For a cleaner Malaysia THREAD

[TYW]

Friday, October 03, 2003
Kee: Close outlets with dirty loos
BY OPALYN MOK
The municipal council has been asked to close down restaurants and other food outlets with extremely dirty toilets.

State Tourism Action Council chairman Datuk Kee Phaik Cheen, who declared war on dirty public toilets following numerous complaints from the travel trade sector, said it was time those with public toilets started a “maintenance culture.?nbsp;

“It is important that all our public toilets, especially at entry points to our country such as airports, are clean and well maintained,?she said.

“I will propose at the next state exco meeting that the public and private sectors should have a maintenance budget to ensure their public toilets are well maintained,?she added.

Kee, who is State Tourism, Culture, Arts and Women Development Committee chairman, said many Malaysians did not know how or bother to keep the toilets clean, add-ing that the lack of maintenance aggravated the pro-blem.

“It is important to inculcate good, clean habits among pre-schoolers and young children on how to clean up the toilet after using it,?she said.

She added that she would also suggest to the council to look into converting some of the abandoned heritage houses in George Town into state-of-the-art public toilets instead of building toilets on pavements or sidewalks.

Kee said she welcomed feedback from the public on the condition of public toilets here.

“I hope the people would tell me if they come across dirty public toilets here, where it is situated and even take pictures so that I could forward these to the authorities and ensure that something is done about it,? she said. Feedback could be e-mailed to kee@sukpp.gov.my.

http://penang.thestar.com.my/content/news/2003/10/3/toilet.jpg
NEAT AND TIDY:All public toilets should be as clean as this, so says Kee.

[liping_t]

couldn't agree with the emphasis more...gosh, isn't it funny how we have these huge beautiful malls/buildings etc, but whoo boy, the minute you go and use the public toilets, you get stunned! Seems first of all, the architects don't really put much thought into designing these essential areas....good example,

Megamall....beautiful interior...well lighted.....lofty ceilings....the minute you go to the public washrooms....woa....bad lighting...poor ventilation....dirty floors.....broken this n that.....gosh!

and those are our best malls. as far as I kno, best I've seen is KLCC.

even KLIA has offended in this respect....(cleanliness n maintainence)

btw, is it my imagination or is KLIA unnaturally dark!

[Pablo]

http://penang.thestar.com.my/content/news/2003/10/3/toilet.jpg
this is komtar 56 floors' toilet;) cool ya:cool:

[TYW]

Originally posted by Pablo

http://penang.thestar.com.my/content/news/2003/10/3/toilet.jpg
this is komtar 56 floors' toilet;) cool ya:cool:

56 floor is the tourist department or something like that??

[liping_t]

who's the lady? she's dresssed up very nice!

[Magician]

Kee Pek Chin... dunno correct spelling or not... hehe

Is she our Cultural and dunno what officer?

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

56 floor is the tourist department or something like that??

yupe, therefore the toilet there very nice ;) :D :D :D

[szehoong]

Originally posted by liping_t

couldn't agree with the emphasis more...gosh, isn't it funny how we have these huge beautiful malls/buildings etc, but whoo boy, the minute you go and use the public toilets, you get stunned! Seems first of all, the architects don't really put much thought into designing these essential areas....good example,

Megamall....beautiful interior...well lighted.....lofty ceilings....the minute you go to the public washrooms....woa....bad lighting...poor ventilation....dirty floors.....broken this n that.....gosh!

and those are our best malls. as far as I kno, best I've seen is KLCC.

even KLIA has offended in this respect....(cleanliness n maintainence)

btw, is it my imagination or is KLIA unnaturally dark!

yea....I agree with you on that. I personally don;t like KLCC's toilet as it is too small. Each floor there are only 2 toilets, each with 3 stalls and 3 urinals which could hardly coped with the weekend crowd. It is clean (very well maintained) but the sheer amount of people using it is enuf to dirty the toilet 15mins after cleaning! Plus you know how Malaysians use toilet rite? Some people can't pee properly into the urinals, others throw tissues everywhere! :moods:

Anyway dirty, dim and foul-smelling toilets of Midvalley Megamall (and also 1 Utama) are a thing of the past as the toilets are renovated! Even the passage-way leading to the toilets are refurbished! :)

The best shopping mall toilets I've seen are those inside Jaya Jusco Midvalley. The toilets are like thopse you get in hotels!

Commendable ones are those of Sunway Pyramid, Starhill and Lot 10 but you'll have to pay to enter those! :D

[liping_t]

..to kno...I'm glad Megamall decided to refurbish their toilets..they were becoming an embaressment. I remember I brought back my then, gf, to Malaysia and showed her around...she was really impressed by our beautiful architecture....most NOT impressed by our public toilets...esp shocking was that a lot of the dirty ones were the unexpected ones in our beautiful malls etc....

I remember the first time I brought her back, it was 2000 I think, it was at nite.....I live in DJ, so Atria is nearby. Anyways, so around 8-9pm or so, decided to take her out for a walk to Atria...but she had to use the toilet, so we went into Atria's toilets...whoo...I think she about screamed :P The toilets all had no lights (all out), the floor was wet....and there was no toilet paper! *GRIN*

that was a shocker! HAHAHA

Needless to say, I didn't 'enlighten' her on the condition of toilets in, lets say, my old secondary school!!!!!!

[szehoong]

Originally posted by liping_t

..to kno...I'm glad Megamall decided to refurbish their toilets..they were becoming an embaressment. I remember I brought back my then, gf, to Malaysia and showed her around...she was really impressed by our beautiful architecture....most NOT impressed by our public toilets...esp shocking was that a lot of the dirty ones were the unexpected ones in our beautiful malls etc....

I remember the first time I brought her back, it was 2000 I think, it was at nite.....I live in DJ, so Atria is nearby. Anyways, so around 8-9pm or so, decided to take her out for a walk to Atria...but she had to use the toilet, so we went into Atria's toilets...whoo...I think she about screamed :P The toilets all had no lights (all out), the floor was wet....and there was no toilet paper! *GRIN*

that was a shocker! HAHAHA

Needless to say, I didn't 'enlighten' her on the condition of toilets in, lets say, my old secondary school!!!!!!

WHOA! No school toilets please! :D

Anyway I was fortunate that both the secondary schools I went to had clean toilets......my primary school's was horrifying! :puke:

Anyway the Megamall and 1 Utama's toilets are beyong recognition......they are just like some hotel's toilet.

So far so good but I wonder if they could maintain it long term.

I've yet to check out DBKL's 1 million Ringgit Public Toilet + Information Centre beside Colliseum Theatre. I've heard that it is quite impressive! ;)

[archilless]

szehoong.. i heard the toilet cost only RM500k lah.. other RM500k for the painstakingly(?)-built granite plaza.. hehe

and bad news is someone stole the expensive stainless-steel tap..

[szehoong]

Originally posted by archilless

szehoong.. i heard the toilet cost only RM500k lah.. other RM500k for the painstakingly(?)-built granite plaza.. hehe

and bad news is someone stole the expensive stainless-steel tap..

yala...the whole place 1 million lor!!! :D

Dun they have guards guarding there ? :? Pity what Malaysians can do.......

Even Tunku's Rolls-Royce t Muzium Negara isn't spared - Some idiots sawn off the RR's Spirit of Estacy!!! :bleep:

And the best part is that this is within the compound f Muzium Negara! :rant:

[Pablo]

Originally posted by szehoong

yea....I agree with you on that. I personally don;t like KLCC's toilet as it is too small. Each floor there are only 2 toilets, each with 3 stalls and 3 urinals which could hardly coped with the weekend crowd. It is clean (very well maintained) but the sheer amount of people using it is enuf to dirty the toilet 15mins after cleaning! Plus you know how Malaysians use toilet rite? Some people can't pee properly into the urinals, others throw tissues everywhere! :moods:

Anyway dirty, dim and foul-smelling toilets of Midvalley Megamall (and also 1 Utama) are a thing of the past as the toilets are renovated! Even the passage-way leading to the toilets are refurbished! :)

The best shopping mall toilets I've seen are those inside Jaya Jusco Midvalley. The toilets are like thopse you get in hotels!

Commendable ones are those of Sunway Pyramid, Starhill and Lot 10 but you'll have to pay to enter those! :D

oh..u gotta c how Komtar's toilet looks like...it is#@$@#$@....somemore we have to pay 20sen for using the toilet:bleep: :bleep: :bleep:

[TYW]

Originally posted by Pablo

oh..u gotta c how Komtar's toilet looks like...it is#@$@#$@....somemore we have to pay 20sen for using the toilet:bleep: :bleep: :bleep:

must pay 20 sen meh?? i forget already. KOMTAR looks very old, especially the interior. it looks even worse than Crystal Heights:bleep: :rant:

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

must pay 20 sen meh?? i forget already. KOMTAR looks very old, especially the interior. it looks even worse than Crystal Heights:bleep: :rant:

who should we blame...the architect:rant: :bleep: :mad: :bleep: :rant: :mad: Komtar even don't have front door:bleep: :rant: :mad: :rant: :bleep: :mad:

[TYW]

Originally posted by Pablo

who should we blame...the architect:rant: :bleep: :mad: :bleep: :rant: :mad: Komtar even don't have front door:bleep: :rant: :mad: :rant: :bleep: :mad:

got front door what. the place we go up the tower there lah!!

only thing is that it is hidden and so UGLY

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

got front door what. the place we go up the tower there lah!!

only thing is that it is hidden and so UGLY

do u think it looks like front door???i don't think it looks like front door at all...don't know how the architect design it....

komtar's front door?????????????
http://www.you-are-a-huge-nerd.com/public/freepix/DSCN1166.jpg
i'm so embarrass if lets other country forumers c this pic :cry:

[TYW]

i think that's it lah. so UGLY i hate those tiny tiles, makes KOMTAR looks so old. the ceiling also like plastic and it is so low, i can even touch the roof if i jump:bleep:

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

i think that's it lah. so UGLY i hate those tiny tiles, makes KOMTAR looks so old. the ceiling also like plastic and it is so low, i can even touch the roof if i jump:bleep:

i know u very tall lah...hehehe...


those tiles makes the front door looks like toilet :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:


and the lift even teruk.............................................wonder how he design it, didn't plan it well.....the first step they build Komtar at this place is a big mistake:bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

i think that's it lah. so UGLY i hate those tiny tiles, makes KOMTAR looks so old. the ceiling also like plastic and it is so low, i can even touch the roof if i jump:bleep:

i know u very tall lah...hehehe...


those tiles makes the front door looks like toilet :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant: :rant:


and the lift even teruk.............................................wonder how he design it, didn't plan it well.....it is a very big mistake when they built Komtar at that place:bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:

[liping_t]

M'sian interior for the 80's/90's....dirty looking and dark. yuck. Should come to KL peeps, tons of these ugly interiors all over the place.....!!!

[TYW]

Originally posted by liping_t

M'sian interior for the 80's/90's....dirty looking and dark. yuck. Should come to KL peeps, tons of these ugly interiors all over the place.....!!!

just Renovate everything!!!

[Pablo]

Originally posted by liping_t

M'sian interior for the 80's/90's....dirty looking and dark. yuck. Should come to KL peeps, tons of these ugly interiors all over the place.....!!!

Komtar is penang Landmark...can't they design it more cantik????

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

just Renovate everything!!!

i think they can't do this in Komtar..if they did...sure it cost a lots...better build another ''new komtar''

[TYW]

Originally posted by Pablo

i think they can't do this in Komtar..if they did...sure it cost a lots...better build another ''new komtar''

but u can't get rid of the current KOMTAR

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

but u can't get rid of the current KOMTAR

oh...very eassy only mah...just demolish it j/k....

they said tidak banyak orang pergi ke old komtar membeli-belah liao...don't know is it true or not...i still c lotsa ppl there :? :D :D

[TYW]

Originally posted by Pablo

oh...very eassy only mah...just demolish it j/k....

they said tidak banyak orang pergi ke old komtar membeli-belah liao...don't know is it true or not...i still c lotsa ppl there :? :D :D

what i was talking about was that no matter how many new KOMTAR u are gonna build, that old one is still there. sooner or later u will have to renovate it if u want it to look new

[szehoong]

Originally posted by Pablo

oh..u gotta c how Komtar's toilet looks like...it is#@$@#$@....somemore we have to pay 20sen for using the toilet:bleep: :bleep: :bleep:

hahaha......most of the newer shopping mall toilets in KL dun have to pay already to enter those 'beautiful' toilets. In fact those which have to pay are the ones which stinks!

Anyway the funniest toilet payment systems are those at Lot10. The normal toilet entrance price is RM0.30 but the upper-most floor (The Prestige Floor)....the entrance fees is RM0.50! But the toilet is slightly nicer and less people.....hehe :D

The other day I am so surprise that Sg. Wang's toilet is so much cleaner now already despite it being one of the oldest mall in KL (built in 1977....older than KOMTAR!) ......;)

[Pablo]

Originally posted by TYW

what i was talking about was that no matter how many new KOMTAR u are gonna build, that old one is still there. sooner or later u will have to renovate it if u want it to look new
that is y i suggest demolish the old komtar loh...:D but i'm just kiding:D

[szehoong]

Originally posted by Pablo

Komtar is penang Landmark...can't they design it more cantik????

When KOMTAR was built, those design were the 'in' thing. Too bad it aged very fast (the design) and KOMTAR lacked proper maintenance.

When I first went to KOMTAR, I was shocked as I tot it might not be as bad! But I was wrong.......I seriously think they should refurbished that place lar! ;)

[Pablo]

Originally posted by szehoong

hahaha......most of the newer shopping mall toilets in KL dun have to pay already to enter those 'beautiful' toilets. In fact those which have to pay are the ones which stinks!

Anyway the funniest toilet payment systems are those at Lot10. The normal toilet entrance price is RM0.30 but the upper-most floor (The Prestige Floor)....the entrance fees is RM0.50! But the toilet is slightly nicer and less people.....hehe :D

The other day I am so surprise that Sg. Wang's toilet is so much cleaner now already despite it being one of the oldest mall in KL (built in 1977....older than KOMTAR!) ......;)

wow cool no need to pay:cool: :cool: i think every hypermarket's toilet in Penang will charge us:bash: :bash:

[szehoong]

Originally posted by Pablo

i think they can't do this in Komtar..if they did...sure it cost a lots...better build another ''new komtar''

They HAVE TO!!! A lot of KL's old buildings are renovated and they looked nice. Some are even recladded!

You just dun built a new one when the old one sucks big time ( I know you're joking bout that one ...eheh ;) ). KOMTAR just need some renovation (like some KL buildings) and proper maintenance. ;)

[Pablo]

Originally posted by szehoong

They HAVE TO!!! A lot of KL's old buildings are renovated and they looked nice. Some are even recladded!

You just dun built a new one when the old one sucks big time ( I know you're joking bout that one ...eheh ;) ). KOMTAR just need some renovation (like some KL buildings) and proper maintenance. ;)

i don't know the company which maintenance Komtar have think bout it b4...but may ppl have been complain to this company several times...but no action:? :?

[szehoong]

Originally posted by liping_t

M'sian interior for the 80's/90's....dirty looking and dark. yuck. Should come to KL peeps, tons of these ugly interiors all over the place.....!!!

Depends lar ....got a lot renovated already mar.

The dark and gloomy ones like Wisma Antarabangsa ( << I like this one a lot! ), Wisma Peladang and Bangunan Yayasan Selangor at Bkt Bintang had been extensively renovated and recladded (only Yayasan S'gor is recladded). Bangkok Bank building is recladded in the mid-90s as well. Bank Bumiputra, Standard Chartered, HSBC and Plaza OSK (used to be Plaza MBF) had been refurbished and are maintained properly.

Shopping malls like Sg. Wang, BB Plaza, Imbi Plaza and KL Plaza are constantly changing to meet 'current times'. KL Plaza still uses the 'toilet tiles' (Pablo said it) of KOMTAR but still looks nice. I guess it is just the maintenance part lar.

Other 70s/80s buildings which is commendable are Menara Maybank, Menara LUTH, Wisma MCA, PWTC, Mutiara KL, Federal Hotel etc.

One early 70s building that had gone thru extensive renovation and refurbishment recently is the ex-UMBC Building and its annex. The whole refurbished building (which looks kinda cool with its retro look) are priced at RM160 million. Anyone's buying ? :D

[archilless]

the 'toilet tiles' or mosaic is 'in' again now.. but not for public toilet.. mostly for houses.. it's gives the 'retro' feel.. even the 50's international-style house also popular these day..

some old building like DBKL HQ and National Mosque uses glass-mosaic. this glass-mosaic is much more expensive than the ordinary 'toilet' mosaic. But it's requires frequent cleaning as the gap between the tiles easily stained.

Building owners nowaday prefer metal cladding as it's easy to maintain.

Or.. they can always follow the 'Baton Brute' Bank Negara style.. no finishing at all.. :D

[szehoong]

Originally posted by archilless

the 'toilet tiles' or mosaic is 'in' again now.. but not for public toilet.. mostly for houses.. it's gives the 'retro' feel.. even the 50's international-style house also popular these day..

some old building like DBKL HQ and National Mosque uses glass-mosaic. this glass-mosaic is much more expensive than the ordinary 'toilet' mosaic. But it's requires frequent cleaning as the gap between the tiles easily stained.

Building owners nowaday prefer metal cladding as it's easy to maintain.

Or.. they can always follow the 'Baton Brute' Bank Negara style.. no finishing at all.. :D

yea....but mosaic are usually used for interiors to give the retro feel while exteriors are usually brute & smooth concrete finishings to create the retro feel. Very good example are Aero Restaurant and Emporium Club.

Bank Negara's 'Baton Brute' style is okay but looks ugly and dirty of kena water (esp after rain). And the texture of the finishing usually traps dirt.

I notice they had remove Dayabumi's mosaics and replace em with metal cladding. Izzit true? I din go near there to see it and I only observed it from afar. Or they have painstakingly cleaned the mosaics? It looks whiter now....hehe ;)

[TYW]

Originally posted by szehoong

They HAVE TO!!! A lot of KL's old buildings are renovated and they looked nice. Some are even recladded!

You just dun built a new one when the old one sucks big time ( I know you're joking bout that one ...eheh ;) ). KOMTAR just need some renovation (like some KL buildings) and proper maintenance. ;)

some parts of KOMTAR were renovated but only small part. most of the place still UGLY!!!

the Tower part of KOMTAR badly needs renovation. looks so ugly

[archilless]

about Dayabumi.. i think they just paint the mosaics white..

even SOGO also want to clad their building.. but i think SOGO's mosaic still look ok ( like Putra Place)..

[szehoong]

Originally posted by archilless

about Dayabumi.. i think they just paint the mosaics white..

even SOGO also want to clad their building.. but i think SOGO's mosaic still look ok ( like Putra Place)..

If they painted the building.....I supposed that would be an aweful long time to complete......I was thinking maybe they metriculously cleaning the mosaic tiles one by one.....hehehe :D

I think SOGO and Putra Place is fine lah......they just need a bit of cleaning thats all! :)

[TYW]

Originally posted by archilless

about Dayabumi.. i think they just paint the mosaics white..

even SOGO also want to clad their building.. but i think SOGO's mosaic still look ok ( like Putra Place)..

mosaics can paint one ar?? won't it turn ugly??

[drwho]

World seeks biodiversity accord


Environment ministers from around the world meet in Malaysia on Wednesday to try to reach a deal to save threatened habitats and species.

Discussions at the UN-led conference are likely to centre on attempts to reduce loss of biodiversity by 2010.

However, both the European Union and environmentalists say the discussions lack the sense of urgency they believe is necessary.

The horse-trading over protecting the environment is about to begin.

Though countries rich and poor alike say they want to save the planet, all have their own concerns - and most of those centre on money.

Habitats v capital

The developing nations say they want a bigger share in the benefits of protecting the environment.

Between them they have most of the world's remaining pristine habitats, but saving them costs money they do not have.

Nor do they want big business to develop products derived from flora and fauna found there without receiving some of their profits.

Equally, wealthier nations do not want to leave their companies open to endless legal action over their discoveries, nor do they want to simply hand the countries of the South a blank cheque to pay for their help.

Meanwhile, environmental groups are concerned that the entire process could be derailed - not least the task of setting firm targets and timetables for slowing the rate at which plants and animals are becoming extinct.

Both they and the EU Environment Commissioner, Margot Wallstrom, believe that many of the delegates are unaware just how imminent the threat to life on earth is.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3498173.stm

[szehoong]

Originally posted by TYW

mosaics can paint one ar?? won't it turn ugly??

I think can lar.......I still haven't gone to Dayabumi to see it yet :D

[szehoong]

Countries endorse programmes to reduce biodiversity loss




BY TAN CHENG LI AND SUSAN TAM


KUALA LUMPUR: The 187 countries which are parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity concluded a two-week meeting here by endorsing numerous programmes aimed at reducing the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

They adopted more than 30 documents covering a wide range of topics from mountain biodiversity to equitable sharing of the benefits of genetic resources at the plenary of the Seventh Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP7) which convened at 11pm yesterday.

Among the targets adopted in the work programmes were the conservation of at least 10% of each type of ecosystem, protection of areas of particular importance for biodiversity, and stabilisation of populations of certain species which were now on the decline.

United Nations Environment Programme director Klaus Toepfer said that by adopting measurable indicators and specific goals for the overall 2010 target, the conference had enabled governments to monitor progress more accurately in efforts to reduce biodiversity loss.

The 2010 target for significantly reducing the current rate of biodiversity loss was endorsed in 2002 by ministers at the previous convention and by the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

At COP7, governments also agreed on indicators to measure progress in preventing biodiversity loss, such as by measuring the number of alien invasive species and related economic costs, and the area of forest under sustainable management.

Another outcome of the conference was the launching of talks on how to craft an international regime to determine the rules for companies to access genetic material of resource-rich countries and to share benefits from commercialising these resources.

In his closing remarks, Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding said the most important achievement of the conference was an agreement on the terms of reference for negotiating an international regime on benefit-sharing.

Law said the work programme on protected areas would be a landmark for the convention, as all had agreed on the importance of a strong network in achieving the objectives of the convention.

The conference will reconvene next Friday.

[szehoong]

More than 120 nations adopt KL Declaration




BY SUSAN TAM


KUALA LUMPUR: Environment ministers and government representatives from more than 120 countries have adopted the Kuala Lumpur Declaration which commits them to a rapid and effective implementation of measures aimed at reducing biodiversity loss.

At the closing of the two-day Ministerial Segment Meeting of the Seventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP7) yesterday, delegates unanimously agreed on the declaration, with emphasis on setting up a network of protected areas – both marine and terrestrial.

The declaration also called for a:

·COMMITMENT to develop an effective international regime on access and benefit sharing and to support relevant capacity building;

·REVIEW the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment this year and set up a mechanism for a continuing scientific assessment of the convention;

·STRENGTHENING of the partnership between the public and private sectors to promote benefit sharing, transfer of environmentally sound technology and provide adequate financial resources;

·REMOVAL of barriers in the exchange of key technologies for the implementation of the convention;

·COMMITMENT to develop a regional centre of excellence to assist developing countries in exchanging experiences; and

·RE-AFFIRMATION of the significance of the role of indigenous and local communities in the conservation and sustainable use of biological resources.

The declaration also urged all governments to ratify the convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

Its first meeting will start early next week.

Later at a press conference, Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Law Hieng Ding said the declaration was a collective statement highlighting the political commitment of governments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development and a move to achieve the 2010 target of checking biodiversity loss.

Law said he hoped the Global Environment Fund would show more support so that more environmentally sound projects could be carried out.

[szehoong]

Mulu ‘sold’ to show exploitation


BY MICHAEL CHEANG




KUALA LUMPUR: The Mulu National Park in Sarawak, one of Malaysia’s best-loved treasures, went on “sale” on the sidelines of a biodiversity conference here, yesterday.

It was immediately “bought” by an international tourism company, which plans to build golf courses and swimming pools at the site in the name of eco-tourism.

Fancy owning the genes of an indigenous man, a Bengal mangrove or even a nano-particle?




http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2004/2/20/nation/p14mock.JPG

MOCK SALE: A conference participant parading as a representative from a corporation trying to sell the "fish tomato" at PWTC Thursday.





These and other genetic and bio-diversity resources were also on “sale” on the last day of the two-week Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP7) here, yesterday.

Organised by various environmental groups, the mock sale was a cynical stab at bio-piracy and international corporations that have been known to exploit bio-diversity and genetic resources for profit.

Shamila Ariffin from Sahabat Alam Malaysia and Simone Lovera from Friends of the Environment International auctioned off bio-diversity commodities to mock representatives of the guilty corporations, played by convention delegates, at the Putra World Trade Centre here.

The commodities included the Russian national parks and a fake mutated “fish-tomato” with “all the healthy goodness of fish and tomatoes in one package”.

There were also Peruvian potato genes, a nano-particle and the Mulu National Park.

One of the last things to be “sold” was also the most outrageous – the genes of an indigenous tribal man, which Shamila announced was, “Now available, thanks to global genome research!”

[szehoong]

Group wants benefit-sharing of biodiversity



BY SUSAN TAM


KUALA LUMPUR: The group of “mega-diverse” countries have called for an international regime with “binding elements” to ensure the equitable access and benefit-sharing of biodiversity.

The group's chairman, Mexico Environment Minister Alberto Cardenas Jiminez, said the group acknowledged the importance and value of biodiversity.

“As a group, we are concerned with the sharing of benefits and have asked for the implementation of an access and benefit-sharing scheme,” he said.

He said that up to RM3.04tril was generated from the commercial development of biodiversity, like the development of medicines, but only 1% of it was channelled towards conservation.

“We would like to see at least 20% to 30% allocated for conservation purposes,” he said after the Ministerial Meeting of the Mega-diverse Group held at the Seventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity yesterday.

This group consists of countries located in areas that have the richest variety of animal and plant species, habitats and ecosystems.

It is made up of Bolivia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Malaysia, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela.

Jiminez said each country was required to prepare an inventory on its biodiversity and that countries ahead in this system were willing to offer help.

“Countries like South Africa, Kenya, Mexico and Costa Rica have computerised systems in place to record their resources,” he said.

He added that a lack of financial resources should not be a reason to not set up this inventory.

He said other items discussed during the three-hour meeting included co-operation with the United Nations Development Programme on the setting up of a co-operation fund.

Others, Jiminez said, included setting up a network of co-operation on biodiversity, which involved the sharing and learning of experiences in this field.

Jiminez said the group also discussed details from the Kuala Lumpur Communique on Institutional Building that was drafted last November, which would be raised for discussion at the conference today.

[szehoong]

Be realistic on conservation, rich nations told



BY SUSAN TAM



http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2004/2/19/nation/sevenconferencelogo.jpg



KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has called on developed nations to be more realistic in supporting the developing world in efforts to conserve the world’s biodiversity.

“Without their support, financial and technological resources, we will not be able to achieve our aim of ensuring the global goals of biodiversity are met,” said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

Malaysia would continue to urge for support from developed countries and for all parties to set aside their differences to protect the world’s natural resources for the present and future generation to enjoy, he said in his keynote address at the ministerial meeting of the Seventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP7) here yesterday.

Abdullah’s speech was read out by his deputy, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. The Prime Minister is away in Teheran for the D8 Summit, which Iran is hosting.

Abdullah said developed countries, with their vast resources, continued to exploit and convert biodiversity into valuable commercial products.

“They reap the harvest but are unwilling to share the benefits with the countries that own the biological resources,” he added.

The issue of access and benefit-sharing discussed at COP7 must not result in mere rhetoric but a practical action plan to be put in place, Abdullah said.

Developing countries, due to lack of financial and technological capabilities, were unable to reap benefits from their natural resources and had to rely on their primary, unprocessed value, the Prime Minister said.

“They continue to undertake primary activities of cutting down forest for timber and fuel as well as harvesting non-timber products such as honey and rattan, he said, adding that these biological resources might hold vast potential for the medicinal, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries.

Abdullah said the economic value of biodiversity stood at RM11.02tril a year and this was a significant source of wealth and income for many countries, provided it was harnessed responsibly.

At a press conference later, Najib said biosafety must be taken into account to ensure that any utilisation of biodiversity must be applied in a way that protected the environment, health and lives of people.

When asked for his response to concerns of Malaysian NGOs on species loss caused by the Bakun Dam project, he said: “There is a question of balance between our development needs and protecting the environment.”

He added that compared to some developed countries, Malaysia’s track record of keeping to environmental targets had exceeded global standards.

On a question of protecting the rights of indigenous people, Najib said that on the international scale, Malaysia’s record was “pretty good” in these issues.

“But, we do admit that we need to take care of their interests and the Government is open to consultation with various groups,” he said.

[szehoong]

Conservation funds lacking



KUALA LUMPUR: Developed and developing countries are spending less than half the required amount on conservation, said Greenpeace political adviser Martin Kaiser.

He said only RM26.6bil to RM30.4bil (US$7bil to US$8bil) a year was used to maintain and upkeep protected areas when ideally the amount should be RM95bil (US$25bil).

He said developing nations lacked financial resources to maintain conservation efforts and had to rely on support and commitment from the North.

“It is a question of whether the developed nations or the richer countries are willing to provide more resources towards these efforts,” he said on the sidelines of the Seventh Conference of Parties to the Convention on the Biological Diversity (COP7) here.

Greenpeace’s policy expert on biodiversity, Christoph Thies, said additional funding was needed for the maintenance and start-up costs and it would be unfair to expect developing nations to shoulder the costs of meeting the ideal funding.

He said that while the necessary funding existed, it was made available through subsidies that were potentially harmful to the environment.

“The subsidies must be reduced and redirected to international trust funds to implement programmes discussed at the COP7,” he said.

He said losses incurred from the ongoing degradation to natural ecosystems were estimated at RM950bil (US$250bil) a year.

Kaiser said the contact group for the protected areas work programme had agreed to set up a global network of protected area systems on land by 2010 and on sea by 2012.

“But the discussion over the definition of a global network of protected areas systems, which has started, is still unresolved,” he added.

He said industrialised countries must come up with a clear commitment on additional and new money for assisting developing countries in implementing the programme.

On the programme on marine and coastal biodiversity, Kaiser said there were many statements to support the idea of a moratorium on deep sea trawling.

“This can mean a breakthrough in halting biodiversity loss in the high seas and will significantly reduce biodiversity loss in more than 40% of the marine surface,” he said.

[hypermount]

One big poing...they fina;lly agreed on something on environmental issues haha.... The KL declaration.

[TYW]

Friday, February 20, 2004

Council to spruce up toilets
By SIRA HABIBU

ADMITTING that some Penang Municipal Council public toilets are in a deplorable state, council president Datuk Ahmad Phesal Talib has ordered for a proper sprucing up of such amenities.

Ahmad Phesal said he was appalled to find the floors and walls dirty, and the facilities not well maintained when he inspected four of the 21council toilets on the island.

“I was even shocked to find one of the janitors not wearing his shirt, prompting me to issue a directive that it is compulsory for janitors to keep their shirts and overall on,'' he said.

Ahmad Phesal was speaking after a press conference to announce the MPPP remote control car open competition scheduled to be held at the Esplanade this weekend and the Amazing Recreation Hunt that would be held at the Relau Metropolitan Park at 7am on Feb 29.

The council might look into grading the public toilets according to the benchmark set by the Housing and Local Government Ministry, he said.

“We will wait for the Ministry's guidelines to define the standards of cleanliness for public toilets,''he said.

Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting had said recently that the government was set to improve the cleanliness of public toilets nationwide to be at par with the country's level of deve-lopment and progress.

Ensuring clean public toilets was part of Ahmad Phesal's action plan in fulfilling the promise he made after taking office on Jan 6 to keep the island as clean as a five-star hotel.

Ahmad Phesal had also set up a 180-member taskforce to rid the island of all illegal rubbish dumps.

Ahmad Phesal added that, in line with the government's aspiration to achieve a ‘healthy city’ status, the council was serious in promoting ‘sports for all’ and sports tourism programmes.

He added that RM5mil had been allocated to upgrade the Municipal Park, adding that “we plan to build a permanent bicycle track, recreational pool, a jogging track and a remote control car circuit.

“We are also allocating another RM5mil to implement the Phase 2 of the Relau Metropolitan Park to promote agro and eco tourism,” he said.

[szehoong]

Breakthrough with new source of fuel




A PILOT project is out to debunk petrol as the fuel source for cars and other vehicles. A company in Cyberjaya has come out with a non-polluting fuel, which aims to make Malaysia the Number One in the clean electric car business. JANE RITIKOS reports.



VERY soon this year, more than 200 vehicles will ply the routes in Cyberjaya and Putrajaya – powered by metal fuel. Costing US$3mil (RM11.4mil), it will run for nine months and during that time certain people and companies will be selected to drive the vehicles in the vicinity.

The eVjaya project by InventQJaya Sdn Bhd (IQJ) will be a field test of a metal fuel cell technology using nickel-zinc batteries the company had developed in Malaysia. It would be tested on 150 scooters, 50 motorbikes, 20 cars and two buses.






http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2004/4/6/nation/n_14sadeq.jpg

CHEAPER AND MORE EFFICIENT: Dr Sadeq demonstrating how the metal fuel cell works in Dubai recently.






“We want to get customer feedback on the effectiveness of the technology, including when the vehicle breaks down and when it is abused,” said IQJ chief executive officer Dr Sadeq Mustafa Faris at the Middle East Electricity Exhibition and Conference 2004 at the Dubai World Trade Centre recently.

He said the vehicles would debunk the whole conventional transportation system and place Malaysia as leader in the clean electric car business.

“Metal fuel cell is the future and will replace petrol as a cheaper, more efficient fuel source,” he said.

He added that after one or two years after the product had been launched, Malaysia would be known for her electric vehicles.

Unlike the polluting fossil fuel, metal fuel cell oxidised metal to generate electricity, said Dr Sadeq.

He was born in Libya and graduated in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of California at Berkeley before joining IBM.

He explained that fuel cells were mini “power plants” that could be used at home to power domestic appliances like refrigerators and microwave oven. It allows people to disconnect their homes from the power grid.

A miniature version can run a cell phone or laptop and when magnified it can run a power plant.

One device takes oxygen from the air and converts it into ions, which is transported through IQJ’s patented Hydroxide Conducting Membrane Technology or Membrion which took eight years to develop.

Dr Sadeq inserted an aluminium foil into the membrane and placed clips on both the foil and membrane. The foil got 11 micro motors running.

“This is metal fuel cell,” he said, “The demand for fuel is tremendous and people are turning to liquefied natural gas. Imagine if you transfer that to metal fuel.”

Dr Sadeq said metal stored a lot of chemical energy that could be harnessed to become electrical energy but this had been largely ignored. Instead, as much as US$10bil (RM38bil) was being invested in hydrogen fuel cells for vehicles, he said.

“Hydrogen fuel is not environment-friendly, flammable and not easy to source.

“Metal fuel batteries can be refuelled in 10 seconds, are cheaper than petrol by a power of ten, non-flammable and provides higher power and higher energy,’ he said.

Comparing a regular generator and a metal fuel generator, he said a regular one was bulky and noisy.

It also uses stored chemical energy, which is turned into thermal energy and then into mechanical energy before it is finally turned into electrical energy. At each stage, a certain amount of energy is lost.

“With a metal fuel generator, chemical energy is directly turned into electrical energy, thus minimising energy loss,” he said, adding that this generator was noiseless, smaller, without pollution and costs about 10sen per kilowatt per hour of usage.

Last year IQJ, a joint venture between Reveo Inc of New York and the Malaysian Government, broke the distance record for modified production car powered by refuelable metal fuel generators.

In the test run of the hybrid vehicle, named MeVictory, it went over 516km. The generator was used for the first time to charge nickel-zinc batteries, featuring the membrane technology. The batteries in turn drive the motor to move the electric vehicle.

The same vehicle broke a Guinness World Record of 344.67km.

IQJ will use this new technology for car rental business. “For the first phase we will target tourists who are willing to pay for clean transportation,” said Dr Sadeq.

IQJ’s inventions of metal fuel cell include aluminium-air fuel cell for military and remote locations use, and magnesium-air fuel cell for coastal applications, shipping industry, offshore oilrigs and rural electrification.

However, Dr Sadeq acknowledged that people would only accept the new technology if it solved their problem.

“Why buy a new car with metal fuel unless it is cheaper and reliable? We expect the technology to be marketed in two years,” he said.

Dr Sadeq said it had taken the company US$80mil (RM304mil) to come to the level it was at now, adding that metal fuel was just one of its inventions.

As R & D as well as marketing needed huge funding, he said his company had designed a way to get positive cash flow of US$300mil (RM1.14bil) – and this includes US$42mil (RM159.6mil) from a utility company in New York – to sustain its activities.

With several awards under his belt, Dr Sadeq founded Reveo Inc in 1991 with a business model called “InventQbating for InventQbation”, which emphasised on nurturing and incubating new inventions to spin out built-to-last companies.

During a visit to its New York laboratories former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said he was impressed with the business model.

“He saw that it was consistent with his science and technology-based Vision 2020 and invited Reveo to establish operations in Cyberjaya,” said Dr Sadeq.

Dr Mahathir launched IQJ on Oct 11 last year when he inaugurated the 28,000sq m state-of-the-art laboratory.

Dr Sadeq said he had met Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi three times and the current premier was very excited about IQJ’s work.

“In fact, we expect to get a lot more support from the Malaysian Government,” said Dr Sadeq.

[KJ]

Wow!! Really a achivement. I wonder when we can use that type of car? :)

[baqthier]

From The Star

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/4/20/features/7725984&sec=features

Powered by the sun and hydrogen

By MICHAEL CHEANG

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2004/4/20/features/f_pg04ecohouse.JPG

http://thestar.com.my/archives/2004/4/20/features/f_pg04shah.JPG

AT FIRST glance, the quaint little house outside the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia engineering faculty looks like any house. But there is more to it than meets the eye.

Called the Solar-Hydrogen Eco-house, it is the first in the world that is fully self-sustainable and runs entirely on hydrogen. The house is part of UKM?s new fuel cell and automotive research centre. It was jointly designed and developed by Prof Kamaruzzaman Sopian, director of UKM?s Advanced Engineering Centre, and architect Shah Jaafar.

?My initial idea was to have a small hut which was entirely fuelled by hydrogen,? said Kamaruzzaman, who has been researching solar power since 1985. ?Then someone suggested that I build and design an actual house which implements the technology.?

After more than a year of designing and planning, the house was constructed to demonstrate the technology and architectural aspects to the public, as well as for further research into the viability of solar hydrogen technology application for a residential dwelling. Covering an area of 110sqm, the cost of building the house at almost RM250,000 was sponsored by the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry, as it was then known.

The eco-house functions just like any home, except that it utilises hydrogen as a fuel to operate household appliances.

The hydrogen tank is located some distance from the house, and a small diameter pipe connects it to the utility gas line in the house. The gas is used as a domestic heater to provide hot water to a stove or burner, and operate a fuel cell to produce electricity for other appliances.


In designing the Solar-Hydrogen Eco-house, architect Shah Jaafar drew inspiration from traditional Malay architecture, which he says possesses a bio-climatic environment and is in harmony with nature. AMong the elements adopted from the Malay kampung house is the raised roof and deep verandah.
Besides the obvious eco-friendly solar hydrogen system, the eco-house?s design also incorporates low energy architectural features such as shading, natural ventilation and day-lighting. It also has a rainwater recycling system that is powered by solar energy. This combination makes for a sustainable and environmentally-friendly residential dwelling, helping to reduce air pollution, global warming and acid rain, besides aiding in conserving the world?s depleting fossil fuel.

Solar hydrogen production system

The eco-house relies on a photovoltaic (PV) hydrogen production and storage system to power household appliances and a fuel cell that can convert the chemical energy into electricity.

?Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the atmosphere. I believe it is the fuel of the future,? said Kamaruzzaman. ?People tend to equate hydrogen with hydrogen bombs, but in fact, it is really quite safe because it is so light that it disappears into the atmosphere as soon as it is released.?

The system uses solar power to convert ionised water into hydrogen through the process of electrolysis. Forty-two multi-crystal PV panels which can produce a total peak power of 5kWp are mounted on the rooftop. When sunlight hits the PV panels, the solar energy is converted into electricity, which is then used to run an electrolyser unit inside the house.

The electrolyser has a capacity of 0.54cu.m per hour of hydrogen production, and is used to transform electrical energy from the PV panels into chemical energy in the form of hydrogen.

It then electrolyses purified water supplied by a water purification system, producing hydrogen and oxygen which are then vented into the atmosphere. A hydrogen gas purifier then purifies the hydrogen before storing it in a 1,500-litre vertical-standing storage tank outside the house. This hydrogen is then used to run a fuel cell, cooking stove, and boiler for the absorption air-conditioning system.

The storage tank is equipped with a gas management system to ensure safety. Meanwhile, the PV system is interconnected to the utility power grid, with a reversible current flow and controlled by a 5kW solar PV inverter.

When the hydrogen tank is full and household appliances are not in use, the excess electricity will be injected back into the grid.


Prof Kamaruzzaman (right) and Shah checking out the verandah of the eco-house. Manipulating natural ventilation effects helps reduce the use of air-conditioning and cuts down on energy consumption.
On the other hand, if the PV panels do not generate enough electricity to power the electrolysis system, power will be drawn from the grid.

Architectural features

However, the solar-hydrogen production system is not the only unique aspect of the eco-house.

For Shah, designing the house proved to be a real challenge because he had to accommodate the professor?s technology and incorporate low energy architectural features such as shading, day-lighting, and at the same time, ensure that people would find the house pleasant enough to live in.

Shah drew inspiration from traditional Malay architecture, which he says possesses a bio-climatic environment and is in harmony with nature.

?The raised floor and the serambi (deep veranda) of the house are some of the traditional features I incorporated into the eco-house,? Shah explained. ?I wanted to give traditional Malay architecture a modern and contemporary image, and at the same time reflect the technological and environmental aspects of the house.?

Low energy architectural features were also incorporated into the design. One such feature reduces the use of air-conditioning by manipulating natural ventilation effects. The principle relies on air temperature differences between the top and bottom of the building caused by solar radiation that heats the air.

The buoyancy of the warm air causes the air movement to rise vertically through the stack, resulting in a cool breeze running through the house.

Meanwhile, a combination of both classical day-lighting techniques (such as side-lighting and top-lighting) and innovative ideas (sloped light shelves and shading devices) were used, further reducing the usage of energy needed for lighting the house during the day.

In total, Shah took about three to four months to come up with the final design for the eco-house.

Making full use of the limited funds that were available to him was a big challenge, he said. Choosing the right site for the house was another, as they had to make sure that the house PV panels receive optimal solar energy throughout the day for maximum electricity production. They had to place the panels with a suitable tilting angle according to the latitude of the current location, and make sure no shadows will be cast upon them. ?The house has to face south, as this is the best way to make sure it receives the optimum amount of sunlight,? said Shah.

While the eco-house is already an achievement in its own right, Kamaruzzaman clarified that the concept was still in the research stage and was not feasible for normal houses.

?In an actual residential dwelling, the noisy electrolysis unit would be placed outside the house unlike this one right now,? he said. ?We are still running tests and in the near future plan to have a couple of our students live in the house for a period of time as an experiment.?

Nevertheless, Kamaruzzaman and Shah firmly believe that in the future, house such as their eco-house will be common everywhere.

?I hope in the future there will be whole communities of self-sustainable eco-houses,? said Kamaruzzaman. ?Our eco-house is merely one step towards preparing for a cleaner environment and a future in which the world will no longer rely on fossil fuels."

[baqthier]

From NST
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Tuesday/Features/20040525080600/Article/indexb_html

EARTH MATTERS: Water flows, free but flawed
Sarah Sabaratnam

May 25:
There should be an integrated system to manage water, keeping it free from pollution and contamination. SARAH SABARATNAM checks out how it works on a journey down the Selangor river.

With industrialisation has come the cultural transformation of our attitudes towards water, so now we see water not as a healing force or a wellspring of life, but as a commodity, something we can buy, sell, move around or dump wastes into. ? Abdur-Razzaq Lubis, Water Watch ? A Community Action Guide

FOLLOW a river ? any river ? from its beginning. Follow it from the first drops of rain that turn into a chuckling, gurgling stream, to the rushing torrents where rocks and boulders break its flow; up to where it slowly meanders through the mangroves downstream near the sea.

This is what you are likely to find: pure, clear water running, rushing, sparkling in the sun. Little things living, swimming in it. Large creatures stopping by to drink.

The water flows on but suddenly stops short, halted by a wall. "Let not even a small quantity of water obtained by rain go to the sea," said King Parakrama Babu, a Sinhalese ruler in 12th century Sri Lanka, "without benefiting man".

Today, the world has taken him literally.

A dam alters a river like nothing else.

"The essence of a river is that it flows while that of a reservoir is still," writes Abdur-Razzaq Lubis.

But for the modern man, dams are important. They regulate water through dry and wet seasons, ensuring enough water all year long into a water intake plant downstream.

Beyond the dam wall, there is more madness.

"The more clearly we can focus our attention on the wonders and realities of the universe about us, the less taste we shall have for destruction," says Rachel Carson, the woman who wrote Silent Springs, considered the most influential book written last century.

Man unfortunately is too busy to stop and notice such wonders, as the river.

He forgets that while water seems abundant, engulfing nearly two thirds of the planet, only 2.5 per cent of it is freshwater.

He does not know that only one per cent of this 2.5 per cent is surface water while the rest is frozen in ice or hidden underground.

More importantly, he is not aware that water is a finite resource. Perhaps he knows but does not care.

Which should explain some of the things you will see, beyond the dam wall.

For soon after the tree-covered hills end, human activity begins.

At the Selangor river, just a few kilometres from the dam site in Taman Ampang Pecah, is a sewerage treatment plant.

A point source of pollution, it releases its backwash ? greenish in colour ? directly into the river.

The plant is old and has not invested in expensive equipment to effectively treat the backwash before releasing it into the body of water.

Organic matter released by such plants, over time, expands the bacterial population in the water, which reduces its oxygen content, making it increasingly difficult for living organisms to survive.

Next is a sand dredging plant.

Sand is collected and washed at the plant and the muddy waste is washed into the lake. When the lake is almost full, the water, clay-like in consistency, is redirected into the river.

The river is muddy at this point, full of suspended solids like dirt, soil, clay and sand which stop sunlight from reaching the plants and animals dwelling at the bottom of the the river bed.

Plants cannot grow and the little herbivorous creatures that depend on them cannot survive here. The dirt clogs the gills of fish and reduces their visibility. The more sediment that builds up in the river, the higher the chance of floods.

Our third stop is at an aqua culture farm.

Yellowish water, probably waste water from the man-made lakes dotting the farm, is directed into the river through steel pipes underground.

Fish farms are also a source for organic matter. Then come poultry farms. Although there is no evidence here of direct pollution, it cannot be negated that non-point source pollution takes place. The farm after all is right next to the river.

Non-point source pollution is generated when surface runoff (after a bout of rain perhaps) carries sediment, nutrients and faecal bacteria over the land and into the river.

At this point, the river is really dirty ? full of litter we have not seen before, and murky though lighter than the point where the sand dredging is taking place.

The next big source of pollution is a piggery.

Pig farms are an important source of pathogens such as the bacteria E. coli, viruses, fungi and parasites. The pig farm in question does have some kind of waste treatment system going, to allow solids to settle but it?s probably not good enough, says Amiruddin Aladin from the corporate division of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage.

The waste water released from the retention ponds into the river is greenish from the algae proliferating in it. This happens when the water is high in nutrient content. Nutrients reduce the content of oxygen in the water.

Just after the pig farm, a man stands knee deep in the river, fishing.

More human activities take place not far from the river from this point on, indirectly contributing to the further degradation of its function as the elixir of life.

Then come the water intake and treatment plants; trying to clean the dirty, contaminated water with powerful chemicals before directing them to industry and households. Treatment plants also release backwash into the river.

Finally, we arrive in Kuala Selangor where the river meets the sea.

Mangroves thrive at this point thanks to its protected status under the Kuala Selangor Nature Park. It is important to protect mangroves. They are the vacuum cleaner for rivers; straining, trapping contaminants and cleansing the water. They prevent sedimentation from rushing out to sea and destroying reefs.

The Kuala Selangor Nature Park is an important sanctuary for all sorts of plants and animals, and it is an important tourist destination.

Water fowl, birds, the silver leaf monkey and long-tailed macaque, otters and fish find their home here.

Mangroves provide excellent nursery areas for young fish and especially shrimp. Not surprisingly, Kuala Selangor houses an important fishing industry.

Mangroves also protect from coastal erosion. However, despite its hardiness, even mangroves have their level of tolerance.

Kuala Selangor?s mangroves, thankfully, are a protected area. Very few other mangroves in the country are. Many mangroves have been cut down to provide ocean-side land for local housing and tourist hotels. The most destructive process, however, has been the shrimp aqua culture industry.

Water ? the most important natural resource required for our survival ? is being threatened in many ways, as your journey down a river will show.

Water ? needed for household, agriculture, industry, services, recreation and food production ? is increasingly being contaminated, degraded, poisoned and neglected.

We may be able to clean the water today, but one day it may be too polluted even for the most expensive of chemicals to clear.

Where will that leave us?

Federal and state authorities are increasingly being forced to look into the need for Integrated Water Resources Management.

This means in essence, "that nobody does anything without everybody else knowing what you are doing," says Amiruddin.

At present, he says, everybody is doing everything without considering what the other parties are doing.

For instance, there are 15 agencies managing different aspects of the river basin.

Each operates under a different legal framework. Each has a different programme. Some are digging up the river, others are allowing land by the river to be opened up and developed. Yet others allow factories to be built by the river while another monitors the quality of the river but has no enforcement powers.

"At the end of the day," he says, "we need to realise that all the agencies have one common objective, and that is to service the people. It does not matter whose jurisdiction it is. The objective should be the same."

Thus ground water, waste water, surface water and flood mitigation needs to be managed in an integrated way.

"In Japan, the river corridor is looked after by one agency. There is also one legal framework for rivers. Any activity by the river should be referred to one agency."

To this end, the Malaysian Water Partnership ? a network of partners interested in water resources development and management ? is organising the First Malaysian Water Week. Its aim is to promote the concept and principles of Integrated Water Resources Management among all stakeholders and professionals in the water sector.

It will also be a venue for the exchange of ideas, practices and experiences on a wide range of topics related to IWRM.

The theme for the week is "Integrated Water Resources Management in Malaysia (Experiences and Practices)".

It will be held from June 7 to 12.

Note: The NST would like to thank the Selangor Water Management Authority and the Selangor and Federal Departments of Drainage and Irrigation for accompanying us on a journey down the Selangor river.

[baqthier]

From The Star

Monday August 9, 2004

D-day for litterbugs in Perak

IPOH: Litterbugs beware. From today, enforcement officers from local authorities here will fine those found littering.

State Urban Development and Local Government Committee chairman Datuk Chang Ko Youn said officers in plainclothes, from the Ipoh City Council and the municipal councils of Taiping, Kuala Kangsar, Teluk Intan and Manjung would fine those found throwing rubbish indiscriminately.

Those caught doing so would be slapped with fines of up to RM500, he said yesterday.

?The enforcement officers will show proof of identity before issuing the summonses,? he said.

He said the move came following numerous failed attempts to educate the public on keeping the environment clean.

?The local councils are forced to be stern as the public has turned a deaf ear to our advice,? he said.

Chang said the local councils were not happy with the level of cleanliness in the state.

?There are people who throw rubbish out of their car windows and those who throw used tissue paper on the ground and road although the rubbish bins are just a few steps away,? he said.

Other councils in the state would soon start taking similar action, he added.

[baqthier]

From The Star

Ong: Putrajaya a letdown when it comes to recycling
By MERGAWATI ZULFAKAR

PUTRAJAYA: For a town that is supposed to be the role model for the Government?s recycling campaign, the federal administrative capital is proving to be a disappointing example, said Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting.

He said while awareness for the need to recycle is high among the 40,000 population, only a small percentage was practising it; and to make it worse, some of them mixed their rubbish with recycled products in bins meant for recycled items.

Ong said he had high hopes that Putrajaya would be a good model for the campaign because the town had strategic key planners, administrators and policymakers.

?If this place fails, where else can we succeed in the campaign? I don?t see any reason why Putrajaya can?t be a model.

?However, the recycling bins that we placed at government departments are used to dump rubbish. Most Putrajaya residents mixed their rubbish with recycled items.

http://www.thestar.com.my/archives/2004/8/11/nation/p8ong.jpg
Samsudin with Ong at the ceremony to hand over two lorries customised to collect recycled items in Putrajaya.
?Why does this happen? It is our could-not-careless attitude. If we continue with this attitude, the Government?s objective to create a recycling culture especially among Putrajaya folks will just be a dream,? he said in his speech to hand over two lorries to Putrajaya Corporation to collect recycle items around Putrajaya.

Also present was Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Samsudin Osman who was recently appointed as Putrajaya Corporation president.

Ong said since the recycling campaign was launched in February, the ministry was dissatisfied with the outcome with the highest recycled items collected amounting to 8,456kg a month or 1.7% of the 500 tonnes rubbish collected.

Later at a press conference, Ong said Malaysia was importing too much used papers, plastic and metal from abroad for recycling purposes.

On the ministry?s role in the government?s integrated action plan to combat sex crimes, Ong said his ministry under its safe city concept had already proposed to all municipalities to take measures to help reduce crime.

[baqthier]

http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2004/12/28/features/9696011&sec=features

New source of power at landfill

Stories by TAN CHENG LI
Pictures by KAMAL SELLEHUDDIN
A WASTE landfill is not only to dispose of our daily discards. It can also provide a valuable commodity – energy. Gas emanating from dumps can be collected and combusted to produce electricity, as is happening at the Ayer Hitam Landfill in Puchong, Selangor.

At the landfill, one of the largest in the country as the bulk of Klang Valley trash ends up there, the mound of waste reaches 40m in height. The five million tonnes of rubbish contained within have been piling up since 1995, and all the decomposition going on inside the mound results in gases that not only smell bad, but are also hazardous to man and the environment.

For the past year, landfill operator Worldwide Landfills Sdn Bhd has been recovering the gas to produce electricity which is then sold to Tenaga Nasional Bhd (TNB), a scheme conducted jointly with TNB Energy Services Sdn Bhd (a TNB subsidiary).


ZAMRI ABDUL RAHMAN: ‘Recovering the gas may not be commercially attractive but we should do for environmental reasons. It should be a part of landfill management.’
Harnessing landfill gas for power production may be the norm in industrialised countries but the Ayer Hitam venture is the country’s first. It is also the first renewable energy project to feed into the national electricity grid.

All these are possible only because it was pre-planned. While almost all of the 168 known waste disposal sites in the country are essentially open dumps, the Ayer Hitam Landfill is an engineered one – the country’s first when it was built in 1995. Thus the huge pit where all the waste is buried has an impermeable liner to prevent polluting seepage into the ground. Pipes laid out at the base collect leachate (wastewater from decaying waste), while wells enable gases to disperse.

Worldwide Landfills general manager Zamri Abdul Rahman says some 1,000 tonnes of rubbish were disposed daily at Ayer Hitam between 1995 and 2002; the amount has since tripled. Waste collected from four Selangor municipalities (Ampang Jaya, Subang, Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam), City Hall and Putrajaya ends up there.

Zamri says a high percentage of organics in the waste (95%) and the local wet climate work together to trigger quick production of landfill gas, which typically consists of 50% to 55% methane, 45% carbon dioxide and traces of hydrogen sulphide and volatile organic compounds.

Landfill gas has to be managed, asserts Zamri, and not only because it smells. Methane ignites easily and kills vegetation as it displaces oxygen from the root zone. Landfill gas can migrate in the ground and if it accumulates in buildings, poses risks of explosions.

It also contains toxic and carcinogenic substances, as well as volatile organic compounds that contribute to smog. Hence, capturing landfill gas for power generation is a wise move; it not only recycles the gas into energy but also avoids a myriad of health and environmental risks.

Furthermore, recovering and converting methane and carbon dioxide – both of which are greenhouse gases – into energy prevent their escape into the atmosphere. Methane is a particularly potent greenhouse gas; its global-warming potential is 21 times greater than that of carbon dioxide.

In 2001, Canada’s National Office of Pollution Prevention found that the 41 landfills that captured landfill gas saved seven tonnes of carbon dioxide annually – that is similar to removing 1.5 million cars from the road.




Decaying waste in landfills generate highly combustible and heat-trapping gases such as carbon dioxide and methane which are now tapped through concrete wells such as this one and used to generate electricity.
Energy from waste

At Ayer Hitam, Zamri says, gaseous emissions were initially low but to prevent their build-up in the ground, the gas was vented through stacks driven into the landfill. When the waste volume grew, the gas was burned by connecting a mobile flare to gas wells. At the same time, a feasibility study on power generation commenced. After two years of monitoring confirmed the quantity and quality of the gas, commercial power generation started.

Gas wells are spread out some 30m to 40m apart to cover the site. Concrete 3m-long pipes with diameters of 90cm each are stacked on top of one another as waste piles up, to form the wells. Once the gas flow reaches sizeable amounts, a gas well head is installed to recover the gas and channel it through a piping system to the power plant.

In the plant, the gas first passes through an extraction system in which it is filtered and dried. It is then burned in two internal combustion engines with an installed capacity of 2megawatt (MW) to produce electricity at 450 volts. The power is then diverted to a transformer and stepped up to 11 kilowatt before transmission to a TNB sub-station. Fortunately, one such station sits just outside the landfill; this avoids the need for long transmission cables that would otherwise incur cost and power losses.

“It is a straightforward process,” says Zamri. “The gas engine is similar to that of a diesel engine and it is unnecessary to process the gas to remove trace gases.” Combustion of landfill gas does emit oxides of nitrogen and sulphur but Zamri attests that improved gas engine design has kept these to within standards.

To produce 1MW of power, the landfill must constantly produce 600cu.m of gas containing 55% to 65% of methane. To date, the plant has produced 1.3 million kilowatt/hour of electricity but production is not continuous as landfill operations take precedent. For instance, gas recovery is stopped when refuse is being tipped onto the site. The erratic electricity production prevents its usage within the landfill as the facility requires reliable energy supply, particularly to run the leachate treatment plant.

Zamri says when the landfill ceases to operate, power production will be non-stop and expanded to 5MW. It is expected to expel gases for years to come, so he estimates that power generation should last some 15 years. “Commercial production of electricity may be uncertain after that as the gas volume may be inconsistent and its composition may change.”



Eco-benefits

The waste-to-power scheme has stood Worldwide Landfills in good stead – it will be setting up gas power plants in two major dumps in Manila, the Philippines. Locally, some landfills have started proper venting and flaring of landfill gas but Zamri believes capturing emissions should be standard operating procedure for landfills. Admittedly, gas recovery will be difficult in the case of open dumps. “We will need more and longer feasibility studies as we are unsure about their contents and condition.”

Landfill gas is one of the viable alternative fuels identified in the government’s Small Renewable Energy Power Programme which encourages use of renewable energy in power generation. Producing power from rubbish appears to have enormous potential, particularly since Malaysians’ throwaway habit continues unabated.

The Ministry of Energy, Water and Communications estimates that landfill gas can generate RM4mil worth of energy annually. A study commissioned by the Malaysian Energy Centre in 2000 at the Taman Beringin Landfill in Jinjang, Selangor, found it to be a potential site for gas power generation. The dump has accumulated some 3.5 million tonnes of waste.


At the Ayer Hitam Landfill in Puchong, Selangor, leachate (polluting wastewater from decaying waste) is treated before it is discharged into a stream. The hillock on the left is where waste has been dumped, compacted and layered with soil since the landfill opened in 1995.
When asked how much Worldwide Landfills has made from its electricity sale to TNB, Zamri appears stumped and admits to have not personally kept tabs. “The company accountant will know but for me, the gas management is more important.”

The TNB offer price of 16.5 sen per kilowatt-hour under the renewable energy power provider agreement is hardly a good rate considering the RM10mil invested in the privatised project but for Zamri, the benefits of the scheme outweighs its cost as landfill gas is now managed and not wantonly discharged.

“Recovering the gas may not be commercially attractive but we should do it not for commercial but for environmental reasons. It should be a part of landfill management.”

[Skyprince]

Ye lah, I think Malaysians ni kan, ramai yang pengotor !!

1) Not spraying perfumes every day
2) Not using deodorants before going out...iiii....gelinye ketiak berbauuuu..
3) Melepaskan batuk di atas muka orang lain
4) Not using soap after eating using hands
5) Spitting in public places
6) Not flushing the toilets after use
7) Using low-profile pencuci muka...ahem...gunalah SK-2..bagus tau..hilang jerawat di muka..

Memang parahlah sikap orang Malaysia ni !

[alsen]

3) Melepaskan batuk di atas muka orang lain


????.ada ke orang macam tu?
tapi kita tak boleh lawan orang korea kot dari satu aspek,..kentut dekat muka orang. :lol: dah
dua kali kawan saya kena kentut kat muka waktu tgh naik tangga ke train kat seoul.

[James Foong]

Ye lah, I think Malaysians ni kan, ramai yang pengotor !!

Well, if you think our locals r not clean enuf, u shld be thankful that we rarely miss to take a bath a day unlike the mat salleh. It stinks, u know..

[forrestcat]

^I agree.Mat Salleh are not always that clean just because they're white and have fair skin. Sometimes when I am close to Australian Mat Salleh students in a bus or a packed lecture,they smell like vomit especially during afternoons after go for binge at pubs during lunch and they dun seem to clean their clothes and hair as often.

Malaysia's humid weather also make us sweat alot,hence we kinda smell bad during afternoons even after we wear cheap deoderants and perfumes which do not last the whole day.Our humid weather apparently cause some Malaysians to spit a lot which is a natural way of the body of cleaning itself,but people should not do it publicly though.

[johnsonooi]

Wah.....SKII or perfume shop's tauke will earn alot of $$$:lol:

as long as everyone take care their own personal hygeine, i dont think we need perfume and high profile pencuci muka:D
Ye lah, I think Malaysians ni kan, ramai yang pengotor !!

1) Not spraying perfumes every day
2) Not using deodorants before going out...iiii....gelinye ketiak berbauuuu..
3) Melepaskan batuk di atas muka orang lain
4) Not using soap after eating using hands
5) Spitting in public places
6) Not flushing the toilets after use
7) Using low-profile pencuci muka...ahem...gunalah SK-2..bagus tau..hilang jerawat di muka..

Memang parahlah sikap orang Malaysia ni !

[Subangite]

Ye lah, I think Malaysians ni kan, ramai yang pengotor !!

1) Not spraying perfumes every day
2) Not using deodorants before going out...iiii....gelinye ketiak berbauuuu..
3) Melepaskan batuk di atas muka orang lain
4) Not using soap after eating using hands
5) Spitting in public places
6) Not flushing the toilets after use
7) Using low-profile pencuci muka...ahem...gunalah SK-2..bagus tau..hilang jerawat di muka..

Memang parahlah sikap orang Malaysia ni !

I can't believe you think this way and so lowly about your own people. Every single one of those attributes I have seen in other countries and is not specifically bound to Malaysia. You obviously have not been to PNG, where people don't shower as regularly as Malaysians. Nonetheless it does not give me or you the right to judge these people in a condescending manner, as if your hygiene is superior.

In some countries, there might be a lack of water, cultural habits and environment or climate might not justify showering as many times as Malaysians, yet this does not make them less hygenic or a pengotor! Anyways, Spitting, not flushing, coughing, these things happen everywhere, not just specifically in Malaysia. I've seen floating turds in Australian toilets, I've met people who constantly spat whilst playing hockey with me in Europe. Only 1/6 males wash their hands after using the toilet, I caught my dutch friend and co-worker not washing is hands after toilet use.

Matters of hygiene are a personal matter, and who's definition of a pengotor should we be looking at? To an obsessive compulsive, even you Skyprince might be considered a filthy person, but that is not for him to say nor does he have the right to give such sweeping comments about you or your people. I've met such obsessive compulsive individuals who washes his hands many times through out the day, who by all accounts is a clean freak. His extra squeaky clean hygiene habits is something, psychiatrists call obsessive-compulsive disorder. Yet he does not impose himself on others and give sweeping generalized comments on a group of people or nationality like you have. :nuts:

I can't believe you would box Malaysians as pengotor, you're making such value judgements and with such arrogance! You think you're cleaner than the millions of people that call themselves Malaysians? :bash:

With regards to number 7) I rarely ever use a pencuci muka, I don't need to, I can't even remember when the last time I had a jerawat, anyways, because I don't use a low profile or any profile pencuci muka, that doesn't make me a pengotor Malaysian? I don't even know what SK-2 is?? Not that I even care to know.

I haven't experienced Summer for years, I'm in the Northern hemisphere when its winter here, I'm in the Southern hemisphere when its winter there, I haven't had the opportunity to sweat because of climate factored heat and as a result of this, instead of showering twice a day like in Malaysia, I'm showering once a day. So its all a relative individual thing, Its what I think is clean for me. Your standards don't apply to me :ohno:, they only apply to yourself.

I guess you're in the habit of accusing people, even whole a nationality (Malaysians) of not aspiring to your standards! Who the hell are you to pass down judgement on a whole group of people?

[Skyprince]

Ari tu kan, bila beta naik bas dari KL ke Muar kan, adalah sorang penumpang bas ni mintak pemandu bas berhenti kat tepi jalan. Rupanya dia pergi kencing ke dalam longkang di tepi lebuh raya !! Patutnya tunggulah sampai hentian R&R Senawang tu ..lagi 10km je.... ish.. amat membencikan ....Third Class Mentality betullah !

[AhChuan]

^^ Bas takde mini toilet???

Waahhh!!! 10 km woorrr...still far lar....if like tht i really can't tahan oledy. I sure find if got any kedai along the lebuh raya. If not ah, my bladder kaboom!!!

[Vince]

Yayyyy! I LOVE this thread!!!!!

[Vince]

We should post pictures of vehicles that spew dirty exhaust fumes (yeah, including the license plate number shown) and people who litter in Malaysia, or those who perform other public nuisance. Better still, show pictures of dirty toilets and name the premises! A little bit of social consciousness can be so beneficial to all in Malaysia.

[XNeo]

skyprince ni misti selalu berada di tempat public kot.
Tak lah semua Malaysian ni pengotor...

I dislike spraying perfumes or use any deodorants for my ketiak but its doesn't mean i nih pengotor.Elakkan je berada di tempat public yang sesak dan panas.I prefer going out in the evening.

drinks lot of water..consume supplement food - Vitamins...Vit C is good..eat ulam2an.
you are what you eat.

tak mampu la pakei SK-2.:) ..my jerawat dah takde since i take Vit multi B .

Ye lah, I think Malaysians ni kan, ramai yang pengotor !!

1) Not spraying perfumes every day
2) Not using deodorants before going out...iiii....gelinye ketiak berbauuuu..
3) Melepaskan batuk di atas muka orang lain
4) Not using soap after eating using hands
5) Spitting in public places
6) Not flushing the toilets after use
7) Using low-profile pencuci muka...ahem...gunalah SK-2..bagus tau..hilang jerawat di muka..

Memang parahlah sikap orang Malaysia ni !

[OshHisham]

Ari tu kan, bila beta naik bas dari KL ke Muar kan, adalah sorang penumpang bas ni mintak pemandu bas berhenti kat tepi jalan. Rupanya dia pergi kencing ke dalam longkang di tepi lebuh raya !! Patutnya tunggulah sampai hentian R&R Senawang tu ..lagi 10km je.... ish.. amat membencikan ....Third Class Mentality betullah !

ala skyprince, org jepun yg 1st world tu pun kencing merata gak...tgh2 bandar kat tiang2 lampu, jejantas....HANCING!!

[Skyprince]

Ah Chuan, alah takkanlah tak boleh tunggu lagi 5 minit ?? Ni tiba-tiba suruh pemandu bas tu berhenti, lepas tu dia bagi pulak semua orang tengok dia kencing...ish....manusia tak tahu malu betullah !

Xneo, eh mana ada...beta selalu berada di kediaman beta... kadang-kadang je keluar.... orang M`sia ni kan, patutnya pakailah baju yang nipis...ni nak pakai baju kemeja dengan seluar jeans bila keluar..patutlah badan masin hapak ! Kalau tak pun, pakailah deodoran siket....

Osh, eh btol lah apa yang awak kata tu. Minggu lepas kan ada nampak sorang laki Jepun berjalan-jalan dengan anjing dia... lepas tu bila diorang jumpa semak kat depan diorang kan, dua-dua beranak tu pergi kencing dalam semak ! Sekurang-kurangnya diorang tak eprgi kencing depan orang macam penumpang bas tadi tuh.

[teckkang]

^I agree.Mat Salleh are not always that clean just because they're white and have fair skin. Sometimes when I am close to Australian Mat Salleh students in a bus or a packed lecture,they smell like vomit especially during afternoons after go for binge at pubs during lunch and they dun seem to clean their clothes and hair as often.

Malaysia's humid weather also make us sweat alot,hence we kinda smell bad during afternoons even after we wear cheap deoderants and perfumes which do not last the whole day.Our humid weather apparently cause some Malaysians to spit a lot which is a natural way of the body of cleaning itself,but people should not do it publicly though.

Agree. Hav been in the UK for 4 months, and what can i say is that UK is not as clean as u think. Some ppl here in the UK are juz like Malaysians, spitting, littering, etc. The cities here however are constantly under good maintenance effort, i.e. there are many cleaning workers cleaning up the mess every morning (because there are drunkers at night who simply vommit and litter along the roadside). They have vaccum cleaning vehicles which can suck in every single rubbish on the road.

[bart_shinoda]

Ye lah, I think Malaysians ni kan, ramai yang pengotor !!

1) Not spraying perfumes every day
2) Not using deodorants before going out...iiii....gelinye ketiak berbauuuu..
3) Melepaskan batuk di atas muka orang lain
4) Not using soap after eating using hands
5) Spitting in public places
6) Not flushing the toilets after use
7) Using low-profile pencuci muka...ahem...gunalah SK-2..bagus tau..hilang jerawat di muka..

Memang parahlah sikap orang Malaysia ni !

ala, besa la ba kan kalo ahli kerabat diraja neh..... mesti spray perfumes, guna sk-2, barang2 mahal, yg di import kan??? kami ni apa juga, hidup sederhana dan kadang2 susah.... tiada masa n RM lah mau beli barang2 mahal ni......

[bart_shinoda]

Ari tu kan, bila beta naik bas dari KL ke Muar kan, adalah sorang penumpang bas ni mintak pemandu bas berhenti kat tepi jalan. Rupanya dia pergi kencing ke dalam longkang di tepi lebuh raya !! Patutnya tunggulah sampai hentian R&R Senawang tu ..lagi 10km je.... ish.. amat membencikan ....Third Class Mentality betullah !


hehehehehe...... kalo situasi yg sama kena dgn skyprince, adakah skyprince akan tggu jg sampai ke hentian tu atau buang d tepi jalan??? 10 km tu, punya la jauh.... kalo tahan je kat pundi kencing mesti bila sampai kat hentian dah kene penyakit batu karang.......

[OshHisham]

talking about vomit....i still remember when i was in Tokyo, almost every commuter station got this disgusting thing....luckily malaysia especially muslim malay doesn't follow this kind of culture....get drunk after the office hour....

[AhChuan]

^^ ^^ What? I tot Japanese ppl love to keep clean their city???

Yucckkkk......

[OshHisham]

one of the problem in malaysia is....we have no enough garbage can in our city. i don't think people will simply throw garbage when there is a proper place to put it in.

[Skyprince]

KL terlalu kotor lah ! Tak caya ? Naik Star LRT, turun kat Plaza Rakyat. Lepas tu jalan sampai Puduraya. Sampah bertaburan merata-rata ! Malam tu bila beta lalu, beta kutip lah jugak sampah ( kotak minuman, tulang ayam dalam plastik dll ) dengan kawan beta si Baljeet tu , pastu kitorang bawak sampah tu balik ke Stesen Plaza Rakyat sebelum cuci tangan kitorang yang dah kotor . Banyak pulak tu pelancong asing yang guna laluan tu ! Habislah imej Malaysia kalau macamni !

Malam tu jugak beta sms kat Szehoong sebab tak tahan dengan KL yang terlalu kotor !

[alsen]

talking about vomit....i still remember when i was in Tokyo, almost every commuter station got this disgusting thing....luckily malaysia especially muslim malay doesn't follow this kind of culture....get drunk after the office hour....

betul ke?? rasanya kat jepun ni tempat yg banyak rakyat asing atau pendatang berkumpul dan guna tu yang kotor.tempat yang majority japanese macam Sendai, memang superb bersih.

[OshHisham]

kat jepun biasanya...kawasan perumahan/kediaman bersih. tp area bandar agak kotor jugaklah...tapi takder lah sampai berlonggok sampah tak terkutip dek si pemalas alam flora tu. macam kata skyprince, area stesen LRT mmg kotor, dan paling kotor dekat area stesen titiwangsa. mostly lah kan...kalo nkorang perasan, area yg ramai org2 indon, kelantan dan org2 dr kawasan miskin pinggir KL ni...paling kotor. Pudu, Gombak...tu paling horror.

[Skyprince]

kalo nkorang perasan, area yg ramai org2 indon, kelantan dan org2 dr kawasan miskin pinggir KL ni...paling kotor. Pudu, Gombak...tu paling horror

Takde... kawasan Bukit Bintang pun kotor nak mampus !! Hari tu beta jalan-jalan dengan kawan beta Baljeet dari Puduraya sampailah ke Ain Arabia kat BB tu --ingatkan BB boleh jadi penyelamat kepada KL yang memang parah tahap kebersihan die... rupanya kat BB sampah belonggok kat tepi jalan !

Beta dahpun hantar surat dengan GAMBAR-gambar sekali kepada Dewan Bandaraya KL .

[OshHisham]

masalahnya...those in DBKL have 'money' in their mind. they don't really care about people. so, then who will take care of us?....OURSELVES!...make some efford, take any rubbish on street and put them into duskbin....yes, i did that!

[Skyprince]

make some efford, take any rubbish on street and put them into duskbin....yes, i did that!


Sebab tulah beta malas dah nak bawak kengkawan luar lawat KL setiap kali diorang datang. KL terlalu kotor dan menjijikkan ! Ok Ok tengok Puduraya---tulah hentian bas yang banyak pelancong asing guna-- tapi sampah bertimbun kat semua tempat ! Tandas tingkat 1 dengan tingkat 3 pulak tak ada pam ! Memalukan. Hancur imej Malaysia kalau macam ni ! Sebab tulah beta kata Shah Alam lebih bagus dilawati daripada KL. Sebab pelancong asing ni kan, diorang ni akan rate negara kita dengan tahap kebersihan lebih daripada budaya, shopping, alam semulajadi dll...

Kalau pelancong asing dibawa melawat Shah Alam dengan Putrajaya sahaja mesti diorang kata " Wow...Malaysia ni negara yang bersih, banyak bangunan moden, aman, tenteram dan sngat maju "

kalau diorang cuma melawat KL je mesti diorang rasa " Wow Malaysia ni banyak tempat menariklah ! Macam macam ada--shopping, bangunan bersejarah, dan banyak lagi. Tapi.... Malaysia ni negara yang kotor dan menjijikkanlah "

Jadi mana satu yang kita nak ??

[OshHisham]

nko sbnarnya nak banding KL dgn siapa..?singapore?...mmg lah kalah! tp bandar2 lain?....aku mmg tak pernah ke oversea selain spore dgn jepun...tp kawan aku yg banyak present paper kat german,ireland...dia kata negara2 tu taklah sebersih yg di sangka!

[OshHisham]

Kalau pelancong asing dibawa melawat Shah Alam dengan Putrajaya sahaja mesti diorang kata " Wow...Malaysia ni negara yang bersih, banyak bangunan moden, aman, tenteram dan sngat maju "


aku rasa tindakan nko ni agak hipokrit lah!...nak bawa wisatawan2 ni ke tpt yg diaorg boleh puji jer....nko yakin ke yg nko boleh puaskan hati diaorg dgn bawak ke tpt2 yg bersih shj? sebabnya kebanyakan pelancong dtg sebab nak tgk CULTURE, LIFESTYLE, DIVERSITY kita. dan diaorg tak kisah kalo nampak sampah...sebab itu adalah NORMAL!!!!.......nko ingat Hong Kong tu bersih sgt? but yet it still one of the best city in the world!

[Skyprince]

nko ingat Hong Kong tu bersih sgt? but yet it still one of the best city in the world!


HK memang kotor pun... kecuali sesetengah tempat je.

ok ok... tengok bandar2 kat Jepun.. takyah Jepun... tengok bandar2 kat Oman... semuanya bersih ! Dekat Muscat tu sampah seketul pun tak nampak ! Bersih gilerz. Tandas semuanya wangi dan bersih.

[szehoong]

KL terlalu kotor lah ! Tak caya ? Naik Star LRT, turun kat Plaza Rakyat. Lepas tu jalan sampai Puduraya. Sampah bertaburan merata-rata ! Malam tu bila beta lalu, beta kutip lah jugak sampah ( kotak minuman, tulang ayam dalam plastik dll ) dengan kawan beta si Baljeet tu , pastu kitorang bawak sampah tu balik ke Stesen Plaza Rakyat sebelum cuci tangan kitorang yang dah kotor . Banyak pulak tu pelancong asing yang guna laluan tu ! Habislah imej Malaysia kalau macamni !

Stay & rot in Shah Alam lah if you think KL is that dirty. I think KL is dirtier with you around :lol:




Malam tu jugak beta sms kat Szehoong sebab tak tahan dengan KL yang terlalu kotor !

WHAT?!?!?! You think I Alam Flora ke? :ohno:

[szehoong]

Kalau pelancong asing dibawa melawat Shah Alam dengan Putrajaya sahaja mesti diorang kata " Wow...Malaysia ni negara yang bersih, banyak bangunan moden, aman, tenteram dan sngat maju "

kalau diorang cuma melawat KL je mesti diorang rasa " Wow Malaysia ni banyak tempat menariklah ! Macam macam ada--shopping, bangunan bersejarah, dan banyak lagi. Tapi.... Malaysia ni negara yang kotor dan menjijikkanlah "

Jadi mana satu yang kita nak ??



No-brainer lah.....I'd rather people say dirty than BORING! :yes:

[Skyprince]

No-brainer lah.....I'd rather people say dirty than BORING!


Lebih baik diorang kata Malaysia ni " Padang jarak, padang tekukur " daripada kata " Malaysia ni ramai pengotor dan tidak terurus "


WHAT?!?!?! You think I Alam Flora ke?

Yelah, sebab malam tu nak mintak awak tolong kitorang bersihkan laluan kat Puduraya tu.. lepas tu SMS langsung awak tak balas :(

[alsen]

nko sbnarnya nak banding KL dgn siapa..?singapore?...mmg lah kalah! tp bandar2 lain?....aku mmg tak pernah ke oversea selain spore dgn jepun...tp kawan aku yg banyak present paper kat german,ireland...dia kata negara2 tu taklah sebersih yg di sangka!

mmm....setuju.contonya,Seoul tu pun bukannya bersih sangat pun.bayangkanla salah satu tpt pelancongan utama dia punya tandas.... kotor,busuk,lantai berair kotor,berlubang sana sini,pintu tandas pun tak boleh dikunci.paling teruk ada yang tak berpintu.pastu,jalan dia bun senang nak jumpa sampah.KL lagi bagus. tapi Seoul tetap menarik dan best walaupun ada sedikit cacat cela. :cheers:

[Skyprince]

mmm....setuju.contonya,Seoul tu pun bukannya bersih sangat pun.bayangkanla salah satu tpt pelancongan utama dia punya tandas.... kotor,busuk,lantai berair kotor,berlubang sana sini,pintu tandas pun tak boleh dikunci.paling teruk ada yang tak berpintu.pastu,jalan dia bun senang nak jumpa sampah.KL lagi bagus. tapi Seoul tetap menarik dan best walaupun ada sedikit cacat cela.

Busan lagii lah... 3 jam je naik bot dari Fukuoka ni..

Tapi, kita kena tengok negara yang bersih untuk diambil contoh, misalnya Oman, sampah nak cari pun payah .. tandas awam die semua bersih walaupun dekat Pasar basah Muttrah Souq, bukan saja bersih, malah wangi ! Oman pun ramai imigran asing, tapi kebersihan dia terkawal.

[szehoong]

dun waste your breath lah guys......to him the most beautiful city and the cleanest of em all are gonna be Oman. No country can challenge Oman! :yes:


I feel sorry for all ya visitors lah........all terpaksa visit Shah Alam and Putrajaya ....sigh....... :ohno:

[szehoong]

Lebih baik diorang kata Malaysia ni " Padang jarak, padang tekukur " daripada kata " Malaysia ni ramai pengotor dan tidak terurus "



Bangkok also kinda dirty (sorry but no offence to any Thai) but they got more visitors than KL. Actually I kinda like Bangkok too. IN fact I like to visit Bangkok more than ultra-clean Singapore. So you see....visitors are visiting a country for the people and culture. If it is a bit dirty so be it. I hardly find anyone citing cleanliness as an attraction. :D





Yelah, sebab malam tu nak mintak awak tolong kitorang bersihkan laluan kat Puduraya tu.. lepas tu SMS langsung awak tak balas :(

I don't reply to stoopid SMSes. :yes:

[tomkat]

dun waste your breath lah guys......to him the most beautiful city and the cleanest of em all are gonna be Oman. No country can challenge Oman! :yes:



I lived in Oman for 6 months in 2004. Muscat is not that sterile. Of course, it is clean. But at the same time there is a dirty place too. Try take a look at Ruwi souq. Then you would know.

There are few factors that contribute to Muscat cleanliness. Firstly, the city limit population is too small. Secondly, there is not many pedestrian to create rubbish due to its hot weather.

[bart_shinoda]

dun waste your breath lah guys......to him the most beautiful city and the cleanest of em all are gonna be Oman. No country can challenge Oman! :yes:


I feel sorry for all ya visitors lah........all terpaksa visit Shah Alam and Putrajaya ....sigh....... :ohno:

setuju!!! duet aku pon jimat......

[Skyprince]

I lived in Oman for 6 months in 2004. Muscat is not that sterile. Of course, it is clean. But at the same time there is a dirty place too. Try take a look at Ruwi souq. Then you would know.

There are few factors that contribute to Muscat cleanliness. Firstly, the city limit population is too small. Secondly, there is not many pedestrian to create rubbish due to its hot weather.

Wow... thanx Tomkat... " Ruwi Souk" ?? Where is that ?? Do you mean " Mutrah Souk " ??

Muscat is very clean and very organized town , very contradicted to KL.

Szehoong, WHATEVER

[Lastresorter]

aku rasa tindakan nko ni agak hipokrit lah!...nak bawa wisatawan2 ni ke tpt yg diaorg boleh puji jer....nko yakin ke yg nko boleh puaskan hati diaorg dgn bawak ke tpt2 yg bersih shj? sebabnya kebanyakan pelancong dtg sebab nak tgk CULTURE, LIFESTYLE, DIVERSITY kita. dan diaorg tak kisah kalo nampak sampah...sebab itu adalah NORMAL!!!!.......nko ingat Hong Kong tu bersih sgt? but yet it still one of the best city in the world!

Actually I agree with u Osh! Why do we have to hide the negativity and magnify the positive things? Sometimes, what we think as negative could be a positive to others. Just be what we are. Not hide this hide that and only want to be praised.

[Lastresorter]

Kalau pelancong asing dibawa melawat Shah Alam dengan Putrajaya sahaja mesti diorang kata " Wow...Malaysia ni negara yang bersih, banyak bangunan moden, aman, tenteram dan sngat maju "

kalau diorang cuma melawat KL je mesti diorang rasa " Wow Malaysia ni banyak tempat menariklah ! Macam macam ada--shopping, bangunan bersejarah, dan banyak lagi. Tapi.... Malaysia ni negara yang kotor dan menjijikkanlah "

Jadi mana satu yang kita nak ??

My trip sure bosan to the maxxx!!
Tourist: "Ohhh, Malaysia is like extremely clean but very boring. I won't come back again 'coz all I see are buildings".

[forrestcat]

Australian cities which I ave visited,Adelaide and Melbourne are also not 100% clean,you'd see the occasional plastic bag and small rubbish but most people there do not throw rubbish everywhere plus garbage bins are availabel in every corner of the city and frequently emptied. When I walked through the cities during mid night, I see City Hall personnel cleaning the streets with water and those small cars that suck garbage from the streets.

In KL,rubbish bins are rarely emptied and always full and spill.Garbage bins are also scarce. Besides that,many areas especially te suburbs is managed by greedy $$$$ making developers who dun care about cleanliness in their area.

Although Adelaide and Melbourne are very clean,both cities is actually very boring.KL and Asian cities like Jakarta and Bangkok are much more exciting despite them being less clean.

[AhChuan]

Ah yah....juz a simple sentence...."Everywhere is unclean"....

I'm sure tht Oman oso not 100% clean(sorry to said tht)...muz hav a small part like those narrow road between the buildings...I am oso sure tht some litters on the ground.

Skyprince so like Oman....hahaha....from those skyprince's pics...Oman actually very beautiful and clean de.

[Skyprince]

Ah yah....juz a simple sentence...."Everywhere is unclean"....

I'm sure tht Oman oso not 100% clean(sorry to said tht)...muz hav a small part like those narrow road between the buildings...I am oso sure tht some litters on the ground.

Skyprince so like Oman....hahaha....from those skyprince's pics...Oman actually very beautiful and clean de.


Ohh...thank u thank u Ah Chuan..... Of course Oman is not 100% clean, but in general it is MUCH cleaner than Malaysia. Come travel to Oman and you can feel the total difference. Except for some very few areas in Ruwi and Muttrah district, Muscat is impeccably clean ! But in KL, even the very central business and tourist districts like Bukit Bintang, trash are everywhere ! But it is improving compared to the past, but still Im not satisfied .

[szehoong]

Ohh...thank u thank u Ah Chuan..... Of course Oman is not 100% clean, but in general it is MUCH cleaner than Malaysia. Come travel to Oman and you can feel the total difference. Except for some very few areas in Ruwi and Muttrah district, Muscat is impeccably clean ! But in KL, even the very central business and tourist districts like Bukit Bintang, trash are everywhere ! But it is improving compared to the past, but still Im not satisfied .


Can we get back discussing about CLEANLINESS in Malaysia rather than "How clean Oman is". We are letting trolls to dominate this thread with their 'hidden' agendas.

Thanks! :)

[szehoong]

Ah yah....juz a simple sentence...."Everywhere is unclean"....

I'm sure tht Oman oso not 100% clean(sorry to said tht)...muz hav a small part like those narrow road between the buildings...I am oso sure tht some litters on the ground.

Skyprince so like Oman....hahaha....from those skyprince's pics...Oman actually very beautiful and clean de.


No need to apologized to him if you think that "Everywhere is unclean".

Your statement is very true! :okay: Even in ULTRA-Clean Singapore, there are bound to be rubbish. :yes:

Pictures do not tell everything.....best if you actually go to the place to see it for yourself. You'll be amazed by the amount of details not captured on camera :yes:. I could also produce spotless pictures of Puduraya if you want to see :lol:

I totally agree with you :okay: : "Everywhere is unclean" :yes: :yes: :yes:

........except for Oman. It is the most sterile place in the Universe! :D

[AhChuan]

Pictures do not tell everything.....best if you actually go to the place to see it for yourself. You'll be amazed by the amount of details not captured on camera :yes:. I could also produce spotless pictures of Puduraya if you want to see :lol:

Yes.....I agree too....