Category: Environment

April 22 is Earth Day! (tag)

On the very last day of 2005, I blogged about 10 hottest environmental issues in Malaysia for the year. The entry was given a passing mention at Global Voices Online. On this Earth Day, let’s list out the candidates for the 10 hottest environmental issues in this country for 2006.

First stop – polluted water supply in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor. This incident is probably a testament of why internet-based media – blogs and forums – could be the mainstream media of the future. Back in March, a number of people complained about smelly tap water on their blogs and through several forums. The mainstream media only picked the news up only a day later. That mentioned, water supply of several heavily populated urban areas were polluted with ammonia. Investigation later revealed that landfills on rivers of Selangor were the main culprits. Despite ammonia contamination, New Straits Times later announced the water was safe for consumption. Many were skeptic. Who wouldn’t if the water smell like shit? After a week or two, the matter died out.

However, it doesn’t end there. In the Parliament, the Prime Minister brought up the incident during the tabling of the Ninth Malaysia Plan. At the same time, new Water Services Industry Bill which includes death penalty in it are set for approval soon.

March past and came April; the water smelled bad and the water was contaminated with ammonia again. This time, the Malaysian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Azmi Khalid was positively mad. Together Selangor Menteri Besar, the notorious Khir Toyo (the one responsible for some destruction of at least two nature reserves; Shah Alam and Hulu Langat), both of them moved to close several improperly managed landfills and a few farms.

This produced another problem – solid waste disposal crisis. With landfills and dumpsites closure, the problem of landfills shortage appears:

SHAH ALAM: The Selangor Government’s decision to close down both the Sungai Kembong and Kundang dumpsites resulted in a ”rubbish stand-off.”

Garbage meant for the Kundang dumpsite was ordered to be sent to the Bukit Tagar landfill but when 20 garbage-laden trucks arrived there, the drivers were refused entry.

This prove that there might be a need for incinerators in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur. Regardless, Selangor is planning to open more landfills in the future:

SHAH ALAM, April 20 (Bernama) — Two new landfills will be built in Selangor, one in the north and the other in the south, to replace the Ayer Hitam landfill in Puchong which will be closed soon, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo said.

While water supply pollution is big, it is not as common as flooding. I was caught in a big flood in Terengganu last February but that isn’t as annoying as experiencing flash flood in the Klang Valley. One thing for sure, people in Shah Alam are pretty pissed with their local authority after a major flood hit several housing areas.

Let’s move to a more traditional environmental problem and that’s deforestation. Several places suffer from deforestation. Early in the year, it was Hulu Langat in Selangor. Then it was Jerai in Kedah. On top of all this, not too long ago, TV3 reported on illegal logging on the Titiwangsa mountains. The state government of Pahang wasn’t too happy with the report and in a surprising move to “curb” illegal logging, they freezed all logging activities. The logging industry wasn’t too happy when the ban was imposed.

More recently, Malaysian Nature Society has launched a campaign to save Belum-Temengor.

Then there’s biofuel. The Malaysian government intents to utilize palm oil-derived biofuel in order to reduce reliance on gasoline. This has set up a “biofuel race” in Southeast Asia and the competition is all the fiercer since both Malaysia and Indonesia are the world’s top two producers of palm oil. Refinery plants are being built in Malaysian, Thailand, Indonesia and even in Singapore. While it’s good to see the region finally moving beyond petroleum, this particular move, while carbon neutral, will devastate the region’s rich biodiversity through deforestation.

Indonesia is aggressive in expanding its palm oil production capacity – it plans to develop areas along Malaysia-Indonesia border on Borneo into palm oil estates. With that, thousands acres of ancient highland forest are at risk of deforestation. Since it’s at the border, it will adversely affect wildlife in Malaysia.

Talking about energy, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis said not too long ago that Malaysia is considering nuclear energy. From New Straits Times:

Nuclear power last option
By Nurris Ishak

SERI KEMBANGAN: Is nuclear technology on Malaysia’s horizons in view of the rising price of fuel?

The possibility was raised by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Datuk Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis yesterday at the ministry’s briefing to editors on the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

…

The question was raised in view of the increasing price of fuel worldwide.

For now, Jamaluddin said, the Government was looking at nuclear power as its very last option.

I’m a bit ambivalent about venturing into nuclear but nuclear is fast becoming a green source of energy, considering its carbon emission vis-a-vis gas, coal or oil. I myself prefer renewable like solar and wind but I have to relent that between now and the future, nuclear does provide some answer to our current energy crisis, at least temporarily.

From energy, we go to bird flu. Yup, after many months, people are finally taking the possibility of an outbreak serious and hence, the poultry prices took a nosedive. Things have calmed down bit though. Only after the quaranteen in several places in Selangor, Penang and Perak.

Finally, landslide. The most sensationalized incident so far is the one at Genting Highlands. It seems that Genting tried to cover the accident up but trust TV3 to screw them up. The matter was brought to Malaysian Public Works Minister Samy Vellu, he went ballistic and Genting was forced to brief the minister later. Still developing at time of blogging. So, have to wait a little longer to see what will happen next.

That’s all for now. If you feel there’s something that I missed that happened during the last four months, just give me a holler and I’ll add them up.

p/s – on Worldchanging. Not to forget, a post at the same blog to celebrate Earth Day.

On TV a few hours ago was a report on Akta Industri Perkhidmatan Air (Water Services Industry Bill) and it is set for approval soon (tag). The report on TV3 highlighted that a water polluter that causes death on purpose may face death penalty. I haven’t had the chance to take a look at the bill since I can’t find it on the net. The most relevant result is an article at Bernama. The Bernama’s report dated yesterday:

KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 (Bernama) — Those who pollute the drainage or the water supply system may face death penalty when the Water Services Industry Bill 2006 is approved and enforced.

The bill tabled by the Communication, Water and Energy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik for the first reading in Dewan Rakyat here also listed the acts considered as polluting drinking water and its penalties.

Dr Lim who also tabled the Suruhanjaya Perkhidmatan Air Negara Bill (SPAN) 2006 to create a commission to oversee and regulate the water supply and sewerage services in Peninsula said the second reading of both the bills would be done during the current sitting.

Under the Water Services Industry Bill, anyone found guilty with the intention of causing the death face a death penalty or jail up to 20 years and rotan.

If the death is caused by radioactive and toxic pollutants discarded in the water, those found guilty can be jailed not more than 10 years or fined not more than RM500,000 or whipping or all three.

I’m all for stricter environmental code but death penalty doesn’t quite sound right. This is even more so since the death penalty is applicable only when the polluter pollutes with the “intention of causing” death. It sounds as if it belongs to some other act that deals with treason or sabotage.

Let’s think about it. When a typical person or an entity pollutes, do they intent to cause death?

I doubt it. Typically, it’s about externality; the polluters don’t bare the cost of pollution and pass the cost of pollution to society instead. I have never heard a profit-seeking entity pollutes with the intention of killing somebody else. Even there’s death, these people don’t intent to kill. They intent to cut cost instead. It’s cheaper to pollute. For this reason, I feel this clause is meaningless. It gives so much leeway to polluters that it doesn’t really matter if the clause is included in the bill. It is ineffective.

The punishment clause should be rewritten. The phrase with the intention of causing death should be removed and while the death penalty dropped. Instead, it would be better if the bill states that anybody – with or without intention of polluting – found guilty of polluting our water supplies will face prison time or heavy monetary penalty.

For a person that commits murder on purpose – by whatsoever mean – we don’t need a new bill to deal with that, do we? Much less do we expect to deal with that in a water bill, in my humble opinion.