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Satu program pelancaran rawatan kualiti air sungai telah dijalankan di Parit 4, Desa Damai pada 15/2/2009. Program yang dianjurkan oleh kumpulan JCI Kulim bersama dengan MPSP adalah aktitivi susulan program membuat EM Mud balls yang telah dijalankan pada bulan lepas.

Dalam program ini, sebanyak 600 EM mud balls telah dimasukkan ke dalam Parit 4 dan proses ini akan dijalankan di tempat yang sama setiap bulan. Kajian air sungai akan diadakan untuk menentukan tahap kebersihan kualiti air tersebut.

Liputan akhbar  atas program ini di The Star Saving River with 600 mud balls pada 26.3.09

Lokasi Parit 4

Sekumpulan pelajar bersama dengan Adun Tanjung Bungah mewakili EXCO YB Chow Kon Yew, Adun Padang Lallang dan YDP MPSP…

EM Mud Balls dibuang / dimasukkan ke dalam Parit 4, Desa Damai

written by tan \\ tags: EM mud balls, Parit 4 Desa Damai

Sekumpulan pelajar USM yang mengikuti khusus ilmu kemanusiaan tahun ke 3 telah mengadakan lawatan dan kajian ke Empangan Sungai Juru pada petang 23hb Jan 2009. Sempena lawatan tersebut, saya telah mencatitkan keadaan fizikal terbaru sekeliling Empangan Sungai Juru seperti berikut :-

a) Didapati tebing Sungai Juru di kawasan Rekreasi Sungai Juru kini dalam keadaan yang lebih kemas dan bersih dari sampah sarap.

b) Permukaan air sungai juga didapati ADA KEMAJUAN dan kerja pembersihan sampah permukaan di bahagian perangkap LOCK BOOM  telah dilakukan dengan lebih kerap lagi. Bau Busuk air sungai telah juga banyak berkurangan.

c) Pembinaan bangunan pejabat untuk JPS Daerah Seberang Perai masih diteruskan dan hampir siap.

Friends of Sungai Juru mengucapkan syabas kepada usaha dan tindakan yang telah dan sedang di ambil oleh JPS Pulau Pinang dan pihak kontraktor yang terlibat agar usaha ini dapat diteruskan dan dipertingkatkan lagi BAGI MENJADIKAN KAWASAN EMPANGAN SUNGAI JURU SEBAGAI SATU TEMPAT REKREASI DAN TEMPAT MEMANCING IKAN PADA HUJUNG MINGGU.

Sungai Juru Dam is in better shape and cleaner now compared to its polluted conditions 1-2 years ago.

Lawatan pelajar USM ke Sungai juru, Dari kini - Nor Ain Bt Hussein, Noor Aishah Bt Abu Bakar, Rohana Bt Hussin dan Fatimah Bt Hussain

Pandangan Empangan Sungai juru dari titi gantung, Rumah di bahagian belakang adalah Taman Titi Panjang

Pandangan Sungai Juru. Perangkap sampah nampak kemas dan tiada banyak sampah

Pembinaan pejabat JPS Daerah Seberang Perai hampir siap

Satu lagi gambir bangunan pejabat JPS Dearah Seberang Perai Tengah

written by tan \\ tags: Empangan Sungai Juru

I posted this blog at Star’s Citizen blog on 4th Jan 2009. This blog was partly published in the print copy of the  Sunday Star on 11th Jan 2009 :

Continue reading here ..

written by tan \\ tags: curb water pollution

The making of EM Mud Balls with members of JCI Kulim is one of the environment conservation programs initiated by LA21 MPSP and launched by YDP of MPSP Encik Farizan Darus together with MPSP councillors Oon and Soon at the front foyer of Dewan MPSP, Jalan Betek, BM on 4/1/2009. The Program was attended by more than 40 participants of mostly members of JCI Kulim.

MPSP officer Mr Chew Eng Seng gave a short briefing on how to produce EM mud balls. The mud balls are make of EM liquid, rice husk and clay soil (content ratio 3 litre, 1 kilo and 2 kilo). Each cubic meter of EM is capable of producing 2,000 Mud balls with each ball costing less than 4 cents. The process of making mud balls is simple yet meaningful, everybody, regardless of young and old,  and students are encouraged to learn this new skills.

What is EM ??

E.M. is an abbreviation for EFFECTIVE MICROORGANISMS Microorganisms are tiny units of life that are too small to be seen with the naked eye and they exist everywhere in nature. Microorganisms are crucial for maintaining the ecological balance. They carry out chemical processes that make it possible for all other organisms including humans to live. There are friendly guys of the microbial worlds known as beneficial microorganisms and a not so friendly group called pathogens that are harmful and capable of producing disease, decay and pollution. Learn more here on EM and What is EM?

The EM Mud balls are useful as one of the environmental solutions towards reducing water pollutants and thus improving water quality in our rivers and drains. The fermentation emitted from the mud balls will alleviate or destroy the ammonia nitrogen found in human effluents and sewerage leakages into the water system. These mud balls will be drop at Parit 4 near Desa Damai Bukit Mertajam which is a very seriously polluted waterway. The exercise will be carried out every 4 months.

Any NGOs and groups who are keen to learn on how to make EM Mud Balls can contact Mr Chew Eng Seng of MPSP at +6012 4779330. Here the snapshots of the programme launched by YDP MPSP and photos on how to make EM Mud Balls.

THESE MUD BALLS ARE READY TO BE POURED INTO POLLUTED WATERWAYS

written by tan \\ tags: Add new tag, EM mud balls

I welcomed the visit of Japanese NGOs to Penang who were here to carry out a research study on Penang environment. One of their schedule visit was focusing on rivers pollution in Penang as well as our activities by Friends of Sungai Juru. The visit was arranged by Tokyo–based Dr Tan Chee Knee, GEIC Project Coordinator of United Nations Universitiy.

Meeting up with Japanese NGO, Dr Kawabe Midori, Tokyo University of Marine Science & Technology and Inoue Reiko, PARC Interpeoples’ Corporation, Koike Natsumi, Pacific Asia Resource Center and Dr Tan.

written by tan \\ tags: Japanese NGO

PENANG is confident of rehabilitating its former dead rivers — Sungai Pinang and Sungai Juru — from Class 5 to Class 2 by 2015.

Class 5 has been classified as the most polluted with no marine life while Class 2 is clean enough for people to swim in it.

State Drainage and Irrigation Department director (DID) Hanapi Mohamad Noor said both rivers had been under rehabilitation for the last 10 years. They were under Class 5 and are now at Class Three, a stage allowing fish to survive in the rivers.

“Apart from increasing enforcement against polluters as well as public awareness, the department spends about RM100,000 annually to clean up each river,” he said at an environment awareness programme opening at the Sungai Juru water catchment area in Butterworth recently.

(From left) Bukit Tengah asssemblyman Ong Chin Wen, Penang DOE director Dr Kamarul Najuib Che Ibrahim and Hanapi taking a look at Sungai Juru.

Hanapi said the department was presently preparing a master plan to rehabilitate Sungai Juru at the cost of RM300mil.

He said, although Sungai Pinang’s RM450mil rehabilitation master plan was ready this year, it could not be implemented due to problems in relocating some 200 squatter houses in the area.

“We hope the state government will help settle the squatter problems soon so that we can go ahead with the Sungai Pinang rehabilitation master plan under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“The Sungai Juru master plan affects a smaller number of squatters and we hope to carry it out under the 10th Malaysia Plan,” he said.

He noted the Class 2 status for both rivers could be achieved by 2015, if all recommendations in both master plans, which included the provision of recreational facilities near the riverside, could be fulfilled.

Hanapi also said the department would spend about RM1mil in the next two years to add 100 log booms to trap rubbish in major monsoon drains leading to Sungai Pinang, Sungai Juru and Sungai Prai.

Presently, he said, there were 150 log booms placed at major river mouths throughout the state.

source The Star online 10.11.2008
Remarks : Friends of Sungai Juru welcomes the statements by Penang DID director to continue rehabilitating Sungai Juru and improving its water quality to Class 2 by 2015. However, there are several concerns that we hope the relevant authorities can address it ..

a) Under the 9th Malaysia Plan, Sungai Juru has been allocated RM18 million rehabilitation fund. We would like to know how the fund is being utilised ? It was reported in the press that MRCB environment has been given letter of award to rehabilitate Sungai Juru.

b) Enforcement - General reactions and feedback from public is that enforcement is still lacking. We urge the DOE to come out with more effective enforcement measures. There are culprits who release toxic waste directly into drains which later flows into the river during night time, Have many culprits have been nabbed and charged in court ?

c) Guidelines and supervisions of food courts and workshops by local council of MPSP ie. The MPSP should be strict when comes to license issuance to these outlets and conduct regular checks to ensure that their outlets equipped with FOG / grease trap. As it is, many of these outlets are not complying with these guidelines. Waste with oil pollutants are being released into the drains.

d) IWK sewerage system. It is common knowledge that sewerage waters are leaking into the drain system and still a major source of river pollution in the country.

written by tan \\ tags: Penang rivers pollution

Councillor Johari Kassim said many of the small and medium scale (SME) factories had been operating up to 10 years without licences and certificates of fitness (CF).

“Our objective is not to close down these factories. We just want to legalise their operations and get them to settle their dues to the council,” he said in an interview.

He said the Central Seberang Prai (SPT) district had 90 illegal factories, followed by North Seberang Prai (SPU) with 51 factories and South Seberang Prai (SPS) with nine.

Johari showing photos of illegal factories.

Johari said many factories had also failed to get necessary clearance from the Department of Environment (DOE) as well as the state Fire and Rescue Services Department before applying for CFs for their buildings.

“In SPT, many factories are involved in the processing of rubber, plastic, chemical and wooden products.

“In SPU, there are curry powder producers, coffee bean makers, brick processors and bakeries besides many rice mills, sawmills and feed mills,” he said.

In SPS, he said the illegal factories included a sardine-processing factory, a cloth-dyeing factory and a charcoal-processing factory.

Johari said there was also a foreign chemical factory in Bukit Minyak, Juru, which had been operating illegally since 1997.

“The loss of assessment revenue from these factories is quite substantial,” he said, citing a feedmil which did not pay RM17,000 in assessment over the past 10 years.

Johari said that after he and fellow councillors raised the issue of illegal factories with council president Farizan Darus, an Illegal and Unlicensed Factories Monitoring Ad-hoc Committee was set up in September.

He said the council would inspect the illegal premises in stages, starting with those located in Prai and Bukit Minyak.

The committee, he said, had so far met the owners of nine illegal factories who were given till the end of next month to get their documents.

“We will get the relevant authorities to inspect these premises to ensure they complied with the council’s requirements.

“We will expedite the processing of their CF applications to ensure they are legalised in the shortest time possible,” he said.

Johari said that the council would not hesitate to issue them stop work orders if they failed to meet the deadline.

By DERRICK VINESH
source : The Star online 10.11.2008

Hence, the council as the local government bears the responsibility to regulate and check on these illegal factories to ensure that it will not cause environmental damage and health hazard to the nearby residential areas.

written by tan \\ tags: illegal factories, Seberang Perai

The problem of river pollution is a serious one in Malaysia, where the tendency is to treat rivers like drains. A lot of education is needed to inculcate respect for the rivers and regard them as a national treasure.

The solution is to create a buffer between the river and housing estates. No house should be built along river banks and there should be a river reserve of adequate distance between the houses and the river. There should be heavy penalties for infringements.

The question of illegal sewerage should not arise if housing projects are required to provide proper sewerage systems before a project is approved. Road drainage should be properly connected to a proper system that prevents untreated water being

channelled into rivers. Ideally, deep sewerage is the answer but it depends on its availability.

River management is a complex task and planning is needed to ensure that rivers are kept free of pollution at its source. A good example is Singapore, which succeeded in cleaning up its rivers years ago after careful planning and enforcement so that they are now natural assets and provide recreation for tourists and locals.

Keeping a river clean involves stopping all the sources of pollution. Rivers provide an eco-system for wildlife. There is no

need to destroy their aesthetic quality by concretising them as in parts of Kuala Lumpur until they look like drains. Illegal squatters should be housed away from river banks.

It will not hurt to start a trust fund to protect and regenerate all the rivers that run through the cities because they should be part of any modern city’s landscape. When the public treat their rivers like drains and rubbish disposal channels, it is no wonder they are polluted and germ-ridden.

The once-beautiful sandy beach along Gurney Drive in Penang is now a mud flat. What a shame to still see open drains finishing into the sea and adding to the pollution. If people are serious about conserving their environment, they have to take immediate steps to clean up their act.

Both state and federal governments need to get involved and provide the funding for cleaning up the rivers. It has been a neglected priority.

Polluted rivers and seas are a physical curse to any place and anyone who has visited a place with a polluted and stinking river meandering through it will know what I mean.

Cleaning up the rivers is a worthwhile pursuit for the public. The Government should take the lead or be prepared to fund the NGO doing the job. The sooner the better.

By STEVE OH, Kajang (The Star 6/11/2008).

written by tan \\ tags: illegal factories, Seberang Perai

From on site investigations carried out Sunday morning, 7th September 2008 on the waterways namely Parit Lima surrounding Taman Bukit Minyak area, here are the snapshots and water levels of Parit Lima and Sungai Juru dam :-

a)Despite the heavy rains over night, Taman Bukit Minyak / Taman Bukit Minyak Indah housing schemes are not affected by floods.

b)Water levels at Parit Lima seen rising but no overflows.

c)On site investigations revealed that one of two water pump (located near to KM145 North South Highway) which were installed last year to pump out excessive rains water from Parit Lima into Sungai Juru is functioning !

d)Massive floating rubbish were trapped near Sungai Juru Dam area.

Update view of the Parit Lima water pump house as seen from KM145 North South Highway

View of the water conditions of Sungai Juru as seen from KM145 North South Highway

View of the water level at Parit Lima

Sanpshots on activities - 2 group of scavengers

Vietnamese Girls were seen busy collecting plastic bottles near Sungai Juru Dam area. Massive floating rubbish trapped at Sungai Juru Dam area. A sad reality of our very polluted environment and rivers today but golden opportunities for the hard working Vietnamese girls.

Another local group using sampang to collect plastic bottles for recycle along Sungai Juru ..

A group of foreign construction workers nearby were seen busy catching fish at Parit Lima. (teamwork and creativity leads to good harvest and it is FREE !)

Close up view on type of fish netted - “Ikan Puyu” and “Ikan Telapia”

written by tan \\ tags: Floods in Sungai Juru

YB Chow and his entourage comprising local council - MPSP, Penang DOE and DID officials inspected two areas ie 1) Sungai Juru Dam area near Taman Bukit Minyak dan 2) Sungai Juru - Tok Keramat area near Phase 4 Perai Industrial Area. Friends of Sungai Juru coordinator Tan Chai Liang briefed YB Chow, the officials and media reporters on the four major problems faced by this tidal river, ranging from illegal settlement on river reserves, encroachment on wetlands and mangrove areas along the river banks, serious water pollution from organic and industrial discharge and affluent, sedimentation and silting resulting from land clearing and developments activities at the upstream areas.

Friends of Sungai Juru has also taken the opportunity to hand over of a copy of Memorandum to Penang State Government outlining the problems, recommendations and suggestions on improving Sungai Juru to the Penang State Government.

Our acknowledgement and thanks to Dr Edlic Sathiamurthy, a hydrologist from University Malaysia Terengganu for his views and recommendations on improving Sungai Juru and research paper by Al-Shami S. and others – Effects of pollutionon the diversity and abundance of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Juru river basin.

Here are the snapshots of the visit by YB Chow…

At Sungai Juru Dam Area

At Tok Keramat tidal gate area near phase 4 Perai Ind Area

Close up view of the affluents flowing into Sungai Juru..

written by tan \\ tags: Sungai Juru