Environment Problem: How It is Affecting Johorean’s Life

Written by: Hazrul & Haziq

Johor is a state in Peninsular Malaysia. It became a developed state during

Sultan Sir Abu Bakar’s reign. Johor achieved independence from the British
in 1957 and federated as a part of Malaysia six years later. Since then, this
state has always grown rapidly following current technological changes. For
example, Johor Bahru, Pasir Gudang, and Kluang districts have been
developed for economic use because of their strategic location, which is
just above Singapore, which affects economic development. However,
something could always destroy the dream of a state's development. One
of the factors was the environment, which was destroyed by humans
themselves due to pollution, natural disasters, and climate change.

According to National Geographic, pollution is the introduction of harmful

materials into the environment. These harmful materials are called
pollutants. Pollutants can be natural, such as volcanic ash. They can also
be created by human activity, such as trash or runoff produced by factories.
Pollutants damage the quality of air, water, and land. Many things that are
useful to people produce pollution.

Air pollution was part of the pollution that had an impact on all Johoreans.
This happens because of vehicle gas emissions from massive overuse of
personal vehicles such as cars and motorcycles, as well as the numerous
heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks or lorries that have been used
throughout the week. This causes the emission of gases such as nitrogen
dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Usually, high-traffic areas have higher levels of
nitrogen dioxide.
 At the same time, the
industrial sector, including
factories that produce
furniture, food products,
and chemicals, also
contributes to the
increase in pollution
levels. This can be seen
in the 2019 Kim Kim River
Incident, which affected
Workers taking water samples from Kim Kim River for 6,000 people,
research. Source: Hairul Anuar Hashim - NSTP hospitalized 2,775
people, and closed 110
schools. After research, several identified toxic gases emitted include
acrolein, acrylonitrile, ethylbenzene, hydrogen chloride, D-limonene,
toluene, and xylene, which if inhaled, can cause headache, nausea,
fainting, and breathing difficulty.

In addition, other sources of pollution

include combustion processes, fossil
fuels, and forest fires. This will cause a
dangerous haze to form. For example,
the 2013 Haze caused the Malaysian
government to declare a state of
emergency at Muar and Ledang on
June 23 due to the Air Pollution Index
(API) spiking to 746. This caused the
people of Johor to suffer pain due to
their inhumane actions, which caused Condition of Muar after being declared a
air pollution. Health problems state of emergency due to heavy haze.
associated with pollution include chest
Source: Astro Awani
infections, asthma, and respiratory
diseases.
Other than that, despite being a developed state Johor has never had
escaped from the flood problem due to the northeast monsoon from the
interior of the Asian continent. However, in March 2023, society's
perception of floods changed when all 10 districts in Johor were affected by
this disaster. At the climax of the
event on March 5, 50,596 people
from 14,515 families were transferred
to 268 temporary evacuation centers
(PPS). This happens because of
humans’ actions. According to Mr.
Sivakumar Packirisamy, president of
the Green Earth Society in Johor,
authorities need to improve flood
mitigation and reassess the drainage
system due to clogs and blockages
that have been thrown out by Condition of one town in Johor during the flood
humans. Dr. Senard Siew, climate because of people's actions. Source:
change adviser to the Centre for Mohamad Faisal Hashim – Kosmo Digital
Governance and Political Studies
(Cent-GPS), noted that some residents, especially in rural areas, tend to
dispose of their trash via nearby rivers, which could harm the drainage
systems. Even DYMM Sultan Johor, Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan
Iskandar have criticised some residents for disposing of their waste in the
drainage network. This caused Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to announce
an RM600 million fund from the Malaysian Government for flood mitigation
projects in Batu Pahat, Segamat, and Kota Tinggi. This shows that many
things can be saved if we prevent this pollution earlier.

To prevent all disasters from happening again, all parties must work
together to keep our state’s pollution level low. Starting from home, we can
stop burning our garbage in our backyards and avoid pouring oil or any
dangerous liquid into the sink. Using public transportation to go to work and
school can minimize vehicle gas emissions. We can use less energy, like
turning off lamps and fans after using them, to reduce the greenhouse gas
effect. Authorities can repair damaged drains and improve the sewage
system to reduce the probability of flooding. Everybody can use
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) number 12 (Responsible
Consumption and Production) as a guideline to minimize the impact of
pollution.

As pure Johoreans, we should protect our state from any dangerous

disasters. It is because our state is our home—the place where we were
born, raised, lived, and will die. Let’s support our state government, led by
Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi, to make the Maju Johor dream
come true.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johor

2. https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/pollution

3. https://www.iqair.com/malaysia/johor/johor-bahru

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_Kim_Kim_River_toxic_pollution

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Southeast_Asian_haze

6. Kang Chai Yoeng, Zulkipli bin Ismail, Rajanderan Subramaniam.

(2017). Geografi Tingkatan 2. Johor Bahru: IMS Books Trading Sdn. Bhd.

7. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/malaysia-johor-sultan-
garbage-drains-ditches-rivers-flooding-tebrau-2256976

8. https://www.pca.state.mn.us/news-ands-stories/what-you-can-do-
about-air-pollution

9. https://raleighnc.gov/stormwater/services/spot-report-and-stop-water-
pollution/6-ways-prevent-water-pollution