KERATAN AKHBAR BERKAITAN ALAM SEKITAR 3 OGOS 2021
1.
Bina
pusat pelupusan sisa kimia di Pasir Gudang
2 Ogos 2021
PASIR GUDANG - Sebuah kilang khas atau pusat pelupusan sisa kimia perlu dibina di daerah ini bagi menangani masalah pencemaran sungai dan laut yang berpunca daripada sisa atau bahan buangan industri.
Ahli Dewan Undangan Negeri (ADUN) Permas, Datuk Che Zakaria Mohd Salleh berkata, kemudahan rawatan sisa buangan bersepadu lengkap dengan teknologi terkini dan mesra alam wajar dipertimbangkan bagi mengurus semua sisa buangan kimia terjadual.
"Ini kerana terdapat lebih 5,000 kilang termasuk kilang-kilang besar dan antarabangsa beroperasi di Pasir Gudang yang merupakan kawasan industri terbesar di Malaysia
"Pada masa sama, Jabatan Alam Sekitar (JAS) Cawangan Pasir Gudang tidak mempunyai kapasiti tenaga kerja yang cukup untuk memantau semua kilang berasaskan bahan kimia," katanya.
Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas menyerahkan bantuan bakul makanan secara simbolik kepada 78 ahli Persatuan Anak-anak Perantau Johor di Pasar Mufakat Sabah, Bandar Seri Alam di sini pada Isnin.
Che Zakaria mengulas pencemaran terbaru dikesan di Sungai Kim Kim, Kampung Bukit Pulai di sini pada Rabu lalu yang kembali mencetuskan kebimbangan dalam kalangan penduduk setempat.
Pada 1 Julai lalu, Sungai Kopok, Kampung Perigi Acheh di sini bertukar warna hitam, busuk dan hidupan sungai mabuk sebelum mati berpunca daripada pencemaran sisa buangan bahan kimia dari Kawasan Perindustrian Tanjung Langsat.
Mengulas lanjut, beliau berkata, ketika ini kilang sekitar kawasan perindustrian Pasir Gudang terpaksa menghantar sisa buangan toksik ke sebuah pusat pelupusan di Negeri Sembilan.
Beliau mendakwa, disebabkan tidak mahu mengeluarkan kos untuk proses pelupusan sisa toksik, terdapat kilang yang membuang sisa toksik ke dalam sungai atau laut sejak dahulu lagi.
Dalam perkembangan lain, Che Zakaria berharap kerajaan akan mencari jalan mencari tapak pelupusan sampah yang baharu atau menyelesaikan masalah sampah tidak terurus di tempat pembuangan sampah di Tanjung Langsat di sini.
2.
[VIDEO]
Fenomena Halo tarik perhatian penduduk Negeri Sembilan
2 Ogos
2021
SEREMBAN: Penduduk di Negeri Sembilan termasuk di daerah ini dan Port Dickson berkesempatan untuk melihat fenomena Halo iaitu fenomena optik dalam bentuk lingkaran cahaya yang berputar atau bulatan di sekitar matahari.
Ketua Unit Baitul Hilal, Port Dickson, Muzamir Mazlan berkata, kali terakhir fenomena itu berlaku adalah pada Januari lalu.
“Kejadian ini disebabkan oleh pantulan dan pembiasan cahaya matahari oleh awan sirus yang mengandungi kristal ais kecil yang sejuk di atmosfera dan dikenali atau disebut sebagai Halo. Selain itu, fenomena Halo matahari ini juga boleh terjadi pada bulan.
“Pada hari ini, fenomena Halo kelihatan di Port Dickson seawal pukul 10.15 pagi dan diketahui penduduk di Selangor dan Melaka juga dapat melihat fenomena Halo,” katanya kepada pemberita hari ini.
Muzamir memaklumkan, terdapat banyak jenis Halo, tetapi kebanyakannya terjadi daripada kristal ais dalam awan sirus sejuk yang terletak pada ketinggian lima hingga 10 kilometer di lapisan troposfera atas.
“Bagaimanapun, tidak ada masa yang tertentu kerana ia bergantung pada cuaca dan pembentukan awan.
“Fenomena yang boleh dilihat pada pukul 10.15 pagi tadi berkemungkinan akan mengambil masa yang agak lama bergantung pada cuaca dan perubahan awan. Penduduk setempat juga tidak perlu bimbang kerana keadaan itu normal dan ia adalah satu fenomena semula jadi,” katanya.
3.
Bornean
banteng faces extinction if poaching not eradicated
2 Ogos
2021
KOTA KINABALU: Poaching needs to be eradicated to save the endangered Bornean banteng, also known as tembadau, from facing extinction in Sabah.
There are about 320 bantengs left in the state's forest. This was based on a population viability modelling exercise (PVA) carried out at an international workshop organised on the conservation of the Bornean banteng in 2017.
The figure showed that if only one per cent of the population was hunted in Sabah, the growth would cease in the smallest northeast and Sipitang management unit areas, said Danau Girang Field Centre (DGFC) director and Cardiff University professor Dr Benoit Goossens.
"In the southeast and central unit areas, growth would cease if 2 and 4 per cent of the bantengs are hunted, respectively.
"Extinction was estimated at 21 to 39 years if 5 per cent of the population is hunted every year, with the central management unit getting extinct last," said Goossens.
To make sure the survival and recovery of the banteng, the population was supplemented with captive-bred individuals, he suggested in a scientific paper recently published in the journal for endangered species research, scientists and wildlife managers.
DGFC, Cardiff University and Sabah Wildlife Department (SWD) collated the first population parameters for the endangered Bornean banteng by developing population models to simulate the effect of different hunting offtake rates.
"Our findings from camera trap surveys suggested that the banteng population in Sabah is geographically divided in four management unit areas based on connectivity: the northeast (with Paitan and Sugut Forest Reserves); Sipitang Forest Reserve in the west; central (Deramakot, Tangkulap, Malua, Kuamut and many others forest reserves) and southeast (Kulamba and Tabin Wildlife Reserves) which all require active management to prevent further population decline and local extinction," said Dr Penny Gardner, who led the state-wide banteng survey project for DGFC and SWD.
"An action plan for Sabah was then drafted and approved by the State Government in June 2019," said SWD assistant director and head of enforcement Mohd Soffian Abu Bakar.
Yayasan Sime Darby (YSD) continued its support for the project through funding for PROTECT, a boots-on-the-ground enforcement team under the Sabah Forestry Department (SFD).
"As another boost to wildlife enforcement, the US Department of State through its Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) also provided funding to us in 2019 to set up our own intelligence and forensic units," Soffian said.
SWD director Augustine Tuuga said: "Our department takes poaching of our totally protected species very seriously and we are currently prosecuting a man for possessing 36.10kg of banteng meat in Kota Belud.
"Hunting of our Schedule 1 species has to stop, we cannot afford to lose them."
4.
More
incentives needed to cut use of plastics
3 August
2021
Eating in and home cooking have become common
as tightened lockdown measures restrict people from going out for dining or
work.
That also means more families buying packed food, such as bread, instant noodles, sugar and flour. Some organisations use plastic bags to distribute food aid to hardcore poor and B40 households.
The surge in plastic packaging during the pandemic has led to a rise in plastic production. In 2019, it was five per cent growth, according to the Malaysian Plastics Manufacturers Association.
Despite the government national Roadmap Towards Zero Single-Use Plastics in 2018, the takeaway culture has resulted in many hawker stalls and F&B outlets using plastic bags.
Coupled with the rise of online delivery services, Malaysia recorded the highest annual per capita plastic use at 16.78kg per person before the emergence of the pandemic. Higher than Singapore (12.5kg), Philippines (12.4kg), Thailand (15.52kg) and Vietnam (12.93kg), according to a 2020 World Wildlife Fund Malaysia report.
The situation is worsening as more Malaysians are purchasing online or receiving food aid in plastic bags. As a result, Malaysians used 148,000 tonnes of plastic packaging for food last year.
Although some restaurants used cardboard or paper containers for takeaway orders, the containers' lids and covers still require plastic. Many F&B outlets also use plastic bags instead of paper bags for delivery, as rainwater would soak into the paper bags during the rainy season.
There is no solution to replicate plastics' properties of being lightweight, transparent, waterproof and durable, according to Team Recycler, a start-up that provides greener solutions for takeaway packaging.
Perhaps, Malaysians could do their part by not buying unnecessary things online. Before making an online purchase, take a moment to ask these questions: Do I need it? What is the underlying reason for wanting to purchase it?
These would help the individual identify required items besides reducing unnecessary consumption and the plastic packaging that items are shipped in.
However, if the individual does not have time to cook in the work-from-home environment, the option not to receive plastic cutlery could be chosen when ordering food online. After consumption, one either washes and reuses the plastic container or throws it into a recycling bin.
The prolonged lockdown also provides us with the opportunity to grow our own food by using the empty space in the residence. We could enjoy eating fresh homegrown veggies.
This can help stressed individuals or families enjoy a good indoor environment, better air quality and well-ventilated indoor spaces. Relax minds through gardening.
Also, individuals or households could substitute plastic storage containers with glass, which has a longer shelf life.
With we committed to moving to a circular economy, authorities should work closely with businesses and green groups, introduce a system to encourage consumer goods firms to use less plastic and fund better recycling schemes.
By involving the private sector, the government could expedite product redesign, introduce new business models, upgrade delivery mechanisms, apply new recycling technologies, enhance the experience of producer responsibility from other markets and accelerate project financing.
In addition, the government could tax manufacturers, product processing and packaging centres for their use of plastic. Consider setting more ambitious targets than the current Malaysia Sustainable Plastics Alliance targets.
For instance, set 100 per cent plastic packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable, and enable 15 per cent average recycled content across all plastic packaging by 2025 instead of 2030.
Moreover, the government could provide subsidies and zero taxation for sustainable raw materials and products, encouraging industrial players to produce environmentally friendly packaging.
Such packaging could come from agricultural waste (i.e., plant starch from corn, sugarcane or beet pulp), biodegradable packing peanuts, corrugated bubble wrap, mushroom-based packaging, recycled cardboard and paper, post-consumer recycled plastics and organic fabrics.
Apply stricter monitoring and enforcement mechanisms to severely punish those who throw plastic packaging into rivers or surroundings.
All Malaysians must work together in reducing plastic packaging. This would stimulate a healthy lifestyle among individuals and communities aside from meeting the nation's environmental agenda.
https://www.nst.com.my/opinion/columnists/2021/08/714319/more-incentives-needed-cut-use-plastics
5.
Bina
parit elak Hutan Simpan Kekal Batu Talam diceroboh
3 Ogos
2021
RAUB: Tujuh parit dibina bagi menghalang
kejadian menceroboh Hutan Simpan Kekal Batu Talam, di sini tidak berulang pada
masa akan datang.
Pegawai Pejabat Hutan Daerah (PHD) Raub, Shahril Mohamad, berkata dua parit dibina bagi memutuskan laluan utama masuk ke kawasan terbabit dan lima lagi di beberapa tempat dalam kawasan bekas kebun durian Musang King yang ditanam secara haram dalam hutan simpan kekal berkenaan.
Beliau berkata, kerja membina parit sepanjang 0.9 meter dan 1.52 meter dalam itu menggunakan jengkaut mengambil masa selama dua hari selepas kerja menanam pokok hutan selesai sepenuhnya Sabtu lalu.
Katanya, pembinaan parit terbabit seolah upacara penutup Operasi Pamah yang bermula 3 Julai lalu, membabitkan kawasan Hutan Simpan Batu Talam seluas kira-kira 101 hektar itu.
"Kita berharap dengan adanya tujuh parit besar itu Hutan Simpan Batu Talam tidak lagi diceroboh oleh pihak tidak bertanggungjawab yang hanya mementingkan diri sendiri menerusi projek pertanian diusahakan.
"Hutan simpan kekal ini adalah kawasan tadahan air yang menjadi sumber bekalan air pada penduduk daerah ini," katanya, di sini semalam.
Beliau berkata, episod hitam pencerobohan Hutan Simpan Kekal Batu Talam yang dijadikan kebun durian Musang King secara haram oleh penduduk setempat sebelum ini diharap tidak berulang lagi selepas ini.
Shahril berkata, pihaknya akan terus memantau kawasan terbabit selepas ini dengan menggunakan dron bagi memastikan tidak ada lagi pihak bertindak menceroboh hutan simpan berkenaan untuk apa juga tujuan.
Sementara itu, Penolong Pengarah Pejabat Pembangunan Hutan Pahang Barat Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Pahang (JPNP), Wan Ghazali Wan Ali, berkata pihaknya menanam sebanyak 19,293 pelbagai spesies pokok hutan antaranya merawan, meranti, balau, keruing dan beberapa spesies lain.
"Kita juga menanam sebanyak 610 spesies pokok nadir membabitkan 200 pokok sentul dan 410 pokok tampoi berumur enam bulan hingga setahun. Pokok berkenaan ditanam secara selerak dalam kawasan Hutan Simpan Kekal Batu Talam yang bentuk muka bumi berbukit.
"Kerja menanam pokok dilakukan kakitangan JPNP membabitkan semua daerah dan aktiviti menanam berjalan lancar dengan pengawasan anggota Pasukan Gerakan Am (PGA) serta Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) yang turut sama menyertai Operasi Pamah," katanya.
Operasi Pamah membabitkan kerja memusnahkan kira-kira 15,000 pokok durian Musang King yang ditanam secara haram dalam Hutan Simpan Kekal Batu Talam yang membabitkan kawasan seluas kira-kira 101 hektar bertujuan untuk mengekalkan kawasan tadahan air di daerah ini.
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