NEW MALAYSIA ENVIRONMENTAL REPLACING THE CURRENT EQA 1974

Source: BERNAMA

The Environmental Quality Act 1974 will be abolished and replaced with a new act, said Director-General of the Department of Environment (DOE) Datuk Dr Ahmad Kamarulnajuib Che Ibrahim. 

A new act, he said had to be formulated in line with current changes as the present one had been in use for more than 40 years while problems relating to the environment were now more challenging.

“The problems relating to the environment is becoming more complex...there are many other issues which arise in our country from technological and economic developments. The present act is not sufficient to tackle current issues.

“We have to be prepared to curb the problem of environmental pollution with new laws which are more comprehensive,” he told reporters after launching the national-level Oil Spill Control Table-Top Training session here today.

Ahmad Kamarulnajuib added that the draft for the amendment had been sent to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for review.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Ahmad Kamarulnajuib said 149 complaints of oil pollution in Malaysian waters were reported from 2009 until October this year.He said pollution resulting from oil spills were difficult to foresee and needed the cooperation of various agencies such as the Malaysian Marine Department and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) to undertake immediate cleaning efforts.

”Failure to act fast and in a coordinated manner will cause huge damage to the ecosystem and marine environment and result in cleaning efforts which cost more,” he said.

Ahmad Kamarulnajuib added that marine oil spills were not only caused by ships but could also occur in areas which handle oil and chemical products as well as in ports.

As such, he said, it was a major necessity for these areas to have a Tier One Contingency Plan and be equipped with critical equipment and response team in the event of an oil spill situation. ― Bernama

NEW ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT SYSTEM SOON

Extracted from paper cutting  dated 29 July 2017

GOERGETOWN - The new Environmental impact assessment  (EIA) system will be introduced soon, which among others, list more stringent conditions for mega development projects including marine land reclamation.

Natural resources and Environment Minister Datuk Wan Junaidi Tuanku  Jaafar, said the new EIS system, would be tabled at the cabinet before being taken to the next level.

"After the cabinet endorses it, we will present it to the National Physical Development Council before  presenting it to the National Land Council."

"After that , if all is clear , the new EIA system can then be adopted." he told the reporters after  witnessing the signing of amemorandum of understaning (MoU) between the Department of Wildlife  and the Malaysian Association of Veterinary  Pathology here yesterday.

He said the new EIA  system would take into account social factors and politicl impact including fisherman's complaints as well as involving the participation  of more agencies, including the Department of Environment, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Department of Marine Park and the Nationa Hydraulic  Research Institure of Malaysia (NAHRIM).

How rainbows are formed

The formation of rainbow in a sky after its rains is natural phenomena related to dispersion of light. A rainbow is a natural spectrum of sunlight that formed in the sky after it rains. After it rains, water droplets are suspended in the air. These droplets act as prisms to disperse sunlight into the colours of spectrum. A primary rainbow A primary rainbow is formed when sunlight undergoes two refractions and one reflection in water droplet A primary rainbow has the colour of red on the outside and colour violet on the inside of a curve A secondary rainbow A secondary rainbow is formed when sunlight undergoes two refractions and two reflections in a water droplet. Sometimes a secondary rainbow is formed above a primary rainbow. A secondary rainbow has the colour violet on the outside and the colour of red on the inside the curve. This is the double reflection of light. A primary rainbow is brighter than a secondary rainbow. The double reflection of light in a water droplet results in the loss of light. A rainbow is formed if the angle of elevation of the sun is less than 42 degree. A rainbow will be formed when we spray water in the air towards the sky, if the sun is behind us. A colour spectrum will be seen in he water spray.

Career opportunity in Environmental

Today I met an environmental website which useful for those who wants to expends career internationally.

For more information please visit

http://www.ecojobs.com/

EIA Legislation in Malaysia

The prescribed activity can only carried out once EIA  is approved by the DG

Panalties:

Fine RM100,000 and/or 5 years jail

RM1,000 per day the offence is continued after  notice by DG

Long term mobileuse and the risk of brain cancer

Using mobile phones for more than 10 years doubles the risk of brain cancer, newspapers reported. They suggest that the risk may be greater in children whose thinner skulls and developing nervous system make them more vulnerable.

The Daily Mail reported that “researchers found that long-term users had double the chance of getting a malignant tumour on the side of the brain where they held the handset”.

The stories are based on a review of studies that looked at the difference in mobile phone usage between people with and without brain tumours for more than a 10 year period.

The authors found 11 studies on people who had used mobile phones for more than a decade. Some of these showed that mobile phone use significantly increased the risk of some types of brain cancer while others did not.

Further perspective is given to this by data from Cancer Research UK, which suggests that “brain tumours” are rare and occur in less than seven in 100,000 people.

Contrary to newspaper reports, this review did not find that children are at greater risk of cancer from mobile use. The review did not look specifically at children and it would not be possible to come to this conclusion. These headlines originated from a comment by one of the authors.

However, the Stewart Report, a government sponsored independent review, recommended in 2004 that the use of mobiles by children should be minimised as a precautionary measure. This recommendation is endorsed by the findings from the 2007 MTHR Report, which found that although there was no evidence that mobile phones were associated with adverse effects in adults, further research is still needed for their use by children, and for their long-term use by adults. Proposals for the MTHR 2 study that begins in 2008 include epidemiological studies of the risk of brain tumours in children.

read more...

http://www.nhs.uk/news/2007/October/Pages/Longtermmobileuseandtheriskofbraincancer.aspx

Environmental Auditing in Environmental Management Plan

The ISO 14010 standard defines an environmental audit as;

"Systematic, documented verification process of objectively obtaining and evaluating audit evidence to determine whether specified environmental activities, events, conditions, management systems or information about these matters conform with audit criteria, and communicating the result of this process to the client"

The key elements in the environmental audits includes
- systematic
- documented
- verification process
- objective
- evaluating audit evidence
- activities, events, conditions, standards, EMP specification- communication of results

Environmental Auditing (compliance) is a key 'checking' step to ensure that the project proponent and contractors implement and adhere to the environmental requirement specified in the EMP. Typical audit criteria include:

a- EIA approval conditions by DOE, NREB, contract tender specifications
b- Standars and guidelines enforced by DOE
c- Other requirements, policy, ets

The Environmental auditing procedures should be in line with the requirements of ISO 14000 standards. The approach typically involves:
- Document review
- site inspection
- interviews

This typically covers
- monitoring data
- minutes of meetings
- correspondence with DOE
- latest site drawings
- project schedule updates
doe

List of Prescribed Activities (Extract from the Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities)(EIA)Order 1987)

1. Agriculture
2. Airport
3. Drainage and Irrigation
4. Land Reclamation
5. Fisheries
6. Forestry
7. Housing
8. Industry ; chemical, Petrochemicals, Non-ferrous, Aluminum, Copper' Other ( Non metallic, iron and steel, shipyards, pulp and paper, industry)
9. Infrastructure
10.Ports
11.Mining
12. Petroleum
13. Power Generation and Transmission
14. Quarries
15. Railways
16. Transportation
17. Resort and Recreational Development

Sarawak's Natural Resources and Environment (Pescribes Activities) Order 1994

Sarawak's Natural Resources and Environment, Order 1994 makes it mandatory for project proponents and/or developers to carry out Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) on activities having impact on the environment and natural resources.

The following activities, which are the Prescribed activites contained in the First Schedule of the Order require the conduct of EIA

1. Agriculture Development
2. Logging
3. Development of Commercial Industrial Housing Estates
4. Activities Which May Pollute Inland water or Affect Sources of Water Supply
5. Fisheries and Activities Which May Endanger Marine or Aquatic Life, Plants in Inland Waters or Erosion of River Banks
6. Extension and Removal of Rock Materials and Mining
7. Any Other Activities Which May Damage or Have an Adverse Impact on quality of Environment or Natural Resources of the States

Understanding an Environmental Management Plan (EMP)

A key outcome of EIA process will be an EMP which:

- Identifies key potential project impact areas
- Set out the programme for monitoring and auditing the potential impacts
- Establishes reporting and mitigation (including emergency) response procedure

The purpose of EMP is to get a perspective of Environmental management of the project, the proponent should prepare the master EMP for the whole project. The main contractor can then prepare specific EMPs for their specific contract packages which fits into the overall EMP.

EMP's typically contain the following:
a- A concise statement of purpose and policy
b- A summary the key potential impacts of the project. this should be written in simple language for the layman
c- A list of legal requirement, standards and guidelines which applies to the project
d- A detailed programme for execution of environmental works which is integrated with the ocerall project programme. This typically includes management of soil erosion, siltation , air, water pollution and hazardous substances
e- Environmental objective and targets
f- Clearly defined structure with roles and responsibilities for environmental management
g- Training and qualification requirements for key staff, i.e environmental auditors
h- Clear lines for communication regarding environmental management matters
i- Specific document and operation control procedures eg. specific methods and guidelines to control the identified impacts
j- Emergency response and event contigency plans with specified trigger levels
k- Environmental monitoring programme and procedures
l- Environmental records
m- Environmental auditing programme and protocol
n- Management review

EIA Procedure in Malaysia

There are three major steps in EIA procedure

STEP 1: Preliminary Assessment
- the initial assessment of impact of prescibed activities
- initiated at the pre-feasibility stage of the development activity
- the stage that project options are identified and significant residual impacts are made known
- the preliminary EIa report is prepared and reviewed by DOE (Department of Environment) internally at state level
- assistance fir reviewing may be sought from other government and non-government agencies

STEP 2: Detailed Assessment
- is undertaken for projects where significant residual environment impact have been predicted in the preliminary stage
-continues during the feasibility stage of the project
-detailed EIA report submitted to DOE headquarters for review and approval prior to the project being approved to proceed
-Term of reference prepared y an ad hoc reviewal panel
- EIA reviewed by ad-hoc panel chaired by DG

STEP 3: Reviewed
- Recommendation from the review is transmitted to the relevant project approving authority for consideration in the decision making process
- DOE maintains a list of experts who may be called to sit on Review panels. The selection is based on the areas of environmental impacts to be reviewed.

List of EIA Guidelines in Malaysia

Section 34A specifies that EIA reports shall be in accordance with the guidelines prescribed by the Director General. The key Guideline material is a 'handbook of EIA Guidelines and Procedures' published by Depatrment of Environment (DOE). In addition EIA guidelines for spesific sectors have been produced and the following are currently available at DOE.

EIA's typically takes 2 to 6 months to prepare, depending on the size and complexity of the Project.

1. EIA Guidelines for Toxic and Hazardous Treatment and disposal Projects EG 13.95
2. EIA Guidelines for Development of Hill Resort & Hotel Facilities in Hill
stations EG 8/95
3. EIA Guidelines for Municipal Solid waste & sewerage Treatment & disposal Projects EG 12/95
4. EIA Guidelines for Drainage and Irrigation Projects EG 3/95
5. EIA Guidelines for Mines and Quarries EG/795
6. EIA Guidelines for Dams and / or Reservoir Projects EG 5/95
7. EIA Guidelines for Coastal Resort Projects EG 5/95
8. EIA Guidelines for Thermal Power Generation and Transmission Project EG/95
9. EIA Guidelines for Fishing Harbours or Land Based aquaculture Projects EG/95
10. Penilaian Kesan Alam Sekeliling bagi Pembangunan Padang Golf EG 8/95
11. EIA Guidelines for Groundwater and/ or Surface Water Supply Projects EG 1/95
12. EIA Guidelines for Petrochemical Industries EG 6/95
13. EIA Guidelines for Industrial Estate Development EG 7/94
14. EIA Guidelines for Development of Tourist & Recreational Facilities In National Parks EG 9/95
15. EIA Guidelines for Development of Tourist & Recreational Facilities on Islands In Marine Parks EG/10/95
16. EIA Guidelines for Industrial Projects EG 11/95
17. EIA Guidelines for Sitting and Zoning of Industries EG 11/94
18. A handbook of EIA Guidelines
19. EIA Guidelines for the Management & Disposal of Waste in Upstream Petroleum Industries EG 9/94
20. Guidelines for the Management & Disposal of Waste in Downstream Petroleum Industries EG 9/94
21. Soil Erosion and Control Guidelines
22. EIA Guidelines for Forestry Projects

Radiation level and its effects

Source:http://themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/how-much-radiation-is-dangerous/March 15, 2011



TOKYO, March 15 — Japan asked local governments to make more frequent radiation checks after explosions at two nuclear reactors, with reports of radiation levels nine times normal briefly detected in Kanagawa near Tokyo.

Below are some facts about the health dangers posed by higher radiation levels.

1.Chief Cabinet Minister Yukio Edano said radiation levels near the stricken plant on the northeast coast reached as high as 400 millisieverts (mSv) an hour, thousands of times higher than readings before the blast. That would be 20 times the current yearly level for some nuclear-industry employees and uranium miners.

2.Exposure to 350 mSv was the criterion for relocating people after the Chernobyl accident, according to the World Nuclear Association.

3.People are exposed to natural radiation of about 2 mSv a year.

4. Airline crew flying the New York-Tokyo polar route are exposed to 9 mSv a year.

5. Exposure to 100 mSv a year is the lowest level at which any increase in cancer is clearly evident. A cumulative 1,000 mSv would probably cause a fatal cancer many years later in five out of every 100 persons exposed to it.

6. A single 1,000 mSv dose causes radiation sickness such as nausea but not death. A single dose of 5,000 mSv would kill about half of those exposed to it within a month.

7. Very acute radiation, like that which happened in Chernobyl and to the Japanese workers at the nuclear power station, is unlikely for the population,” said Lam Ching-wan, a chemical pathologist at the University of Hong Kong.

For the latest news on Japan’s nuclear crisis, go to http://www.world-nuclear.org/ — Reuters

Tsunami tragedy and exploded nuclear power plant

This post was issued by me last year... as my concern to japan Tsunami tragedy and blast hits its Nuclear power plant.

Depending what you useit for, nuclear energy can be good (or bad). If you use it for peaceful purposes, then I am all for it. If it is making weapons, missiles and other things, then this is the wrong use for it.

My only concern is with nuclear energy itself and all the hazards associated, environmental and health, and the cost involved. Today with the climate change, nuclear energy is not the answer. Renewable sources of energy, changing lifestyle and sustainable development is part of the answer as well the energy efficiency and energy conservation

Nuclear energy is not a clean source. That is a terrible fallacy. Why? The use of nuclear energy is what do we do to dispose of radioactive waste, which lasts for thousands and thousands of years. Plutonium has a half-life of 24,000 years! What is that? 240 centuries, 24 millennia. If prehistoric man started out with nuclear energy, today we would still be managing his waste. Here we are talking about radioactive waste forever

My greatest concern is the disposable of radioactive waste. Secondly, there are so many fallacies about the cost of nuclear energy. Nobody can say it cheap.

eTo have an energy mix between all sort of energy is must as depletion of fossil fuel, we will not have the energy we need. Of course we can reduce the pressure of the demand for energy through prudent use and becoming more efficient.

INWQS for Class 1

The Interim Water Quality Standards for Class 1 are as follows.

Class 1 is considered a very clean water. The water need no treatment as it only need to boil as a drinking water. The supply of drinking water or any sensitive aquatic species must follow this standard to ensure it safe to use.


Ammonical Nitrogen (mg/l)- 0.1

BOD (mg/l) - 1

COD (mg/l) - 10

DO (mg/l) - 7

pH - 6.5-8.5

Colour (TCU) - 15

Electrical Conductivity (mmhos/cm) - 1000

Floatables -

Odour -

Salinity (o/oo) - 0.5

Taste - N

Total Dissolved Solids (mg/l) - 500

Total Suspended Solids (mg/l) - 25

Temperature (oC) -

Turbidity (NTU)- 5

Faecal Caliform* (counts/100ml) -10

Total Coliform (counts/100ml) - 100

Accurate Flow Measurement in Large Pipes

The ADFM Pro20 from Teledyne Isco (USA) brings unparalleled flow measurement accuracy to large pipes and channels, delivering flow rate data within 2% of actual value, in flow depths up to 20 feet (6m). Four (4) piezoelectric ceramics in the sensor emit short pulses along narrow acoustic beams pointing in different directions to measure velocity. A fifth ceramic mounted in the center of assembly, and aimed vertically, is used to measure the depth.

Each acoustic beam measures velocity at multiple points, known as bin, in the water column. The measured velocity data each bin are very precise- to within 0.01ft/s. The distribution accurate velocity measurement is then used to determined the flow pattern over the entire cross-section flow. Since the flow pattern and measured velocity distribution are dependent to each other, the ADFM's advanced flow algorithms automatically adapt to changing hydraulic condition within the pipe. the removes the need for in-situ calibration and insures flow rate measurement over a host of different measurement environments and hydraulic condition.

The ADFM enclosure houses the signal processing, data logging, and data output electronics. The enclosure is available as NEMA 4X Box housing, suitable for wall or console mounting in permanent application, and NEMA 6P cylindrical housing for use in manholes or other 'wet' environments.

Understand EIA Requirement in Malaysia

EIA REQUIREMENT In Malaysia, anyone proposing a new development project is obligated to carry out number of procedure to evaluate the project’s effects before implementation.

First Procedure : Completion of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

If the proposed project comes under 1 of 19 of activities prescribed under the environmental quality (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 1987, the project proponent must prepare EIA report in accordance with the stipulated procedure, submit to Director General of the Department of Environment (DOE) and obtain approvals.

Second Procedure : Site Suitability Evaluation and Pre-Siting Evaluation

If the proposed project not a prescribed activity subject to EIA. This evaluation report 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 in planning to site the factory in an industrial estate. The DOE carries out the evaluation by checking the development plan against environmental laws and regulation.

Understanding Environmental Consultant Job in Malaysia

I've been working as Environment Consultant in Kuala Lumpur for 5 years. I love this job very-very much. I love work outstation, do a field work, do a report writing, researching, and meet people from various government department or private agency. I am still looking for upright movement in my career...as my contract job has been terminated. Anyway here just to sharing my working experience.

An environmental consultant works on commercial or government contracts to address a variety of environmental issues for their clients. They cover a wide range of disciplines such as assessment of air, land and water contamination, environmental impact assessment, environmental audit, waste management and the development of environmental policy and environmental management systems.

A career as an environmental consultant offers the opportunity for a structured professional path with good prospects for development and the potential to specialise in an area of interest.
Typical work activities

As there is such a variety in the type of work that an environmental consultant may undertake on a day-to-day basis there is clearly a wide range of typical activities. A key task is to identify whether land, air or water is contaminated by means of desk-based research and field work, and then undertake an assessment to identify if that contaminant source can have an adverse impact on a receptor (such as humans or groundwater, for example).

Typical activities include:

* managing legislative issues for clients and maintaining an awareness of how legislation impacts projects;
* conducting field surveys: collecting data to establish a baseline condition for levels of pollution or contamination for a site or area of consideration;
* interpreting data: this can include detailed assessment of data, often using software-modelling packages to identify whether 'contamination' exists in accordance with current legislation;
* development of conceptual models: this involves identification and consideration of the potential contaminant sources, critical pathways and receptors that could potentially have an adverse impact on the immediate and wider environment;
* report writing: completion of detailed scientific reporting, written in a manner that can be understood by non-technical people;
* communicating with clients, regulators and sub-contractors e.g. analytical laboratories;
* researching previous investigations of a site to provide information to clients considering purchase; and possibly undertaking field work to identify previous activities on the site and any contamination.

Permissable for noise level at Factory and Machine

Regulation 5. Permissible exposure limit.
(1) No employee shall be exposed to noise level exceeding equivalent continuous sound level of 90 dB (A) or exceeding the limits specified in the First Schedule or exceeding the daily noise dose of unity. (2) No employee shall be exposed to noise level exceeding 115 dB (A) at any time.

Reference: FACTORIES AND MACHINERY (NOISE EXPOSURE) REGULATIONS 1989 PART II - PERMISSIBLE EXPOSURE LIMIT

Continous Toxicity Monitoring

Cymtox (UK) is wholly owned subsidiary of modern water pic. It develops and markets leading-edge water and wastewater monitoring solutions.

Online Real time Detection of toxic agents in water and wastewater monitoring of water toxicity using biosensors has become a widely accepted technique. Bacterial bio-sensors is offer simple and reproducible tests that can be automated, with reagents that can be stored. The new CTM (TM) Continuous Toxicity Monitor makes fully automatic, continuous, online testing a reality.

Certain strains of bacteria emit light when healthy, when they are exposed to toxic substances, the amount of light emitted reduces. The greater the toxicity of the sample, the lower the lights emmited. This has been shown over many years to be a reproducible effects. Measuring change in light between helaty bacteria and bacteria exposed to toxic substances will therefore indicate presence in water sample.

The CTM (TM) Continuous Toxicity Monitor automatically and simultaneously detects a broad range of toxictants including metals, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, chlorinated solvents, industrial chemicals and algal toxin. The presence of harmful contaminants in water and wastewater is detected without having to monitor for a wide range of specific chemicals.