Adoption of post-disaster waste management plan into disaster management guidelines for Malaysia

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Malaysia is one of the Asian countries which are prone to disaster: flooding is one of the natural disasters that are becoming more common in...     

Metals contamination in the foraging area of Milky Stork: evidence of anthropogenic inputs in the aquatic environment of Kuala Gula,Malaysia

The rapid decline of the wild Milky Stork population in Malaysia has led to the reintroduction of the captive bred species in Kuala Gula, Perak. The area is known as an important migratory stopover and sanctuary for both visitors and resident birds. Although Kuala Gula and its adjacent areas are regarded as pristine and unpolluted, recent study suggested that accumulation of certain pollutants is occurring in the aquatic environment of the area. Surface sediment samples from five foraging areas considered important to the reintroduced Milky Storks have been analyzed for metals contamination. The results show that elevations of Cu, Zn, and Pb ranging from 9.7 to 57 mg kg^?1, 71 to 120 mg kg^?1, and 28 to 47 mg kg^?1 have occurred, except for Cd (0.9–1.7 mg kg^?1). The accumulation of these metals is site-specific which reflects continuous anthropogenic inputs into the aquatic environment of Kuala Gula. In addition, metal levels in some areas have exceeded the effects range low values, and thus urgent action is needed to ensure good practice and sustainable management of Kuala Gula by responsible parties.     

Assessing the economic value of urban green spaces in Kuala Lumpur

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - This study assessed the economic value of public urban green spaces (UGSs) in Kuala Lumpur (KL) city by using the hedonic price method (HPM). It...     

Assessment of heavy metals in water,sediment, Anabas testudineus and Eichhornia crassipes in a former mining pond in Perak,Malaysia

The concentrations of Al, As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Hg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sn and Zn were analysed in water, sediment, muscle of climbing perch fish (Anabas testudineus), and tissue of water hyacinth plants (Eichhornia crassipes) collected from a former tin-mining pond in Perak, Malaysia. The monitoring was performed during the minimum and maximum rainfall periods. The concentrations of As, Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn in water exceeded the permissible limits set by the Interim National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia (INWQS). The risk index (RI) values determined for As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb and Zn in sediment presented a low degree of ecological risk. The order of the top three heavy metals measured in fish muscle was Zn?>?Fe?>?Al. The estimated daily intake (EDI) of As and Cr exceeded the allowable limits in both rainfall periods. The bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF) values of Zn in water hyacinth were 24.865 and 3.214, respectively. The concentrations of Cu and Zn in the plant tissue were significantly correlated (p?<?.05) with the concentrations of heavy metals in water. Overall, climbing perch and water hyacinth are excellent bioindicators of environmental impacts on water bodies.     

Statistical analysis of PM10 concentrations at different locations in Malaysia

Malaysia has experienced several haze events since the 1980s as a consequence of the transboundary movement of air pollutants emitted from forest fires and open burning activities. Hazy episodes can result from local activities and be categorized as "localized haze". General probability distributions (i.e., gamma and log-normal) were chosen to analyze the PM(10) concentrations data at two different types of locations in Malaysia: industrial (Johor Bahru and Nilai) and residential (Kota Kinabalu and Kuantan). These areas were chosen based on their frequently high PM(10) concentration readings. The best models representing the areas were chosen based on their performance indicator values. The best distributions provided the probability of exceedances and the return period between the actual and predicted concentrations based on the threshold limit given by the Malaysian Ambient Air Quality Guidelines (24-h average of 150 μg/m(3)) for PM(10) concentrations. The short-term prediction for PM(10) exceedances in 14 days was obtained using the autoregressive model.     

Monsoonal differences and probability distribution of PM10 concentration

There are many factors that influence PM₁₀ concentration in the atmosphere. This paper will look at the PM₁₀ concentration in relation with the wet season (north east monsoon) and dry season (south west monsoon) in Seberang Perai, Malaysia from the year 2000 to 2004. It is expected that PM₁₀ will reach the peak during south west monsoon as the weather during this season becomes dry and this study has proved that the highest PM₁₀ concentrations in 2000 to 2004 were recorded in this monsoon. Two probability distributions using Weibull and lognormal were used to model the PM₁₀ concentration. The best model used for prediction was selected based on performance indicators. Lognormal distribution represents the data better than Weibull distribution model for 2000, 2001, and 2002. However, for 2003 and 2004, Weibull distribution represents better than the lognormal distribution. The proposed distributions were successfully used for estimation of exceedences and predicting the return periods of the sequence year.     

Study of contaminant transport at an open-tipping waste disposal site

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to estimate concentration of potential contaminants from landfill in the underlying groundwater, leachate, and surface water. Samples collected in the vicinity of the landfill were analyzed for physiochemical parameters, organic contaminants, and toxic heavy metals. Water quality results obtained were compared from published data and reports. The results indicate serious groundwater and surface water contamination in and around the waste disposal site. Analysis of the organic samples revealed that the site contains polychlorinated biphenyls and other organo-chlorine chemicals, principally chloro-benzenes. Although the amount of PCB concentration discovered was not extreme, their presence indicates a potentially serious environmental threat. Elevated concentrations of lead, copper, nickel, manganese, cadmium, and cobalt at the downgradient indicate that the contamination plume migrated further from the site, and the distribution of metals and metals containing wastes in the site is nonhomogeneous. These results clearly indicate that materials are poorly contained and are at risk of entering the environment. Therefore, full characterization of the dump contents and the integrity of the site are necessary to evaluate the scope of the problem and to identify suitable remediation options.     

The relationship between air pollution,fossil fuel energy consumption,and water resources in the panel of selected Asia-Pacific countries

The objective of the study is to examine the relationship between air pollution, fossil fuel energy consumption, water resources, and natural resource rents in the panel of selected Asia-Pacific countries, over a period of 1975–2012. The study includes number of variables in the model for robust analysis. The results of cross-sectional analysis show that there is a significant relationship between air pollution, energy consumption, and water productivity in the individual countries of Asia-Pacific. However, the results of each country vary according to the time invariant shocks. For this purpose, the study employed the panel least square technique which includes the panel least square regression, panel fixed effect regression, and panel two-stage least square regression. In general, all the panel tests indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between air pollution, energy consumption, and water resources in the region. The fossil fuel energy consumption has a major dominating impact on the changes in the air pollution in the region.     

Reuse of municipal effluent with drip irrigation and evaluation the effect on soil properties in a semi-arid area

Irrigation with municipal effluent was evaluated during 25 months in Southern Iran from 2003 to 2005 in which 14 tree species were irrigated with effluent and borehole water at an annual supply rate of 3,940 and 5,395 m(3) ha(-1), respectively. To mitigate the environmental effects, a drip irrigation system was designed and the amount of applied water based on pan evaporation was measured by flow meters and soil properties were monitored. The statistical results showed that the applied effluent had no adverse effect on soil properties. The soil salinity was reduced from 8.2, 6.8 and 7.0 dSm(-1) to 1.07, 1.12 and 3.5 dSm(-1 )in the soil layers 0-30, 30-60 and 60-90 cm, respectively. The SAR decreased significantly, while soil pH increased by 0.8 and 0.6 units in the layers 0-30 and 30-60 cm. A total application of 9,335 m(3)ha(-1 )of effluent with a nitrogen and phosphorus concentration of 7.9 and 10.3 mg l(-1), added 73 and 101 kg ha(-1) of nitrogen and phosphorus to the soil. Organic carbon also increased significantly. Twenty-five months irrigation with effluent caused a slight increase in soil bulk density and a slight decrease in mean permeability. Because of an efficient filtration and high discharge rate of bubblers (drippers), no considerable sign of clogging was observed.