Drought in Malaysia

DROUGHT

weather-news/drought-worsens-in-malaysia-an

A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region, resulting in prolonged shortages in its waters supply, whether atmospheric, surface or ground water. Drought can last for months or years, or may be declared after as few as 15 days. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm to the local economy. Annual dry seasons in the tropics significantly increase the chances of a drought developing and subsequent bush fires. Periods of heat can significantly worsen drought conditions by hastening evaporation of water vapor.

CAUSES OF DROUGHT 
Some causes of drought might be including:
1. Precipitation Deficiency
2. Dry Season
3. Climate Change
4. Erosion and Human Activities

EFFECT OF DROUGHT
When we have a drought, it can affect our communities and our environment in many different ways. Everything in the environment is connected, just like everything in our communities is connected. Each different way that drought affects us is what we call an impact of drought.
Drought affects our lives in many different ways because water is such an important part of so many of our activities. We need water to live, and animals and plants do too. We need water to grow the food we eat. We also use water for many different things in our lives, like washing dishes, cooking, bathing, and swimming or river rafting. Water is also used to help make the electricity we use to run the lights in our houses and the video games you may like to play. When we don’t have enough water for these activities because of a drought, many people and many different things will be affected in many different ways.

Disadvantages of Drought: unable to participate in argiculture, plants/grass begin to die. People are restricted from using water in certain situations. 


Advantages of Drought: (perhaps) weeds could be killed could they not? and i believe climate change could be easier to witness. 
hope this helped


There aren't many advantages and plenty of disadvantages. Towns and villages run short of water. It means that farmers can't grow as much food possibly resulting in famines, In the long term, drought can degrade farm land. It can also lead to wild animals and plants dying and degradation of ecosystems.

Illegal Logging

Illegal Logging

http://www.illegal-logging.info/regions/malaysia

(p/s: click the image to view a clear image)

Our View :

The term ‘illegal logging’ is often used as short-hand to describe illegal practices related to the harvesting, processing and trade in wood. Thus, the law may have been broken at any point along the supply chain. For example, logging with an illegally acquired license or in protected areas, harvesting over allowed quotas, processing of logs without the necessary licenses, non-payment of taxes, or exporting products without paying export duties.

The illegal logging in Malaysia have been worst years by years caused by human being that is too greedy to develop the world until they forgot about the surrounding environment that very important to us. Illegal logging negatively impacts the economic and ecological systems of optimal forest management. The environmental effects of illegal logging include deforestation, the loss of biodiversity and the emission of greenhouse gases. Illegal logging has contributed to conflicts with indigenous and local populations, violence, human, human rights abuses, corruption, funding of  armed conflicts and the worsening of poverty. Flora and fauna may be endanger and extinct because forest are their home. Moreover, the level of concentration of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide increases. Its can lead the world to global warmimg and oxygen can depleting.

Several ways to control illegal logging

• Encourage public people to make a report about illegal logging that happen around them
• Government must make sure that areas border such as permanent reserved forest always clean and have signboard to make a sign to people that it reserved forest.
• Encourage optimum use of forest sources
• Make sure that land forest that will develop for agriculture project have organised carefully
• Having a patrol in sensitive forest areas include using the helicopter
• Using the Remote Sensing and Geography System Information to detect forest invasion 

CAUSES OF ILLEGAL LOGGING
The causes of illegal logging are manifold. Weaknesses in forest governance in producer countries are typically the direct cause. However, consumer countries contribute to these problems by importing timber and wood products without ensuring that they are legally sourced.

The governance problems include weak institutions and limited resources, these resulting in a lack of law enforcement as well as limited capacity for planning. In many countries the legal framework is unclear – the law may not have been fully elaborated, it may be contradictory, or it may not have not been disseminated – thus, making it difficult if not impossible to operate legally. In some situations, the law is not accepted, for example, where the state government is considered illegitimate, or where customary law hold sway and the formal legal system conflicts with this.
Economics also plays a role. Illegal timber is usually cheaper than its legal equivalent, and the fact that in many markets it is not possible to distinguish legal from illegal timber, or this is not being asked for, means that legal timber cannot compete. This undermines the efforts of those trying to operate legally. 

Effect of Environment

Illegal logging will mainly cause land slide, flash flood and global warming. Because trees are the main holder to hold the soil to make it more stronger and prevents land slide.

Flash flood can happen due to the trees sip the water and preventing it to harm people. Global warming is mainly caused by too much Carbon Dioxide that traps heat and making it more hot to melt the ice in north pole and south pole. Trees uses carbon dioxide to make their food so if there are many trees they will prevent carbon dioxide to go up in our atmosphere.

One disease that being stated at lecture.

Leptospirosis cpg

Garbage

http://www.dw.com/en/garbage-governance-poor-waste-management-causes-environmental-crises/a-18677430

POLLUTION

Garbage governance: Poor waste management causes environmental crises

Trash is a big problem at the moment for Lebanon - and for governments all over the world. It can lead to major environmental problems. But there are solutions - if the authorities are ready to take them on.

Tons of garbage has continued to pile up on the streets of Lebanon's capital Beirut as the government struggles to deal with a situation that is quickly turning into an environmental crisis for the country.

Lebanese citizens have taken to the streets over the waste management crisis

Existing recycling programs in Bangladesh are not keeping enough rubbish off the streets

Mafia control over parts of the waste disposal system around Naples exacerbates the problem of illegal dumping

Our view :

Waste Management refers to the recycling, processing, transport, assortment, and monitoring of waste products. The waste products are mainly of three types: solid, liquid or in gas state. Solid waste is known as non-biodegradable waste.

Materials and discards that come from sources like:

-Households

-Businesses and Commercial establishments

-Manufacturers or Industrial sites

-Biomedical sources like hospital and clinics.

(For Example: plastics, styrofoam containers, bottles, cans, papers, scrap iron,leftovers food and other trash solid wastes are generally composed or made of non-biodegradable and non-compostable Biodegradable materials.)

Ways to stop human throwing garbage:

1. Smarter Leftover

-Food accounts for about one-fifth of what goes into municipal landfills, and companies are looking for new ways to re-purpose what we don’t eat. Some farmers use leftovers to feed their animals, and companies in California and Ireland are turning edible trash into pet food. Better systems to collect and distribute excess food from grocery stores and restaurants could help feed the hungry. Such food recycling is difficult and labor-intensive because it has to be done very quickly, but as droughts challenge agricultural production around the world, it could become more common.

2.   Recycling

   We as the human being should take care our world free from waste product. We should take action on the waste management in domestic and industrial. We can use many ways to stop human from throwing rubbish like recycling, reuse, and reduce. By doing these the world can free from waste product. The exist of the waste product in Lebanon could lead many diseases like coughing, headaches, body pain, malaria, various epidemic diseases, heart problem, brain diseases, and diarrhoea. These diseases may harm us as the human and could lead to fatal. Some people just take it as nothing but we as the human being must aware about thing happening around us. There are saying say as "prevention is better than cure so we can take the first step to prevent it from happening to the Lebanon. The Lebanon name willl also affected because the tourist from other country may insult them because the rubbish too many and it will attract fly, and stray dog to the waste disposal place. It not a good view for the tourist to see the bad side of the country.
  
  Lebanon should copy Japan and Singapore because these two country very care about hygiene. In Singapore, if we throw or left the rubbish we will be sue by the government. Their country are very clean and free from little. They will use the rubbish to generate biomass energy to provide electricity to their building. If we collect all the dump and put it at the landfill, it will cost a space and it will  hard to the government to develop the community because the smell of the dump and a lot of  unwelcome animal and fly attracted to it.

Haze in Malaysia

ALOR SETAR: All schools in Peninsular Malaysia except for Kelantan and Labuan are ordered to close for two days due to the worsening haze.   

Education Minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid said the schools would be closed on Monday and Tuesday (Oct 5-6).  

"For Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak, the Education Ministry will monitor the haze situation hourly before deciding on the need to close schools.  

"If the haze condition deteriorates in these three states, we will also take the same measure," he announced at a press conference at SMK Seri Ampang in Jalan Kuala Kedah on Sunday. 

Also present were Kedah Education Department director Datin Azuyah Hassan and State Education, Transportation and Housing Committee chairman Datuk Tajul Urus Mat Zain.

Mahdzir also said in his Facebook posting that schools in Labuan would remain open but the afternoon sessions for schools in Kedah, Terengganu and Johor on Sunday were cancelled. 

"Students and teachers need not need to go to schools,” he said. 

No replacement of school days were required, he added.

“However, PT3, STAM, SPM and SPM examinations will take place as per schedule," Mahdzir said.

Our view :

       Malaysia can look to Singapore and see how the neighbouring country measures its air pollution and use the same technology to measure the haze levels here, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.Speaking amid one of the worst conditions caused by the annual haze problem in the region, Zahid said he believes that Malaysia can use the latest and advanced technology to measure the haze conditions as employed by the neighbouring country.

 The following short-term adverse effects:

• Irritated eyes, watering eyes, or conjunctivitis (a type of eye inflammation)
• Running nose, stuffy nose, sneezing , post-nasal drip
• Throat irritation, dry throat, sore throat , coughing
• Headache, dizziness , fatigue
• Decreased lung function, depressed respiratory immune defenses, chest pain, bronchitis (lung inflammation),
• Diarrhea or stomach upset, if drinking water sources are contaminated by thick haze and the water is consumed without further treatment
• Anxiety, stress or depression-like symptoms such as insomnia, feelings of helplessness, loss of interest in daily activities and irritability.

These symptoms are usually mild and will subside when you stay indoor and limit your exposure to haze.

       Haze are really dangerous to human beings, animals, and plants. We should protect ourselves from the haze.Children, pregnant women and elderly are the people that we must take care from the haze because haze can make their health worst. To protect the children government had closed the school for two days so that children are protected from the haze. Children can be easily affected by the haze so parents should pays more attention toward them especially children that age 1- 11 years old. To protect ourselves and our love's one we should pay attention to local air quality updates. This is because every country have its own index that corresponds to a national air quality standards. The air quality in Malaysia is recorded as Air Pollutant Index (API) which measure carbon monoxide(CO), ozone(O3), nitrogen dioxide(NO2), sulfur dioxide(SO2) and particles that are 10 micrometers or less. Always update and follows to know about the Air Pollutant Index (API) so that we are not expose to the surrounding environment that can harm our health. Moreover, we should avoid outdoor activities especially outdoor sport. Just for the time beings do not do any sports or outdoor activities. If you want to go out wear a mask to protect your nose and mouth. Drink plenty of water everyday and always wash your face and body after you back from outdoor. Avoid open burning and smoke in outdoor or even indoor. The air is already worst do not add it more. Eat more vegetable and fruits. They will help us to flush out the toxins that been absorb by our lungs and skin and it can improve our immune system.

When Is The Haze Dangerous, What to do ?. 

1.      When at home, close all your windows and doors when the PSI is high. This may sound basic but have you checked if they are closed tightly? Our home is not air-tight and many doors and windows do not close properly. A tiny crack will allow more haze to seep in the house. So stuffed newspapers or  you can use cloth to seal the gaps under the doors and folded pieces of paper to tighten the windows. If you must have a window open, cover it with a wet cloth to trap some of the dust.

2.      Wear a surgical mask at home when the haze gets really bad and if you can’t stop the haze from going into the house. To many, this may seem troublesome. What? Still have to wear mask at home? But hey it is about your health and your familys health. You don’t have to wear it the entire day but at least part of the day to help ease your breathing. Wearing the soft mask is not as hard as N95 and it is easy to use.

3.    Singapore Asia Haze3. Teach the kids and the elderly how to wear the different types of masks. So please don’t assume most people know how to wear the different types of masks. Check and teach them if they are not wearing it correctly. And please explain to them why covering their noses with their hands is not enough to protect them.

AVOID ACTS OF WHICH MAY RESULT IN THE HAZE.

Air Pollution Index (API) readings obtained from the measurement of fine particles (below 10 microns) and certain types of gas that can affect health such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. The API is used as a guide to determine the air quality and its impact on health as follows: - The API Status

0-50 Good
51-100 Medium
101-200 Unhealthy
201-300 Very Unhealthy
301-500 Dangerous
You need to follow developments in the media (newspapers, television and radio) to determine the current level of the haze in your place so that it can take action - preventive measures.

 

HAZE THREATEN YOUR HEALTH

The haze that persists will bring adverse effect on everyone, especially the high-risk, namely: -

Kiddy
Old person
Those who suffer from Asthma
Bronchitis
Pneumonia
Lung disease Chronic
Heart
Allergies
Smoker
They are constantly working outside the office or home.
 

Are Signs and Symptoms Haze Effect on Health

The effects will be experienced after continuous exposure to the haze are: Feels itching in the throat and coughing. It feels hard to breathe or shortness of breath. Eyes sting and water. Runny nose and frequent sneezing. Body skin feels itchy. Pain in the chest. Get treatment and advice of a doctor at a nearby clinic if you have signs and symptoms.