toxic chemicals they release into the air and water and dispose of on land.
Endangered Species Act (1973): Is designed to protect and recover endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife and plants in the United States and beyond. The law works in part by protecting species habitats.

Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938): Is the nation's major law regulating contaminants in food, including pesticides. The Food and Drug Administration implements most of this law; the Environmental Protection Agency carries out its pesticide standard setting provisions (with FDA enforcement). See also Food Quality Protection Act.

Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976): Provides for protection of the scenic, scientific, historic and ecologic values of federal lands and for public involvement in their management.

Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (1947): Controls the sale, distribution and application of pesticides; amended in 1972, 1988, and 1996. See also Food Quality Protection Act.

Food Quality Protection Act (1996): Is designed to ensure that levels of pesticide residues in food meet strict standards for public health protection. Under this law, which overhauled the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to better protect infants and children from pesticides in food and water and from indoor exposure to pesticides.

Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (1976): Governs the management and control of U.S. marine fish populations, and is intended to maintain and restore healthy levels of fish stocks and prevent overharvesting. Better known as the Magnuson Stevens Act.

Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972): Seeks to protect whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, manatees and other species of marine mammals, many of which remain threatened or endangered. The law requires wildlife agencies to review any activity -- for example, the use of underwater explosives or high-intensity active sonar -- that has the potential to "harass" or kill these animals in the wild. The law is our nation's leading instrument for the conservation of these species, and is an international model for such laws.

National Environmental Policy Act (1970): Was the first of the modern environmental statutes. NEPA created environmental policies and goals for the country, and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality. Its most important feature is its requirement that federal agencies conduct thorough assessments of the environmental impacts of all major activities undertaken or funded by the federal government. Many states have enacted similar laws governing state activities.

Oil Pollution Act (1990): Enacted a year after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, this law streamlines federal response to oil spills by requiring oil storage facilities and vessels to prepare spill-response plans and provide for their rapid implementation. The law also increases polluters' liability for cleanup costs and damage to natural resources and imposes measures -- including a phaseout of single-hulled tankers -- designed to improve tanker safety and prevent spills.

Proposition 65 (1986): Is a California law passed by voter initiative. Known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, Prop. 65 is designed to provide public warnings about the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and to eliminate toxins from drinking water supplies. It is responsible for California having some of the strongest environmental protections in the nation, and thus has helped make the state a model for other regions seeking to address environmental hazards.

Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976): Seeks to prevent the creation of toxic waste dumps by setting standards for the management of hazardous waste. Like CERCLA, this law also includes some provisions for cleanup of existing contaminated sites.

Safe Drinking Water Act (1974): Establishes drinking water standards for tap water safety, and requires rules for groundwater protection from underground injection; amended in 1986 and 1996. The 1996 amendments added a fund to pay for water system upgrades, revised standard: setting requirements, required new standards for common contaminants, and included public "right to know" requirements to inform consumers about their tap water.

Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977): Is intended to ensure that coal mining activity is conducted with sufficient protections of the public and the environment, and provides for the restoration of abandoned mining areas to beneficial use.

Toxic Substances Control Act (1976): Authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the manufacture, distribution, import and processing of certain toxic chemicals

EIA (Enviromental Impact Assessment) Report:

2007-09-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

Including

Provides Baseline or Background data on the proposed project area - All data including physical, cultural,social ,etc
Impact of proposed project - both positive and negative impacts on all aspects including physical, cultural, social ,etc
Mitigating or remedial measures - how to minimize impacts, especially negatives one

*Malaysia : 1980's - EIA Reports required for projects > 100 acres in area

EIA not needed for cable car projec

2007-09-01T06:20:00.000-07:00

Friday August 31, 2007

TAIPING: The company undertaking the proposed RM60mil cable car system to Bukit Larut does not have to submit an Environmental Impact Assessment report.

Department of Environment Taiping branch chief Nasir Abdul Rahman said the report was only required if the project involved massive construction activities.

“Since the project in Bukit Larut only involved the construction of towers which utilises small plots of land, the project is not subjected to an EIA requirement,” he said.

Nasir said the company had de- liberated on the cable car pro- ject with the Bukit Larut development committee recently and it was agreed that no EIA report was needed as it was only a recreation project.

He said an EIA report was a must for projects like housing involving more than 50ha.

However in Perak, he added, the requirement had been tightened to over 20ha.

Although the project has not been approved by the state exco, the company and its representatives briefed Pokok Assam state assemblyman Datuk Ho Cheng Wang and the lo- cal media yesterday on the system which had been successfully implemented in Langkawi.

“Original vegetation on the hill will be left untouched and the construction of each tower will only utilise a small plot of about 10m by 10m,” Alan Tan, the consultant of the project said.

Tan said he was aware that the foothill of Bukit Larut had been gazetted as a water catchment area.

“Our cable car project in Langkawi was also built in a water catchment area and the environment there is not polluted,” he said.

Tan said more than a dozen towers would be built to support the 4.9km-long cables to bring gondolas carrying passengers up and down the Bukit Larut.

The base station would be built at a vacant plot near the Casuarina Inn and the Taiping New Club at the Lake Garden here. The tower station would be built about 1,009m up on the hill.

However, Ho cautioned the company to make the necessary adjustments for the base station as the proposed site would often be flooded during the rainy season.

“We don’t want the town to be flooded once the base station is completed,” he said.

Earlier Tan told the briefing that the existing jeep service which visitors depended on to go up the hill could only accommodate about 200 visitors daily whereas the cable car system would be able to bring about 1,000 visitors per day.

“Construction materials will be transported to the tower sites using helicopters so as to protect the hill’s natural vegetation,” he said.

Ho, who is also state Infrastructure and Public Utility Committee chairman, asked for public feedback before the company kicked off the project.

posted by Nor hidayah Mohd(sep060075)

Felda settlers go to court

2007-08-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesday August 21, 2007

By CHELSEA L.Y. NG

chelsea@thestar.com.my

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 400 dwellers of the Lembah Klau Felda settlement near Raub have gone to court to seek hefty damages from the Government for building a dam on their land.

The group of 474 people filed the originating summons through its representative Datuk Abdullah Abu Bakar, 45, the son of a deceased settler. The settlers are not happy with the compensation offered by the Government.

One of the group members who turned up at the courthouse here yesterday said the Government was only giving RM30,000 for every acre (0.4046ha) of land used up by the dam.

The RM3.8bil dam is part of a raw water transfer project between Pahang and Selangor to supply water to Klang Valley consumers.

In his affidavit, Abdullah is seeking damages of at least two acres (0.8092ha) of land for each settler at RM7 per square feet (0.0929 square metre).

He claimed that each settler owned between eight and 10 acres (3.237ha and 4.046ha) of land, excluding the area occupied by their house.

The action was filed at the High Court here last week, but was only extracted and served on the Attorney-General’s Chambers yesterday.

Through the summons, the group wants the court to, among others, declare the real value of the land and compel the Government to disclose the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on the area.

In Abdullah’s affidavit, he claimed the settlers were pioneers who had left the comfort of their homes around the country to toil the hard earth of the Felda land 43 years ago.

“We have gone through extreme hardship clearing the land and cultivating it without basic amenities.

“We have also courageously faced wild animals, terrorists, diseases, and the harsh weather to keep our promise to develop the land,” he claimed.

Abdullah also lamented that the Government’s move to build a dam would change the ecosystem of the land, which had since been transformed into a mini agricultural township.

Beach clean-up to protect turtles

2007-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Beach clean-up to protect turtles
"This is the first time such a campaign has been held in Terengganu, which will be the focus of this year's global clean-up campaign," Australian Clean Up the World founder Ian Kiernan said.
"Obviously, there has been some concern expressed over the effects of rubbish and the diminishing number of turtle arrivals in the state."
Clean Up the World, a community-led environmental campaign, began in 1989 when Kiernan, a solo-yachtsman disgusted with the amount of rubbish he saw while sailing, organized a clean-up of Sydney Harbour.
Kiernan said nature lovers would pick up rubbish on September 17, to be followed the next day by programmes to educate local villagers on the need to keep the beaches clean.
Terengganu, a booming tourist destination, is also home to important nesting grounds for four of the worlds seven marine turtle species - the leatherback, green, hawksbill and Olive Ridley turtle.
These charismatic species are a big draw for tourists who come to watch egg-laying and the emergence of hatchlings.
But so far this year, only 1,500 had nested here compared with 3,086 last year, Kiernan said.
"Only one leatherback turtle, the most endangered of Malaysia's turtles, has been sighted so far," he said.
Kiernan said that, even though Terengganu residents take great pride in their home, litter and pollution are serious problems.
"Fishermen often throw petrol and oil cans overboard, and fishing nets and ropes are also known to end up in the sea," he said. "Pollution, and associated health problems, is an emerging issue in the area."
Source: China Daily

posted by norhasmira mohd ali
sep060074

2007-08-25T08:01:00.001-07:00

Malaysia threatens hefty sentences for illegal loggers
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Malaysia vowed to jail illegal loggers for between one and 20 years, in a move hailed by environmentalists, to slow the destruction of rainforests.
The Southeast Asian country is home to some of them most species-rich and pristine forests left on earth, but legal and illegal logging have destroyed vast areas in fast-industrializing Malaysia.
Illegal logging "is jeopardizing water and air quality," Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak told the official Bernama news agency. "It can bring problems such as floods and droughts and badly affect water catchment areas."
Najib blamed a number of small illegal logging syndicates for much of the destruction and said fines had failed to deter them.
So far this year the government had only collected 200,000 ringgit (US$53,000) in fines, after taking 1.1 million ringgit last year, he said.
"This doesn't reflect the true loss in terms of environmental damage to the country," said Najib.
Environment groups hailed the decision as one of the strongest moves yet by the Malaysian Government to tackle illegal logging but said adequate resources were needed to enforce the new law.
"This does appear as a strong move, and this is something all environmental groups would support and is what we have been calling for for some time," said Meena Raman, chair of Friends of the Earth International.
"While this is a positive move, enforcement should also be stepped up to nab the culprits, because mere enhancement of punishment in the law is not enough," she said, also warning that corruption must not undermine the initiative.
"To really give effect to the law, the government must ensure that there are enough resources in terms of manpower and whatever is necessary to nab illegal loggers," she said.
In the 1990s alone, Malaysia lost more than 13 per cent of its forests, much of it on the island of Borneo, which it shares with Indonesia and Brunei.
The World Wildlife Fund at the time estimated that illegally logged trees made up about one third of Malaysia's timber exports.
As Malaysian Government takes measures to protect rainforests, about 1,000 volunteers plan to clean up rubbish-strewn Malaysian beaches where rare turtles lay their eggs amid fears over a steep decline in nestings, organizers said.
The project is jointly organized by the Australian-based environment group Clean Up the World and local authorities in the eastern Terengganu State.

post by norhasmira mohd ali sep060074

2007-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Agreeing to go green

2007-08-24T06:30:00.000-07:00

BY SHIRENE CHEN

Last year, environmentalists and local tourism authorities clashed when a barge laden with construction equipment scraped off 372.94sq m of coral reef at Sipadan Island, Sabah, while in Tioman, Johor, protest over a new airport on the island intensified when studies revealed that the stretch of sea where the airport was to be built was richer in coral diversity than first reported.
Can the contradicting agendas of tourism and environmental preservation be reconciled?

The Conference on Environmental Management Practices in the Hospitality Industry, jointly presented by the Nilai International University College (NIUC) and Oxford Brookes University, UK, at the Equatorial Hotel in Kuala Lumpur recently, explored this relevant question. Oxford Brooke University’s research team from its Centre for Environmental Studies (CESHI) pointed out that in Europe, environmental legislation is aimed at preventing pollution rather than penalising polluters after the fact.

In the UK, the government charges Landfill Tax on landfill operators for every tonne of waste disposed. This helps to reduce the amount of waste dumped in landfills, promote re-use and recycling, and provide funding for research into more sustainable ways of managing waste.
The Climate Change Levy, on the other hand, taxes energy consumption in the non-domestic sector (industry, commerce and the public sector) and encourages these sectors to improve energy efficiency and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

In comparison, environmental legislation is lacking in Malaysia. This sentiment was surprisingly shared by the local hospitality industry – in a survey conducted by the Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH) on 100 four- and five-star hotels in Malaysia, 82% agree that legal restrictions are the only way to control damage to the environment. Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, who presented the results of the survey, believes lax legislation in developing countries encourages foreign corporations to exploit the legal loopholes even as they meet the stringent environmental standards in their home countries. This practice of double standards is exemplified by news reports last year that exposed how companies in Europe and America were dumping their wastes in Africa.

Last year, the Hilton Hotels Corporation and Hilton International was accused by UK-based tourism watchdog, Tourism Concern, of short-changing local communities and contributing to habitat destruction in Bimini in the Bahamas and Mandhoo Island in the Maldives. Closer to home, we hear disturbing news that more than two years after the tsunami, local communities in Sri Lanka, Thailand and India remain displaced because they are not allowed to rebuild their homes in coastal land now earmarked for high-end tourism development projects. But legislation is not the only operative word when it comes to tourism and the environment...

NO EIA, but rape of forest reserve begins..

2007-08-20T10:50:00.001-07:00

No EIA, but rape of forest reserve begins

Wednesday, 18 October 2006, 09:17am
© New Straits Times (Used by permission)by Brenda Lim
PANGKOR: A company building an organic farm-cum-resort near Teluk Dalam is felling trees and levelling hills without an Environmental Impact Assessment report.
A visit by the New Straits Times to the 0.75ha tract of land at the North Pangkor Forest Reserve found excavators being used to level hills which were at least 30m high.
Trees felled in the area were chain-sawed into beams and used to build several structures there, while a pond was dug to pump out groundwater flowing along a water channel.
There is work going on to build a make-shift jetty on the beach using boulders, timber and sand from the forest reserve.
Perak Department of Environment deputy director Norazizi Adinan said the department had yet to receive an EIA report from Global Hi-Q, the company responsible for the project.
Initial proposals for the project included building restaurants and chalets with over 80 rooms, all of which were subject to EIA conditions, he said.
Kinta/Manjung district forestry officer Abd Ramlizauyahhuddin Mahli said the the company was issued a user’s permit on Sept 16 for 20ha of the forest reserve for "rearing marine fish using biotechnology and cleaning seawater in Lumut".
The site, comprising three hectares of virgin forest and 17ha of production forest, contains some 500 trees, mostly species such as kelat, kandis and penarahan.
It also has some intermediate quality timber such as medang and nyatoh, and several quality species like balau and resak.
A recent check by Drainage and Irrigation officers found seawater near the cleared area "a little muddy".
"There could be problems if there was heavy rain, as the soil from the exposed hill would be washed into the sea," district engineer Roslan Sukimin said.
The soil could kill corals and block sunlight from reaching the underwater plants, thus affecting the food chain and sea ecology, he added.
Roslan also advised the company to follow guidelines under the Erosion and Sediment Control Plan.
Environmentalists from the Perak Environmental Society and Malaysian Nature Society have been critical of the project, protesting that such development should not be allowed in a forest reserve.
Sitiawan state assemblyman Ngeh Koo Ham said such development in a forest reserve was a violation of the law.

UGLY MALAYSIAN??

2007-08-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

Thursday, 24-Oct-2002 7:09 AM
UGLY MALAYSIANS? South-South Investments Abused
Edited by Jomo K.S.
Published by the Institute for Black Research Durban, 2002
TENAGA KHEMAS SDN BHD
Tenaga Khemas is chaired by Dato' Kanagalingam Velupillai (V.K. Lingam) and it is recorded as a dormant company in Malaysia. Towards the end of 1995, the company secured a 87,554 ha concession in the Berbice river region of Guyana. Tenaga Khemas owns 85% and 80% of two other companies operating in Guyana, UNAMCO and Case Timbers respectively.
UNAMCO has been logging a 96,000 ha concession since 1991, and has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for an Exploratory Lease of 345,000 ha.
Case Timbers has owned a 62,000 ha concession since 1993, and is scheduled to obtain an Exploratory Lease of 205,000 ha contiguous with its existing concession and the concession held by UNAMCO. On 21 July 1997, Case Timbers signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the government for the construction of a US$40 million plywood plant. The plant, which is estimated to produce 7,000 cu m of plywood per month is expected to be operational by the end of 1998.
Velupillai Kanagalingam, the head of Tenaga Khemas, has openly admitted that he holds an interest in both Case Timbers and UNAMCO for Berjaya Sdn Bhd. Both Case and UNAMCO are working jointly with Berjaya in existing concessions in Guyana.
While inspecting a logging road in November 1997, an officer of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) discovered that UNAMCO had been logging its concession without permission. Less than a week after the discovery of this illegal logging, the President of Guyana held a ceremony to open the main logging road in the concession, despite the fact that the EIA on the road had been rejected as inadequate by the Environmental Protection Agency. The EIA for the road had still not been approved in 1998. It was later confirmed that UNAMCO had cut at least 15,000 trees illegally and was operating without approval for its Environemntal Impact Assessment for its logging concession. This is also illegal in Guyana. The company was fined a paltry US$7142 by a special government committee established to investigate the situation. The estimated value of the illegally felled trees is US$6.75 million. UNAMCO owes the government US$37,142 in outstanding acreage fees on other concessions since the beginning of 1997. UNAMCO claims that it has not made a Guyana cent from its operations in Guyana for the past three years.
The illegal logging activity took place either in UNAMCO's Timber Sales Agreement consession or in the controversial Exploratory Lease issued recently to the company by the Government. There are conflicting reports in both media and from the Government concerning exactly where the illegal activity took place. Since the fine was announced, UNAMCO has aggressively tried to have the Guyana Forestry Commission removed from any further dealings in the matter. In a letter to the President of Guyana, UNAMCO's director described relations between them and the company and the GFC as 'critical'. He urged the president to intervene directly and 'decisively' to resolve the dispute. As a result, the UNAMCO files were taken out of the GFC's hands.
As stated in an editorial in the Guyanaese newspaper, the Starbroek News in February 1998, "The intervention by President Janet Jagan effectively took the issue out of the ambit of the GFC and the Minister responsible for forestry. It sent a signal that big forestry operators could bypass essential requirements set out by the GFC by appealing directly to the head of government. It thereby undermines the authority of the GFC which has sweeping and onerous obligations in acting as conservator of forests and ensuring that operators abide by the tenants of good forestry practice." The GFC is weak and understaffed as it is, if it has to constantly worry about logging companies undermining its authority by running to the President, it will never have the credibility or authority needed to ensure that logging operations are conducted sustainably.
According to the Amerindian People's Association, Guyana's primary indigenous organisation, "The recent case of the UNAMCO highlights the inadequacy of the GFC to monitor logging operations. If this situation has been taking place with UNAMCO and has only now been found out, how many other irregular activities are taking place in other concessions throughout Guyana? These concessions were granted without Amerindian
participation, without regard for Amerindian land and other rights and as illustrated in this case, these companies are abusing the forest on which many Amerindians depend on their basic livelihood. The Wapisiana people in Region 9 have previously expressed concerns about an Exploratory Lease allocated to Malaysian company, Kwitaro, that includes their ancestral lands. In light of these events, the APA once again calls upon the Government to halt logging operations, until the rights of Amerindians to own and control their ancestral territories and forest resources are fully recognised in accordance with international law.

Monkey export ban lifted

2007-08-18T07:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 18, 2007

PUTRAJAYA: Monkeys can now be caught and exported and the authorities claim it is to please urban folk who have been complaining that the animals have been creating problems for them.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said the Cabinet, at its meeting on June 27, agreed to lift the ban to export monkeys found in urban areas as the public had complained of having foodstuff stolen and being attacked by the animals.

However, he gave an assurance that there would not be “total elimination” of the long-tailed macaque from city areas and they would still be allowed to roam around as long as the numbers were “ideal.”

Azmi said the human-monkey contact became more frequent after the animal’s natural habitat was cleared to make way for development, including creating new residential areas.

He said a solution to the “confrontation” had to be sought.

“I realise we will be getting a lot of heat from other countries and even non-governmental organisations but this solution is necessary after other efforts have failed. We have tried transporting them to other areas as well as sterilising them but monkeys breed too quickly.

“Our main concern now is to ensure that only experts are allowed to catch the monkeys because we do not want them to be put under stress, abused or tortured. The other important point is that only monkeys found in cities can be caught and not those in their natural habitat,” he told a press conference yesterday.

According to the Wildlife Department’s statistics, there are 742,000 long-tailed macaques in the country, of which 258,000 are found in city areas, including Kuala Lumpur.

The Government, in 1984, had imposed a ban on the export of long-tailed macaques following a reduction in the monkey population and the ban stayed for 23 years until last month.

“I must stress that the long-tailed macaque is not a threatened species in Malaysia,'' Azmi said.

Illegal waste-dumping by approved collectors

2007-08-17T21:42:00.000-07:00

Friday August 17, 2007
By DHARMENDER SINGH

KAPAR: Week-long surveillance by the Klang Municipal Council (MPK) has found garbage collection contractors from at least three local authorities dumping waste illegally at a plot of land in Kampung Bukit Kapar here.

Selangor Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ch’ng Toh Eng said enforcement officers from MPK had photographs of the lorries belonging to contractors from Klang, Subang Jaya and Shah Alam councils.

“All the councils responsible have been told to check the registration numbers of the lorries photographed to identify the contractors involved and we will terminate their contracts immediately,” he told reporters after visiting the illegal dump together with officials from MPK and the Department Of Environment (DOE) on Friday.

He also sounded a warning to contractors that the state government would not tolerate any breach of contract, especially when it involved illegal dumping, and would take strict action against errant contractors.

Ch’ng said in the Kampung Bukit Kapar case, the contractor would face action for illegal dumping while the landowner would face action for flouting environment laws.

“We are also investigating to find out if there are people `managing’ this illegal dump and if so we will also take action against them,” he said.

He said surveillance at the illegal dump was carried out following complaints from nearby villagers over the illegal dumping and the foul smell emitted from the area.

He said the illegal activities had been carried out for the last two months and some of the waste had also been set on fire.

Ch’ng added that the contractors were supposed to send the waste to the dumpsite in Jeram, located about 10km from Kapar, but chose to take the easy way out by dumping at the illegal site

Illegal factories next on Selangor hit list

2007-08-17T21:20:00.000-07:00

BY GEETHA KRISHNAN

NOW that Selangor is almost a squatter-free state, the Selangor government is bent on getting rid off illegal factories.

Attractive incentives are being given for illegal factory operators to ensure they legalise their operations within a stipulated timeframe, after which action will be taken against them.

Environmentalists and other concerned individuals like residents living near these illegal factories are unhappy with thejavascript:void(0)
Publish Post state’s project to legalise illegal factories for reasons like pollution, damage to infrastructure and general disturbance.

The state government contends the legalisation agenda is for the common good because the 3,165 illegal factories recorded in a census export products worth RM3bil annually, not to mention the 150,000 job opportunities available to locals and foreigners.

At the same time, Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo has maintained a clear stance that threats to public health and safety will not be condoned nor tolerated.

Illegal factories that caused noise and air or water pollution would be fined, ordered to cease operations or to shift operations elsewhere. By definition, factories operating without permits, business licences or Certificates of Completion and Compliance (CCC) on land meant for residential, agricultural or commercial purposes or on government reserve land are deemed illegal.

The legalisation circular was issued on July 31, 2006.

However, the legalisation process comes with certain conditions like the discounts offered for land conversion that only apply to factory operators who own the land.

Incentives in the state government’s package include reduced industrial land premiums and staggered premium payments stretched over 12 months for those who cannot make lump sum payments.

Under the package announced in June, factory owners will enjoy a 50% discount on land premiums paid within three months of the conversion approval. Those who pay up within six and nine months are entitled to 30% and 10% discounts respectively.

At a briefing for factory operators in April, state Housing, Building and Squatters Management Committee chairman Datuk Mokhtar Dahlan said areas occupied by illegal factories lacked basic infrastructure like roads, lighting, drains and sewerage facilities.

“Through the legalisation agenda, we want to ensure all requirements concerning layout, building plans and safety are met by working with the Environment Department, Fire and Rescue Services Department, Syabas and TNB,” he told a press conference.

Illegal factory operators in the Balakong New Village Industrial Zone gave much thought to legalising their operations years ago.

Balakong assemblyman Datuk Hoh Hee Lee told StarMetro the area now serves as a benchmark for other operators concerned with doing things by the book.

The Balakong New Village Industrial Zone has 220 factory lots, spread over 200ha. The area was originally classified as agricultural land.

“When the idea of legalising their businesses was proposed in 1995, the factory operators set up the Balakong New Village Industrial Zone Landowners and Factory Operators Association.

“They sought the advice of the Hulu Langat Public Works Department and the Environment Department.

“Efforts were also taken to look at the masterplan for Balakong,” Hoh said.

“The operators also pooled their resources to raise RM200,000 to conduct a topography study and engineering design to improve the infrastructure,” he said. The figure collected so far is RM7mil. Plots of land were also reserved for the future use of TNB and Syabas.”

The Balakong New Village Industrial Zone comes under the Kajang Municipal Council. Next to the Klang Municipal Council, MPKj has the highest number of illegal factories in Selangor.

Around 614 illegal factories operate under the municipality and the concentration is in Balakong, Semenyih, Dusun Tua, Hulu Langat, Sungai Chua and Simpang Balak.

Only 58% of illegal factory operators in Selangor have applied for licences. Although it was the intention of the state government to declare itself an illegal factory-free state in 2005, the journey will be a long one.

Ammonia jadi beban pencemaran sungai

2007-08-15T02:32:00.000-07:00

RENCANA
Oleh ZAINI UJANG
15/02/2007
PENCEMARAN Sungai Langat adalah suatu tragedi yang perlu ditangani dengan serius oleh semua pihak. Menurut laporan akhbar Utusan Malaysia semalam, air sungai itu disahkan mengandungi kandungan ammonia yang tinggi iaitu 9.7 miligram setiap liter.

Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Tetap Infrastruktur dan Kemudahan Awam Selangor, Datuk Abdul Fatah Iskandar menyebut bahawa loji kumbahan Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) gagal berfungsi menyebabkan berlaku pelepasan air kumbahan yang mencemarkan sungai serta menjejaskan operasi dua buah loji rawatan air di Bukit Tampoi, Sepang dan Batu 11, Hulu Langat.

Dari segi teknologi, loji kumbahan tidak sukar untuk direka bentuk, atau dibina, untuk menyingkirkan ammonia, asalkan pembiayaannya mencukupi. Banyak teknologi telah dibangun dan digunakan dengan meluas di pelbagai negara menghasilkan risiko dan kesan alam sekitar yang minimum. Dalam konteks perbincangan ini, pada hemat saya, isu yang lebih relevan untuk difahami dan dihayati adalah (a) konsep kawasan tadahan hujan dan (b) beban pencemaran.

Pengurusan lembangan sungai merupakan isu pokok dalam kes ini. Pelbagai aktiviti, loji dan operasi guna tanah yang berisiko mencemarkan sungai tersebut terletak di hulu loji pengolahan air.

Dari segi konsep, kawasan huluan dalam sesuatu tadahan hujan haruslah bebas daripada aktiviti-aktiviti yang berkemungkinan boleh mencemarkan kualiti air. Di kebanyakan negara yang maju dari segi pengurusan air, sebagai contoh Jepun dan Australia, hanya aktiviti pembalakan dan pertanian sahaja yang dibenarkan ditempatkan di hulu loji rawatan air.

Jika kawasan tersebut terdapat kawasan perumahan maka air kumbahan akan dialirkan ke loji kumbahan yang ditempatkan hilir lokasi loji rawatan air tersebut. Dalam keadaan sedemikian pun ada masalahnya, iaitu pencemaran sisa pestisid dan baja dari ladang, serta kandungan bahan organik asli dari kawasan hutan.

Biasanya, loji rawatan air sisa, termasuk kumbahan yang diluluskan oleh Jabatan Alam Sekitar hanya merawat 23 bahan cemar air, yang merangkumi dua parameter sisa organik, pepejal terampa, parameter fizikal, bahan kimia dan logam berat. Dari segi perundangan, bahan-bahan organik seperti ammonia, nitrat, nitrit dan fosforus tidak termasuk dalam senarai yang perlu disingkirkan.

Sehubungan itu, hampir semua loji kumbahan dan sisa industri di Malaysia tidak direka bentuk untuk merawat ammonia dan bahan-bahan yang tidak tersenarai dalam Peraturan Kualiti Alam Sekeliling (Kumbahan dan Efluen Industri) 1979.

Persoalannya, air sungai yang mengandungi kandungan ammonia melebihi 1.5 miligram seliter tidak sesuai dijadikan sumber air minuman. Ini kerana operator loji rawatan air terpaksa menggunakan bahan kimia yang banyak yang pasti meningkatkan kos operasi.

Selain itu, ammonia seringkali dijadikan petunjuk untuk menandakan bahan cemar berasal dari sumber najis.

Bagi mengatasi masalah ini, saya mencadangkan agar pindaan terhadap Peraturan Kualiti Alam Sekeliling (Kumbahan dan Efluen Industri) 1979 itu diperbaharui dengan memasukkan komponen nutrien.

Dalam hal ini, kita juga perlu memberi penghargaan kepada Jabatan Perkhidmatan Pembetungan (JPP) dan syarikat IWK sebagai operator loji kerana telah mengambil inisiatif proaktif dengan mensyaratkan penyingkiran sebatian nitrogen termasuk ammonia dalam reka bentuk loji yang terbaru, termasuk loji berpusat di Jelutong dan Port Dickson.

Isu kedua ialah tentang beban pencemaran (pollution loading). Bagi banyak pihak, termasuk pihak penguat kuasa di negara ini, beban pencemaran tertumpu kepada aspek kualiti atau kepekatan najis atau sesuatu jenis sisa dalam unit tertentu, biasanya miligram bagi setiap liter.

Itulah unit yang digunakan dengan meluas termasuklah dalam peruntukan perundangan yang ada kini di bawah Peraturan Kualiti Alam Sekeliling (Kumbahan dan Efluen Industri) 1979. Saya kira kita perlu menghormati perundangan dan standard yang ada, tetapi kita juga tidak wajar berlapang dada kerana ilmu dan kemahiran dalam bidang ini kian berkembang. Banyak yang boleh kita pelajari dan perbaiki.

Dalam hal ini saya ingin mencadangkan kepada pihak kerajaan agar beban pencemaran untuk efluen di negara ini dikaji untuk dipertingkatkan lagi tahap keberkesanannya. Bagi jurutera reka bentuk, beban pencemaran yang lebih penting ialah kuantitinya, tidak sekadar kualiti efluen. Jika kuantitinya tinggi tetapi kepekatan bahan cemarnya masih rendah yang mematuhi Standard A misalnya, tidak bermakna efluen tersebut tidak mencemarkan sungai.

Ini kerana keupayaan sungai untuk menjalani proses pembersihan sendiri (self-purification) lebih banyak bergantung kepada kuantiti airnya.

Oleh yang demikian, ada rasionalnya agar peraturan yang ada kini dikaji semula kerana pengalaman kita menguruskan sungai dan menjalankan penyelidikan yang berkaitannya mendapati bahawa beban pencemaran dari aspek kualiti tidak mempunyai impak yang langsung kepada kebersihan sesuatu sungai atau laut.

Dalam konteks kumbahan dan sisa industri termasuklah sisa premis pemotongan babi, aspek kuantiti lebih signifikan. Jika kualiti efluen itu rendah daripada Standard B tetapi kecil dari segi kuantitinya, ia kurang mencemarkan sungai berbanding dengan efluen yang tinggi kuantitinya walaupun kualitinya mematuhi Standard A sekalipun.

Di kebanyakan negara maju, kebenaran untuk beroperasi bagi sesuatu loji rawatan kumbahan atau sisa industri juga tidak lagi terlalu terikat kepada sesuatu standard. Ia lebih banyak bergantung kepada keupayaan sebatang sungai untuk menampung beban pencemaran.

Ini bermakna, penetapan dan penguatkuasaan Sandard A atau B dalam konteks Malaysia, kurang impaknya untuk memastikan sungai bebas daripada pencemaran. Saya ingin mencadangkan supaya prinsip beban pencemaran (waste load allocation) dijadikan panduan untuk kelulusan sesebuah loji rawatan air sisa.

* PROFESOR IR. DR. ZAINI UJANG Dekan Fakulti Kejuruteraan Kimia dan Kejuruteraan Sumber Asli Institut Pengurusan Alam Sekitar dan Sumber Air, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

POSTED BY NOR HIDAYAH MOHD(SEP06007)

DOE asks for detailed EIA report on Sg Pulai petrochemical project

2007-08-15T02:17:00.000-07:00

CURRENT ISSUE
Tuesday August 14, 2007

By A. LETCHUMANAN

KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment has asked for a detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on a petrochemical project at the Sungai Pulai estuary in Pontian, Johor.

National Resources and Environment deputy minister Datuk S. Sothinathan said the request was made following reservations expressed by Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman.

"The MB has proposed a detailed EIA report in view of the sensitivity of the project and the huge mangrove swamp. He has valid concern," he told reporters after handing over the ISO 9001:2000 certification to Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) here today.

Sothinathan said the company undertaking the project had already submitted a comprehensive EIA report, which had been vetted and approved by the DOE last month.

"This is a new development and there has been a lot of public outcry," he said.

According to Sothinathan, after the detailed EIA report is completed, it would be displayed in public places so that the public, non-governmental organisations and government agencies could raise any issues, if there were any, within a stipulated grace period.

"If there are any objections, then there would be an inquiry before the EIA report is approved by the DOE," he said.

The company in question is involved in setting up a petroleum-bunkering hub on a reclaimed 40ha island in the vicinity of the Sungai Pulai estuary.

Commenting on illegal loggers in Sabah, Sothinathan described them as "bank robbers," saying these people conduct a survey of the forest area, target the suitable areas and within a short time, go in and collect as much wood as they can and disappear.

He said the illegal logging is taking place sporadically everywhere but has been controlled with the able vigilance of the forest rangers and tip-offs from the public.

"These illegal loggers are very well-organised. If they know they will get caught, they will run away. If they know they have the time, they will take whatever they want from the forest," he said.

Sothinathan was commenting on reports that the Anti-Corruption Agency (ACA) had busted a major illegal logging operation in the interior of Sabah, seizing 1,000 logs on 22 lorries yesterday.

He said it was difficult for the forest department, as it does not have the manpower to physically check the forests in the country.

"We tried satellite sensing but the data is only available after two weeks. We are looking at options which can provide us with real-time information so that action can be taken," he said.

POSTED BY NOR HIDAYAH MOHD(SEP060075)

Govt mulls using RFID chips to address timber theft

2007-08-14T09:15:00.001-07:00

Monday August 13, 2007

MACHANG: The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry is studying the possibility of using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chips on trees to address timber theft.

Its Parliamentary Secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said that using the RFID system would enable authorities to detect stolen timber.

He said the chips, with data on the species and location of the trees, would be inserted into the trees.

"When the timber is stolen, a radio wave will give away the stolen timber when it passes through a checkpoint. This will enable authorities to identify the culprits and the location where the timber was felled," he said.

Sazmi said he would bring up the proposal to use the chips to the Cabinet soon.

"We feel it is the best and the most effective way to address the problem of timber theft, which is becoming serious," he said.

He said that theft of timber was a serious problem in states like Kedah, Perak, Pahang, Terengganu and Kelantan, adding that the culprits were mainly logging companies which were awarded timber concessions.

"These companies cut trees outside the concession areas awarded to them," he said. – Bernama

Environmental Management System

2007-08-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

- Experience of a
Malaysian company
Sony Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd (SEM) established an environmental committee in 1993 with the mission to help minimise and reduce the environmental impact of SEM's products and manufacturing processes, More importantly, the SEM Environmental Committee is an integral part of the management process of the company.

SEM Environmental Committee continually seeks to enhance the competitive edge of operations through:

The establishment of SEM Environmental Policy

Continual promotion and elevation of environmental awareness. The Environmental Committee has made environmental training one of its top priority through the development of rigorous training programmes. To date, we have developed a wide range of training programmes from basic awareness courses to specific ISO 14001 and environmental auditing programmes.

Providing of support to the establishment of Environmental Management System (EMS) and to assist Sony companies throughout Malaysia to achieve ISO 14001 certification.

Providing of technical support and consultancy services to the manufacturing facilities like waste minimisation, product design, etc.

Fostering of closer relationship with government bodies such as the Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment, SIRIM Berhad and Department of Environment (DOE).
In SEM, we believe that environmental management is a new and alternative approach to business. Why do we make such a statement?

Firstly, we strongly believe that having good environmental management will help us to gain better acceptability in the export market. SEM is an international company and most of our manufactured products are sold in the Western market where environmental concerns are far more advanced than in Asia.

Therefore, to achieve this SEM will have to:

Establish proper environmental management systems in all our facilities

Attain the ISO 14001 certification to demonstrate our commitment to continually improve our management system and with the ultimate goal of improving our environmental performance

Be attentive of and understand the laws and regulations of the countries we export to through monitoring of programmes and updates from our affiliates in these countries
Secondly, SEM's business relies completely on customers. Today, we are living in the age of Green Consumerism where our customers are more aware of environmental issues. Therefore, SEM must embark on programmes to further enhance customer confidence in our products through:

Development of Product Stewardship programmes such as:

Product labelling to better inform our customers of the environmental performances or uniqueness of our products

Product take back programmes at the end of the product's life, so that we can recycle or reuse the parts instead of them finding their way to landfills

Smarter ways of using our natural resources like using more of our recycled materials in our products, etc.
Thirdly, we would like to further enhance the Sony name to the public. We believe we can further enhance the Sony name by:

Demonstrating our leadership in the environmental field by chartering new environmental achievements

Being a good corporate citizen wherever in the world we operate by fostering greater trust in community
Till today, we are still being asked why does a company like SEM need environmental management at all? People always assume that we just do assembly operations, not water and energy or chemical intensive operations like DOW, DuPoint, Shell and ESSO. We always say that environmental management makes good business sense. It provides us opportunity to identify areas where we can improve our performance as well as to reduce costs. To date, we have seen positive results in our plant.

We also feel that having proper environmental management programmes will help us to avoid unnecessary trade complications as we would be well prepared for any surprises that may come our way like new environmental laws in Europe or USA, that could effect the way we manufacture our products.

Fourthly, there are always difficult moments in the areas of implementing environmental issues, especially in the areas of knowledge and awareness. Knowledge and awareness calls for basic requirements and understanding of the need for environmental promotion carried out plant wide, from the very top management right through the staff Organisation. With a population of employees like Sony Electronics (M) Sdn Bhd, the trigger point of environmental knowledge and awareness is definitely erupted from the Environmental Management System Committee itself. Information sources collected from Governmental and Non-Governmental organisations, posters, banners, education seminars and environmental literature, are a great asset when required to follow and spread these environmental knowledge plant-wide, creating awareness among all. On the whole the ISO specification and top management commitment to fulfil the requirements, has become a stronghold to continuously make the spread of environmental participation possible.

Today, the Malaysian industries are faced with more environmental pressures:

Government's introduction of newer and tougher environmental regulations

Investors and financial institutions today are very interested in the environmental performance of a company before carrying out any transactions.

Employees are more aware of environmental issues now than they were a few years ago, and they want to know if they are working in a company that is environmentally safe

Public has the right to know about our environmental performance and how our operations affect their livelihood

Business community and our corporate customers in the US and Europe want to know if our products are manufactured with environmentally sound practices

Media reports on our unfortunate environmental problems, no matter how small, will affect our company's image

Our greener competitors will put pressure on us to achieve better environmental performance
In 1993, Sony Corporate headquarters announced the Global Environmental Policy. This policy is applicable to all Sony companies world-wide which is endorsed by our company's President, Mr Nobuyuki Idei. The policy says:

"Sony recognises that global environmental conservation is one of the most important issues that the world faces. Sony therefore gives environmental conservation full consideration in every aspect of its operations."

In Asia, environmental activities and programmes formally began in 1993 with the formation of the Asia Environmental Office as the body that overlooks the environmental issues of Sony, in Asia. Within each Sony company in Asia, manufacturing or non- manufacturing, environmental committees were established to organise and implement environmental action plans for their respective companies. Top management support is the most important link to the success of a company's Environmental Management Programme. In SEM, the Managing Director is directly in-charge and involved in the Environmental Planning process.

In each country, Sony has also appointed a country environmental chairman, who is usually the most senior Managing Director in that particular country. The role of the country chairman is to oversee the environmental programmes and progress of all Sony companies in his respective country. In Malaysia, SEM is honoured that our Managing Director, Mr T.Tokita, is appointed as the Country Environmental Chairman.

The three years of active environmental activities have produced some significant environmental results for SEM. Some of the significant achievements are:

SEM is in the process of eliminating the use of toxic substances in our manufacturing process by substituting it with less toxic substances

SEM has implemented recycling programmes to recycle all our packaging materials with our vendors

SEM is continuously phasing out the usage of expanded polystyrene as packaging materials. Some of the alternative packaging materials are using corrugated boards and other recycled materials

SEM is in the process of (-Iiminating the use of toxic substances in our manufacturing process by substituting it with less toxic substances

SEM is in the process of switching to energy efficient lighting system such as electronic ballast and reflectors. The savings in our energy bills have been very encouraging
Today, Sony places great emphasis on the development of proper Environmental Management System (EMS), as required by all Sony manufacturing plants world- wide, where EMS must be established and ISO 14001 certification achieved. This requirement is spelt out in Sony Corporation's ISO 14000 policy, which states very clearly that all manufacturing facilities world-wide must achieve ISO 14001 certification by fiscal year 1997 and all non-manufacturing companies by fiscal year 2000.

From 28 to 30 October 1996, SEM had completed the Environmental Compliance Audit with SIRIM and was officially awarded the ISO 14001 certification on Manufacturing of Audio Products on the 17 December 1996. Thus, making SEM the first company to obtain this certification in Malaysia and meeting Sony Corporation's ISO 14001 policy target.

Lastly, SEM as the pioneer in the area of environmental management for manufacturing products is committed in providing environmental conservation full consideration in every aspect of our operation. SEM will continue to be proactive in areas of environmental management by having environmental management programmes as a natural part of our management process.

what is the environmental law??

2007-08-04T05:40:00.000-07:00

Environmental law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Environmental law is a body of law, which is a system of complex and interlocking statutes, common law, treaties, conventions, regulations and policies which seek to protect the natural environment which may be affected, impacted or endangered by human activities. Some environmental laws regulate the quantity and nature of impacts of human activities: for example, setting allowable levels of pollution. Other environmental laws are preventive in nature and seek to assess the possible impacts before the human activities can occur.

Environmental law as a distinct system arose in the 1960s in the major industrial economies. While many countries worldwide have since accumulated impressive sets of environmental laws, their implementation has often been woeful. In recent years, environmental law has become seen as a critical means of promoting sustainable development (or "sustainability"). Policy concepts such as the precautionary principle, public participation, environmental justice, and the polluter pays principle have informed many environmental law reforms in this respect (see further Richardson and Wood, 2006). There has been considerable experimentation in the search for more effective methods of environmental control beyond traditional "command-and-control" style regulation. Eco-taxes, tradeable emission allowances and negotiated agreements are some of these innovations

Can Organic Farming Save the World?

2007-08-03T07:20:00.000-07:00

Reporting by Roddy Scheer.

A recent study in the journal Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems shows that organic farming can yield up to three times as much food as conventional farming in both developed and developing countries. The findings contradict arguments that organic farming is not as efficient as conventional agriculture that makes use of environmentally harmful synthetic pesticides and fertilizers

Model estimates indicate that organic methods could produce enough food on a global per capita basis to sustain the current human population, and potentially an even larger population, without increasing the agricultural land base,” researchers wrote in the journal article. They analyzed 293 different previous studies on yields from organic farming to come to their surprising conclusions.

We were struck by how much food the organic farmers would produce,” says the study’s lead author Ivette Perfecto of the University of Michigan’s School of Natural Resources and Environment. “My hope is that we can finally put a nail in the coffin of the idea that you can’t produce enough food through organic agriculture.”

Institute of Environmental & Water Resource Management (IPASA)

2007-08-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

IPASA in Brief

The Institute of Environmental & Water Resource Management (IPASA) was established in 1994 previously known as the Institute of Environmental as an effort to integrate available expertise in various fields at UTM to understand and to overcome complex problems related to our environment. IPASA is an interdisciplinary center for environmental research, consultation and graduate training. IPASA also provides continuing education programs (i.e. seminars and short courses) in environmental related areas.
Although it was officially formed in 1994, most of the IPASA associated fellows have vast experience in environmental studies, consultancies and teaching since early 1980s. Currently, IPASA is governed by a Board of Directors and assisted by managers and fellows, chaired by the Dean of the Faculty of Civil Engineering, UTM. A Director and a Deputy Director who are appointed on a rotational basis head the management team.
Objectives
The objectives of IPASA are as follow:
To stimulate, encourage and enhance research programs in environmental related areas;
To establish collaboration among academics in various disciplines related to environmental studies toward enhancing the research programs;
To establish and enhance relationship and collaboration between UTM and various agencies (private and public sectors) in environmental research and consultancy;
To provide advisory and consultancy services to public and private agencies on environmental issues;
To provide facilities for strengthening postgraduate courses in environmental studies offered by related faculties;
To provide technical program in the field of environmental technology and management;
To provide services on environmental quality testing.
Consultancy and Services
With its wide range of expertise, IPASA also provides consultancy and testing services in environmental related areas. IPASA members have carried out more than 100 Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and related projects during the past years. Other projects include:
River classification and pollution study
River basin study
Lake and reservoir studies
Industrial wastewater treatment
Coastal erosion protection and land reclamation
Groundwater monitoring network study
Solid and hazardous waste disposal siting
Air pollution control
Ecotoxicology and risk assessment
Urban pollution discharges
With its available sophisticated instruments and well-trained personnel, IPASA is capable of providing services for environmental quality analysis. This includes common water quality parameters testing such as pH, BOD, COD, SS, TOC, turbidity, microbiological study, oil and grease and heavy metals content. Other important testing but non-conventional such as OUR and NUR are also available. Ambient air and fuel gas content and noise level can also be tested. Various other chemical analysis can be carried out at our chemistry and environmental engineering laboratories.
Continuing Education
IPASA also conduct courses and in-service training for public and private sectors. As an example, the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) course can be offered to professionals such as architects, engineers, surveyor and planners. Other courses and training conducted includes:
Advanced wastewater treatment
Industrial air pollution control
Clean technology for industrial applications
Medical waste management
Sludge management
Environmental risk assessment
Solid and hazardous waste management
Environmental instrument analysis
Membrane technology for environmental control
Water quality laboratory practices
Sewer:- Physical, chemical and biological reactor
Cleaner production practices

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

2007-08-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

EPA's Position on EMS

ISO 14001
EPA supports and promotes the development and use of EMSs, including those based on the ISO 14001 standard (the international standard for EMSs), that help an organization achieve its environmental obligations and broaden environmental performance goals. EPA does not specifically favor ISO 14001 over other EMS models or approaches. The Plan-Do-Check-Act/Continual Improvement approach used by ISO 14001 and similar models has proven to be effective as applied to environmental management, but not all facilities have modeled their EMSs on ISO 14001.
EMS at EPA
EPA is committed to implementing EMSs for its own employees, operations and facilities that focuses on compliance, pollution prevention and public outreach.
EPA's Position Statement on EMSsOn December 15, 2005, the EPA reissued its Position Statement on Environmental Management Systems (EMS). The revised Position Statement reaffirms the Agency’s long-held opinion that implementing an EMS will enable businesses, agencies, and other institutions to improve their environmental performance and business competitiveness.
Agency EMS PoliciesThis section contains a more complete discussion of EPA's Policies and approaches to EMS development including EPA's Position Statement on EMS, EPA's Own EMS Policy, and EPA's Strategy for Determining the Role of Environmental Management Systems (EMSs) in Regulatory Programs (EMS Strategy).
More Information
For a more complete discussion of EPA's Policies please see the links below:
Executive Order 13148: Greening the Government Through Leadership in Environmental ManagementThis order requires that by April of 2002, each Federal agency implement environmental management systems (EMS) pilot projects at selected facilities and by December 31, 2005, implement EMSs at all appropriate agency facilities. The EO also directs Federal agencies to conduct an agency-wide self assessment using an accepted EMS framework by October of 2001.
Federal Sector EMS ResourcesThis page provides descriptions and links to resources for federal agencies to use when developing and implementing an EMS for their operations. Many of these resources may be of use to other organizations as well. You can also find a list of EMS resources developed by EPA's Federal Facilities Enforcement Office (FFEO).
EPA's strategy for determining the role of EMSs in Regulatory Programs (PDF, 20 pages, 166 KB)This document is EPA's strategy for addressing the question of whether—and if so, how—it may also be appropriate to consider EMSs in the context of the Federal regulatory structure, either to improve the design of regulatory programs, to encourage the use of EMSs, or both. EPA wishes to make clear that it has no intention of mandating the use of EMSs in rules and permits.

Environmental Laws and Treaties

2007-08-02T11:36:00.000-07:00

U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS
A list of major U.S. federal laws (unless otherwise indicated) pertaining to the environment.
Atomic Energy Act (1954): Was passed because of the government's keen interest in monitoring the commercial and national defense uses of atomic energy. Government concerns included radiation hazards and the disposal of radioactive waste. The act establishes a general regulatory structure for construction and use of nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons facilities. Unlike most environmental statutes, it does not permit citizen suits and affords only limited opportunities for suits by public interest groups.
Clean Air Act (1970): Sets goals and standards for the quality and purity of air in the United States. By law, it is periodically reviewed. A significant set of amendments in 1990 toughened air quality standards and placed new emphasis on market forces to control air pollution.
Clean Water Act (1972): Establishes and maintains goals and standards for U.S. water quality and purity. It has been amended several times, most prominently in 1987 to increase controls on toxic pollutants, and in 1990, to more effectively address the hazard of oil spills.
Coastal Zone Management Act (1972): Provides a partnership structure allowing states and the federal government to work together for the protection of U.S. coastal zones from environmentally harmful overdevelopment. The program provides federal funding to participating coastal states and territories for the implementation of measures that conserve coastal areas.
Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (1980): Requires the cleanup of sites contaminated with toxic waste. This law is commonly refered to as "Superfund." In 1986 major amendments were made in order to clarify the level of cleanup required and degrees of liability. CERCLA is retroactive, which means it can be used to hold liable those responsible for disposal of hazardous wastes before the law was enacted in 1980.
Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (1986): Requires companies to disclose information about toxic chemicals they release into the air and water and dispose of on land.
Endangered Species Act (1973): Is designed to protect and recover endangered and threatened species of fish, wildlife and plants in the United States and beyond. The law works in part by protecting species habitats.
Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (1938): Is the nation's major law regulating contaminants in food, including pesticides. The Food and Drug Administration implements most of this law; the Environmental Protection Agency carries out its pesticide standard setting provisions (with FDA enforcement). See also Food Quality Protection Act.
Federal Land Policy and Management Act (1976): Provides for protection of the scenic, scientific, historic and ecologic values of federal lands and for public involvement in their management.
Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (1947): Controls the sale, distribution and application of pesticides; amended in 1972, 1988, and 1996. See also Food Quality Protection Act.
Food Quality Protection Act (1996): Is designed to ensure that levels of pesticide residues in food meet strict standards for public health protection. Under this law, which overhauled the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the Environmental Protection Agency is required to better protect infants and children from pesticides in food and water and from indoor exposure to pesticides.
Fisheries Conservation and Management Act (1976): Governs the management and control of U.S. marine fish populations, and is intended to maintain and restore healthy levels of fish stocks and prevent overharvesting. Better known as the Magnuson Stevens Act.
Marine Mammal Protection Act (1972): Seeks to protect whales, dolphins, sea lions, seals, manatees and other species of marine mammals, many of which remain threatened or endangered. The law requires wildlife agencies to review any activity -- for example, the use of underwater explosives or high-intensity active sonar -- that has the potential to "harass" or kill these animals in the wild. The law is our nation's leading instrument for the conservation of these species, and is an international model for such laws.
National Environmental Policy Act (1970): Was the first of the modern environmental statutes. NEPA created environmental policies and goals for the country, and established the President's Council on Environmental Quality. Its most important feature is its requirement that federal agencies conduct thorough assessments of the environmental impacts of all major activities undertaken or funded by the federal government. Many states have enacted similar laws governing state activities.
Oil Pollution Act (1990): Enacted a year after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska's Prince William Sound, this law streamlines federal response to oil spills by requiring oil storage facilities and vessels to prepare spill-response plans and provide for their rapid implementation. The law also increases polluters' liability for cleanup costs and damage to natural resources and imposes measures -- including a phaseout of single-hulled tankers -- designed to improve tanker safety and prevent spills.
Proposition 65 (1986): Is a California law passed by voter initiative. Known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, Prop. 65 is designed to provide public warnings about the risk of exposure to toxic chemicals and to eliminate toxins from drinking water supplies. It is responsible for California having some of the strongest environmental protections in the nation, and thus has helped make the state a model for other regions seeking to address environmental hazards.
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (1976): Seeks to prevent the creation of toxic waste dumps by setting standards for the management of hazardous waste. Like CERCLA, this law also includes some provisions for cleanup of existing contaminated sites.
Safe Drinking Water Act (1974): Establishes drinking water standards for tap water safety, and requires rules for groundwater protection from underground injection; amended in 1986 and 1996. The 1996 amendments added a fund to pay for water system upgrades, revised standard: setting requirements, required new standards for common contaminants, and included public "right to know" requirements to inform consumers about their tap water.
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act (1977): Is intended to ensure that coal mining activity is conducted with sufficient protections of the public and the environment, and provides for the restoration of abandoned mining areas to beneficial use.
Toxic Substances Control Act (1976): Authorizes the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the manufacture, distribution, import and processing of certain toxic chemicals.
Go to Top INTERNATIONAL TREATIES A short list of international treaties pertaining to the environment.
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: A proposed treaty to prohibit all testing of nuclear weapons in all environments: underground, underwater, in the atmosphere and in space. In 1999, the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the treaty.
The Kyoto Protocol: An international agreement setting binding limits on emissions of greenhouse gases from industrialized countries. This agreement was adopted in Kyoto Japan in December 1997 and supplements the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted in 1992.
Montreal Protocol: International agreement signed by more than 150 countries to limit the production of substances harmful to the stratospheric ozone layer, such as CFCs.
Non-Proliferation Treaty: A multilateral treaty signed in 1968 which aims to control the spread of nuclear weapons; extended indefinitely in May 1995. The treaty has been signed by over 175 nations.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: An international agreement for dealing with climate change, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the "Earth Summit") in Rio in 1992. AKA Climate Change Convention; Climate Treaty. (See also Kyoto Protocol.)For more detailed and comprehensive information, visit Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators (ENTRI), a searchable database of international environmental treaties from the Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN).
Go to Top

Environmental Impact Assessment in Malaysia

2007-07-27T06:16:00.000-07:00

1.Malaysia's Procedural Requirements for Environmental Impact
Assessment

In Malaysia, anyone proposing a new development project is obliged to carry out a number of procedures to evaluate the project's effects on the environment before implementation. The procedures are mandatory conditions for obtaining permission to operate a factory, and no new projects can get underway without completing these procedures.

The first procedure is the completion of environmental impact assessment (EIA). If the proposed project comes under one of 19 categories of activities prescribed under the Environmental Quality
(Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987, the project proponent must prepare an EIA report in accordance with the stipulated procedures, submit it to the Director General of the Department of
Environment (DOE), and obtain approvals.

If the proposed project is not a prescribed activity subject to EIA, Site Suitability Evaluation or Pre-Siting Evaluation is required to assess whether the site of the proposed factory or project is compatible with
other land use in the area, particularly in regard to residential zones. Evaluation is required even when planning to site a factory in an industrial estate. The DOE carries out the evaluation by checking the
development plan against environmental laws and regulations. In terms of both size and industry type, most factory construction projects undertaken by Japanese companies are required to complete only Site Suitability Evaluation.

In addition, depending on where the factory is to be located, a hazardous industry which may potentially generate waste that is injurious to health, such as a petrochemical plant, must submit a separate environmental risk analysis to the DOE. This provision applies to projects that require facilities to handle dangerous chemical substances. The project proponent carries out an environmental risk analysis of the facility and the proposed methods of handling the dangerous substances, and receives risk assessment of the project from the DOE.

These procedures are required not only for new projects, but may also be required for factory expansion and other such activities.

2. Environmental Impact Assessment System

EIA requirements apply to 19 categories of activities, such as airport construction, coastal reclamation, industries, and construction of waste treatment and disposal facilities, as prescribed in the schedule appended to the Environmental Quality (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987. This order also sets forth the size and scope of the prescribed activities in each category. In general, these activities are large-scale development projects that potentially have severe impacts on the environment.

Of the prescribed activities, those in the industry category are most relevant to plant construction by Japanese companies. EIA requirements apply to factory and plant construction projects, exceeding a specified size, in seven types of industries: (1) chemical, (2) petrochemical, (3) non-ferrous, (4) nonmetallic,(5) iron and steel, (6) shipbuilding, and (7) pulp and paper.

The EIA covers not only the likely environmental impact of the proposed project, but also evaluates aspects such as whether the best possible
options have been selected for the project, and whether the
project incorporates appropriate pollution control measures.

Figure 1-7-1 Prescribed Activities Subjected to EIA

1. Agriculture
(a) Land development schemes covering an area of 500 hectares or
more to bring forest land into agricultural production.
(b) Agricultural programmes necessitating the resettlement of 100
families or more.
(c) Development of agricultural estates covering an area of 500 hectares
or more involving changes in type of agricultural use.
2. Airport
(a) Construction of airports (having an airstrip of 2,500 meters or longer
(b) Airstrip development in state and national parks.
3. Drainage and Irrigation
(a) Construction of dams and man-made lakes and artificial enlargement
of lakes with surface areas of 200 hectares or more.
(b) Drainage of wetland, wild-life habitat or of virgin forest covering an
area of 100 hectares or more.
(c) Irrigation schemes covering an area of 5,000 hectares or more
4. Land Reclamation
Costal reclamation involving an area of 50 hectares or more.
5. Fisheries
(a) Construction of fishing harbours.
(b) Harbour expansion involving an increase of 50 per cent or more in
fish landing capacity per annum.
(c) Land based aquaculture projects accompanied by cleaning of
mangrove swamp forests covering an area of 50 hectares or more.
6. Forestry
(a) Conversion of hill forest land to other land use covering an area of 50
hectare or more
(b) Logging or conversion of forest land to other land use within the
catchment area of reservoirs used for municipal water supply,
irrigation or hydro power generation or in areas adjacent to state and
national parks and national marine parks.
(c) Logging covering an area of 50 hectares or more.
(d) Conversion of mangrove swamps for industrial, housing or
agricultural use covering an area of 50 hectares or more.
(e) Clearing of mangrove swamps on Islands adjacent to national marine
parks
7. Housing
Housing development covering an area of 50 hectares or more.
8. Industry
(a) Chemical : Where production capacity of each product or combined
products is greater than 100 tones/ day
(b) Petrochemical -- All sizes
(c) Non-ferrous (Primary smelting)
#Aluminium -- all sizes
#Copper -- all sizes
#Others -- producing 50 tonnes/day and above of product
(d) Non-Metallic
#Cement -- for clinker through out of 30 tonnes /hour and above
#Lime -- 100 tonnes/day and above burnt lime rotary kiln or 50
tones/ day and above vertical kiln.
(e) Iron and steel-- Require in iron ore s raw materials for production
greater than 100 tonnes/ day; or Using scrap iron
as raw materials for production greater than 20
tones /day
(f) Shipyards -- Dead Weight Tonnage greater than 5000 tonnes
(g)Pulp and Paper Industry --Production capacity greater than 50
tonnes/day.
9. Infrastructure
(a) Construction of hospitals with outfall into beachfronts used for
recreational purposes.
(b)Industrial estate development for medium and heavy industries
covering an area of 50 hectares or more.
(c) Construction of expressways.
(d) Construction of national highways.
(e) Construction of new townships.
10. Ports
(a) Construction of ports
(b) Port expansion involving an increase of 50 per cent or more in
handling capa per annum.
11. Mining
(a) Mining of minerals in new areas where the mining lease covers a total
area in excess of 250 hectares.
(b) Ore processing, including concentrating for aluminium, copper, gold
or tantalum
[c) Sand dredging involving an area of 50 hectares or more
12. Petroleum
(a) Oil and gas fields development.
(b) Construction of off-shore and on-shore pipelines in excess of 50
kilometers in length.
(c) Construction of oil and gas separation, processing, handling and
storage facilities.
(d) Construction of oil refineries.
(e) Construction of product depots for the storage of petrol, gas or diesel
(excluding service stations) which are located within 3 kilo meters of
any commercial, industrial or residential areas and which have a
combined storage capacity of 60,000 barrels or more.

Impact assessment takes approximately three months for thepreliminary assessment only. In 1997, a total of 414 cases of environmental impact assessment were conducted during the year, and most of these were completed at the preliminary assessment stage.

Further particulars about EIA procedures and an overview of how the EIA process is conducted are available in "A Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines," published by the DOE. In addition, "Specific Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines" are being prepared for specific types of industries, and there are currently 16 different sets of guidelines available.

(2) Registration of Environmental Impact Assessment Consultants

To improve the quality of EIA reports, Malaysia in 1994 initiated a registration system for consultants who carry out assessment. The purpose is to clarify the consultant's area of specialization, services, and
scope of responsibility. The DOE registers consultants who pass a certain standard of expertise. As of 1997, 216 individuals and 63 consulting firms were registered.

The current registration system is not based on laws. The DOE wants to have registration of consultants made mandatory under the law, and has submitted a proposed amendment to the Environmental Quality
(Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987 to the Attorney General. The proposed amendment recommends incorporation of registration standards, rules of ethics for consultants, and criteria for revoking registration.

3. Site Suitability Evaluation

Site Suitability Evaluation is required for activities which are not subject to the EIA system. Whereas the EIA system emphasizes prevention of environmental impacts by large-scale development projects,
Site Suitability Evaluation assesses whether a project will cause any environmental problems, particularly in relation to residential areas, in the vicinity of the proposed factory construction site. The aim is to encourage companies to select appropriate factory sites. The evaluation is carried out based on the DOE's brochure, "Guidelines for the Siting and Zoning of Industries." Any person wishing to build a factory is obliged to contact the DOE in regard to site suitability.

On receiving an inquiry from a person proposing to build a factory, the DOE evaluates the site suitability in terms of the surrounding land use, the capacity for additional pollution load, problems of waste disposal in the area, and regulations regarding buffer zones stipulated in the guidelines. Depending on the assessor's opinion, the project proponent may be directed to change the proposed site of the factory.

Under the guidelines' provisions regarding buffer zones, industries are classified into four categories: (1) Light industry A, (2) Light industry B, (3) Medium industry, and (4) Heavy industry. The desirable buffer distance from residential areas is specified separately for each of these categories. For example, the provisions state that a buffer distance of 250 meters is desirable for Medium industry, a category of industry that uses toxic and hazardous substances as raw material and generates some gaseous emission, industrial effluent, noise, odor and scheduled wastes.

Since a high proportion of Japanese companies in Malaysia are assembly industries in the electrical and electronics sector, most companies will have to conduct only Site Suitability Evaluation as the required EIA procedure.

Stricter eye on oil spills to protect fish cages in open sea

2007-07-22T07:38:00.001-07:00

Stricter eye on oil spills to protect fish cages in open sea

SUBANG: Surveillance will be increased to ensure that oil spillage from ships do not reach open sea fish cages, said Department of Environment director-general Datuk Rosnani Ibrahim

She said it was difficult to trace those responsible for oil spillage or sludges as a lot of ships ply the Malacca Straits daily.

Rosnani was commenting on a report in The Star yesterday, which stated that Johor’s seafood paradise of Kukup was battling pollution after sludge flowed into open sea fish cages off Tanjung Piai on Saturday.

“It is difficult to trace who is responsible because of the high number of ships in the area,” she said yesterday.

Kukup Fish Breeders Association chairman Ong Lian Lee said in the report that there were some 70 breeders and more than 7,500 cages in the area.

Rosnani said cleaning works were now in progress and the department was working with the Asia Pacific Maritime Institute to control the spill.

Businesses and industries can now apply for the Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award 2006/07, which is the prestigious private sector award for environmental excellence and conscientiousness.

The award, launched 10 years ago, honours companies that demonstrate the highest commitment to reducing the impact of its own operations or activities on the environment and those who emphasise sustainable environmental management, said the award’s organising committee chairman Datuk Kok Wee Kiat.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk S. Sothinathan, who launched the event yesterday, urged companies, especially the small- and medium-size industries, to participate

The award is jointly organised by four non-profit organisations: the Business Council for Sustainable Development in Malaysia, Environmental Management and Research Association of Malaysia, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers and Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

EIA experts must be registered

2007-07-22T07:20:00.000-07:00

EIA experts must be registered

By MAZWIN NIK ANIS

PUTRAJAYA: The Department of Environment will decide which companies are eligible to carry out environmental impact assessments (EIA) under a new ruling that will come into effect next month.

The move is deemed necessary to weed out environmental consultants who are “unqualified, irresponsible and incompetent.”

Announcing this, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said of the 300-odd EIA reports sent to the DOE annually, 25% were rejected, as the department was unhappy with these studies.

“Some reports had a lot of weaknesses, including inaccurate information on the environmental situation of the development area.

“They also presented non-scientific impact assessments and proposed preventive measures that were not effective,” he told reporters after launching a seminar on the registration of environmental consultants here yesterday.

“I am sad to say that some irresponsible consultants deliberately hid critical facts and altered information in their reports.

“They just want to ensure their EIA report is approved, even when they know the project is not suitable.”

Under the new ruling from June 1, all environmental consultants must register with the department.

The consultants need to also meet certain criteria, including at least seven years’ experience in general environmental management and must have worked on at least five successful projects.

Azmi said the government was also looking into amending the Environment Quality Act to make consultants more responsible and liable for their reports.

This is Group 7 Blog

2007-07-18T07:37:00.001-07:00

Group 7 will be responsible for issues related to environmental management, environmental laws and regulations (including EIA’s)... Having blog and explaining about news of environmental problems such a very interesting job..

We are learning about technology and at the same time we are discovering the issues of world.. Feel like we are the heroins in this blog..huhu..