Mariani Ariffin

The occurrence and potential ecological risk assessment of bauxite mine-impacted water and sediments in Kuantan, Pahang,Malaysia

Recent bauxite mining activities in the vicinity of Kuantan, Pahang, have been associated with apparent environmental quality degradation and have raised environmental concerns among the public. This study was carried out to evaluate the overall ecological impacts on water and sediment quality from the bauxite mining activities. Water and sediment samples were collected at seven sampling locations within the bauxite mining areas between June and December 2015. The water samples were analyzed for water quality index (WQI) and distribution of major and trace element geochemistry. Sediment samples were evaluated based on geochemical indices, i.e., the enrichment factor (EF) and geoaccumulation index (Igeo). Potential ecological risk index was estimated to assess the degree to which sediments of the mine-impacted areas have been contaminated with heavy metals. The results showed that WQIs of some locations were classified as slightly polluted and contained metal contents exceeding the recommended guideline values. The EFs indicated minimal to moderate enrichment of metals (Pb, Cu, Zn, Mn, As, Cd, Cr, Ni, Co, and Sr) in the sediments. Igeo showed slightly to partially polluted sediments with respect to As at some locations. The potential ecological risk index (RI) showed that As posed the highest potential ecological risk with RI of 52.35–60.92 at two locations, while other locations indicated low risk. The findings from this study have demonstrated the impact of recent bauxite mining activities, which might be of importance to the local communities and relevant authorities to initiate immediate rehabilitation phase of the impacted area.

Protection of marine biodiversity from pollution: legal strategies in Malaysia

This paper discusses sources of marine pollution in Malaysia and examines existing provisions under the law relevant to the control of such pollution. Being a maritime nation as well as one of the top biodiversity-rich countries in the world, it is important for Malaysia to give its full commitment in conserving her mega-diverse ecosystems, including that of the richly endowed seas. At present, the well being of Malaysia’s marine biodiversity is facing increasing threat from various sources, notably that of land-based and vessel-based pollution. Malaysia takes pollution issue seriously, and joins other key maritime nations in enhancing her legal regime in dealing with marine pollution. This paper seeks to highlight Malaysia’s continuous effort towards marine pollution control through the application of both domestic and international law. Significantly, such effort can be used as a reference by other maritime nations for the purpose of collective marine environmental protection and biodiversity conservation.

A Review on Environmental Forensics and Environmental Law in the Malaysian Perspective

Environmental law which is pertinent for the purpose of environmental protection and pollution control requires the assistance of forensic investigation and analytical sciences to investigate what is in the environment, where it has come from, and using that data to detect, prevent or prosecute environmental crime. In Malaysia and elsewhere, law enforcers are relying heavily on the scientific discipline of environmental forensics in order to prove, to the satisfaction of a court of law, who is responsible for instances of pollution. Specifically for Malaysia, environmental liabilities are generally the remit of the Department of Environment through enforcement of the Environmental Quality Act 1974. This Act is the main law enacted to help attain the objective of environmental policy which is to balance economic and environmental needs for the purpose of sustainable development. This Act is also the key piece legislation that has formed the basis of many prosecutions, and it contained various provisions that concerned directly or indirectly with environmental forensics. The objectives of this paper are to examine the Act, and to identify its relevance towards the application of environmental forensics within the legal process for the purpose of achieving the overall objectives of environmental protection and sustainable development. This research is very important because at the moment, there is a very limited number of other known researches in Malaysia that examine environmental forensics from the legal perspective. Thus this research should help policy makers, law enforcers, judiciary, scientists and other relevant stakeholders understand and expand their knowledge of environmental forensics in the context of law.

Chlorination Disinfection Byproducts (DBPs): A Review of Malaysian Drinking Water Policy and Consumers’ Perception

Chlorine is used by water treatment plants (WTPs) in Malaysia to disinfect water from harmful microorganisms. However, chlorine can react with natural and organic materials and lead to the formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs). DBPs are harmful to human health when exposed in sufficient quantities over a period of time. The objectives of this study are to examine Malaysian drinking water policy in relation to DBPs in the light of international guidelines especially the World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality 2011 (WHO Guidelines) and to do a preliminary study of consumers’ perception on drinking water quality in Selangor. In order to achieve these objectives, a targeted document review, and key-informant interview with officers from the Ministry of Health and a survey of consumers’ perception were conducted. The study found that Malaysia adopts more stringent standard values for certain DBPs than the WHO Guidelines, but not in terms of monitoring and strategies for reducing the by-products. The survey result showed that 91 % of the respondents can tolerate minimal presences of DBPs, which have to comply to the regulations set by the Ministry of Health. Overall, 76 % of the respondents were satisfied with the drinking water quality at home.