Environmental Issues in Malaysia

Map Of Malaysia
AIR POLLUTION
Air pollution in Malaysia falls into three main categories:
 air pollution due to exhaust gas from mobile emission sources such as
motor vehicles, principally in urban areas;
 haze caused by the weather and by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia;

 pollution caused by industrial activities.

 Of these three problems, air pollution from mobile emission sources is
of greatest concern.
 In 1997, there were roughly 8.5 million registered motor vehicles in
Malaysia, climbing at the rate of 10 percent or more every year.
• The air pollutants released by these vehicles are carbon monoxide (CO),
nitrogen oxides (NOx), hydrocarbons (HC), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
particulate matter.
 Haze is another major problem in Malaysia.
 There were minor haze incidents in 1993 and 1994, years that recorded
low rainfall
 haze on an unprecedented scale occurred from the summer of 1997 due
to the huge forest fires that blazed in Sumatra and Kalimantan in
Indonesia.
 As well as affecting health and causing an increase in respiratory
complaints, haze had major economic costs, impacting on
transportation services, tourism, and the fishing industry
WATER POLLUTION
 Water pollution is the most fundamental environmental issue in Malaysia.
 Caused by the three traditional industries of tin mining, natural rubber and
palm oil.
 Factories as sources of river water pollution.
 By industry type, the polluters included 966 food and beverage manufacturing
factories (20%), 559 paper, factories (11%), and 419 electrical and electronics
plants (8%).
The breakdown by state shows that
 Selangor had the highest number of industrial sources of pollution (1,668
factories)
 Marine pollution, 794 samples were collected and analyzed from 226 locations.
 Of these, 87 monitored locations, or 34 percent of the total, were found to have
contaminant levels exceeding the Proposed Marine Interim Standards.
 Oil and grease exceeded the limit (0 mg/l), as did total suspended solids (50 mg/l), and
coliform bacteria (100 MPN/100ml).
 Detected copper levels were above the Proposed Marine Interim Standard (0.1 mg/l) in
Sarawak, and mercury and arsenic exceeded the limits (0.001 mg/l and 0. 1 mg/l,
respectively) in Negeri Sembilan.
 Soil Contamination
The presence of man-made chemicals or other alteration in the natural soil
environment
This type of contamination typically arises from;
the rupture of underground storage tanks,
application of pesticides,
leaching of wastes from landfills, or
direct discharge of industrial wastes to the soil.
Soil Acidification
Emissions of acidifying sulphur and nitrogen compounds from industry
and transport have led to soil acidification and pose threats to forest
health and the quality of surface and/or groundwater

Aluminium, cadmium and many other metals are more mobile in acid soils.
 Soil Retention
Nutrients from human activities tend to accumulate in soils and remain
there for years.

It has been shown that the amount of phosphorus lost to surface

waters increases linearly with the amount of phosphorus in the soil.

Thus much of the nutrient loading in soil eventually makes its way to
water
They include some of the world’s most harmful chemicals including
highly toxic pesticides such as DDT; industrial chemicals such as PCBs;
and unintended by-products of industrial processes and incineration
such as dioxins and furans.
POPs are the worst of toxic substances. They have become common
contaminants in fish, dairy products, and other foods around the world.
 POP by-products will be formed and released unintentionally in
all technological processes and/or natural biological and
photochemical processes including human activities when heat is
applied, transferred or exchanged in the presence of chlorine
and organic substances
 Cleaning up Contaminated Soil

There are 3 general approaches:

Soil can be excavated from the ground and be either treated or
disposed;
Soil can be left in the ground and treated in place;
Soil can be left in the ground and contained to prevent the
contamination from becoming more widespread and reaching plants,
animals, or humans.

Containment of soil in place is usually done by placing a large plastic cover over the contaminated soil
to prevent direct contact and keep rain water from seeping into the soil and spreading the
contamination.
WASTE MANAGEMENT
 Rate of waste generation in Malaysia is increasing due to :
 a) Community activities – commercial, institutional, industrial, markets.
 b) Economic level of different sector – squatter, low, medium and high
class residential areas.
 c) Type of waste generator and land use
 In Malaysia, the handling and separation of wastes at the source is a
critical step in waste management.•
 Various type of bins used for storage the waste:
 a) Small bin – household
 b) Medium bin – communal bin
 c) Large bin – hauled communal
 Most expensive activity in waste management system is waste
collection activities.•
 Two type of cost waste collection :
a) Direct - All direct expenditure incurred in the management of
solid waste
b) Indirect – External cost incurred in practicing existing waste
management system
 .
 Efficiency of collection system give an impact on level of MSWM
services in an area.
 Poor collection – affect public confidence in the services.
 Public aware about the quality of collection.
 The frequency of collection varies from daily to three times per week.
 Usually in city centers, commercial areas and public areas practiced
everyday collection
 In Malaysia, we are practice direct haulage from collection point without
any intermediate treatment.
 However, there is problem in getting suitable land for disposal site
 Thus, intermediate treatment facilities are introduced.
 For example, transfer station, compositing and incinerator plants.
 Government has considered the various design and mode of
incineration process such as thermal gasification process.
 Waste disposal in Malaysia is totally to landfill
 Landfill in Malaysia were in small scale operations with varying levels of
design sophistication and majority were poorly managed.
 Sanitary landfill is practiced by municipal council and the total is very
small.
 For example The Air Hitam Sanitary Landfill.
Deforestation
 Between 1990 and 2010 Malaysia lost 8.6% of its forest cover, or around 1,920,000
hectares.
 Malaysia declared its independence from Britain in 1957, and formed its current state in
1963
 Since then, it has seen significant economic growth, a large part of which can be attributed
to its forest industry.
 Malaysia’s rapid rate of development has put it far ahead of several of its neighbors, such as
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
 This has largely been in part to its abundance of natural resources, which constitutes
significant portions of the country’s economic sector.
 Because of this large financial gain from logging, production has been high since initiation,
and it was not until 1985 that consequences were first realized.
 Together with neighboring Indonesia, Malaysia produces 85% of the global supply of
palm oil, the chief cause of logging
 56.6% of Malaysia’ tropical forests are used for production, leaving the rest for uses
such as ‘Protection’ and ‘Conservation
Reasons for Deforestation

What is the major cause of deforestation?

Amount of Deforestation Has Increased Over Time
 Why?
 More People
 More people to feed means we need
more and larger farms
 So people cut down more trees
Where is Most Deforestation Occurring?
Where is Most Deforestation Occurring?

Which country has the highest rate of deforestation?

Where is Most Deforestation Occurring?
 Today, most deforestation is occurring in tropical regions.
 Tropical rainforests are found in tropical rainforests
 Most deforestation in tropical rainforests
 Results of Deforestation

► Clear cutting- cutting down all trees in an area

 Clear Cutting
► Loss of all habitat for wildlife
 If animals have no place to live then it is possible that they will all die
► Habitat loss is the leading cause of species becoming extinct.
The number of birds in Brazil is predicted to decrease in
the future as the amount of deforestation increases.
Habitat Loss and Extinction

 Many species on the earth are at risk of extinction caused by

deforestation
 Clear Cutting
► Soil erosion
 Without plant roots to hold the soil
in place soil particles are easily
eroded away by water when it
rains.
 When soil is lost the soil is not as
good for farming.
Clear Cutting
► Soil erosion causes siltation
 Eroded soil particles end up in
rivers
► Rivers become muddy
 Harms the animals and plants that live
in the river
 Rivers carry eroded particles into
the ocean
► Silt can damage coral reefs
Deforestation in Malaysia
Deforestation in Malaysia

 Tropical Rainforests are found in Malaysia

 Rates of deforestation in Malaysia are some of the highest in the world
Deforestation in Malaysia
Logs are transported by floating them in the river

 These logs can sometimes escape

to the sea and damage coral reefs
when they are washed ashore by
storms.
Reasons for Deforestation in Malaysia
 Trees are cut in Malaysia for
 Lumber
 Fuel
 To clear land for agriculture
Oil Palm Plantations
Forest cut to plant oil palm plantation
Oil Palm
 The fruits of oil palm are used to
produce oil
 Used in cooking
 Used as fuel
 Palm oil can be added to gasoline and used
to drive your car
 biofuel
Oil Palm Plantations in Malaysia
 Deforestation to clear land for oil
palm plantations
 Habitat loss
 Erosion
The amount of undisturbed forest has been decreasing
rapidly in the last sixty years in Borneo

The part of the map

shaded in green
contains undamaged
forest
Habitat Loss and Extinction in Malaysia
 The Four Most Endagered
Terrestrial Species in Malaysia
 Tiger
 Asian rhinoceros
 Asian elephant
 Orangutan

 All are at risk because of habitat

loss caused by deforestation
Timeline of Malaysian Environmental Legislature
Stage-wise management of Malaysian Government

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4

• 1971-1975 • 1977-1988 • 1989-2000 • 2001-2005
Monitoring Authorities of Malaysia
 In order to sustain a public health, all kinds of dangerous substance should be protected and regulated by
Malaysian government.
 To ensure public safety and maintenance of public order in Malaysia following authorities have a major
role:
The Role of Judiciary

The Role of the Institutional and Administrative Responsibilities

The Role of the Coordinating Laws

The Role of International Soft Laws Policy and Compliance

The Role of the Non Governmental Organization

The Role of Malaysian Environmental Policy

 Core Problems of Malaysian Environmental Model
 Lack of enforcement
 Lack of trained lawyers to deal with regulating environmental quality.
 Non implementation of the law that "polluter pays“
 Lack of authority in issuing licenses to development projects including industries after formal assessment
in the light of environmental considerations
 Lack of monitoring and continuous assessment
 Lack of coordination between legal authorities and technical authorities in framing as well as respecting
environmental issues.
 Lack of qualified planners/ policy makers
 Lack of holistic approach
 Procedural and structural weakness of bureaucracy in implementation of policies
 In adequate information of natural resources and scientific research etc.
 Recommendations:
 To Implement the Religious Including Islamic Principles of Environmental Laws
 Environmental Participation
 The Rule of Law
 Need to ensure Ethics, Transparency and Accountability
 Access to Justice
 Need to Introduce the Freedom of Information Act
 Need to do some Institutional Improvements
 Need to enhance Coordination
 Need to provide with Trainings
 Need to strong Political Commitment
 To Enhance Judicial Trainings
 To comply with the Environmental Issues