Author: Poh Xiao Xun, Year 10
Date: February 2022
Water pollution in Malaysia is largely caused by agricultural and industrial activities and wastewater treatment plants. This is called point-source pollution. Agriculture is responsible for 70% of water withdrawals worldwide, playing a major role in water pollution. Farms discharge large amounts of agrochemicals like pesticide, organic matter, drug residues, sediments and saline drainage into water bodies.
Non-point pollution, on the other hand, is caused by more ubiquitous sources like trash disposal and agricultural runoff. When rainwater goes through the ground, it absorbs pollutants with which it comes into contact. For example, after a heavy rainstorm, water will spread across a parking lot and mix with fuel and oil spills left by cars.
The areas in Malaysia with the most water pollution include Buloh and Golok in Johor and Kelantan, respectively. Reasons for this may be that industrial plants and factories are located near important rivers that supply water to the civilians. Waste materials and chemical pollutants are too often dumped and harm the health of many through water contamination. As a result, the task of controlling rivers falls to the Department of Drainage and Irrigation (DID) Malaysia. There will be serious repercussions for 97% of Malaysia’s water supply if the conditions of rivers remain unchanged, which is directly or indirectly affected by lack of resources, ignorance and negligent reinforcement, especially in rural areas. In the country, out of the 473 rivers examined, 244 (52%) were found to be pure, 186 (39%) slightly polluted, and 43 (9%) thriving with bacterial growth.
Examples of water pollution in Malaysia: in Sungai Tengah, Nibong Tebal, George Town, Penang, pig wastes have been dumped and affected 4,000 residents, mostly fishermen. It is a problem that has existed for over two decades. Another case is odor pollution at a food factory in Beranang, Selangor and might be polluting Sungai Semenyih. Following investigations at the factory’s final discharge point, an odor similar to the VOCs (volatile organic compound) found in the samples taken during the Semenyih WTP shutdown was found.
The effects of water pollution on living beings are quite dire. A plant that dumped hazardous waste into the sea led to decades of neurological disease in a whole community, infamously known as the Minamata Incident in Kumamoto Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The main cause of ‘Minamata disease’ is mercury poisoning. Pollution may cause waterborne diseases, lethal and nonlethal; it may induce eutrophication, the excessive richness of nutrients in a body of water due to runoff from the land, causing a sudden growth in plant life, which may kill fish and other aquatic life, in turn affecting the marine ecosystem and seafood industry.
Other effects of water pollution are waterborne diseases like diarrhea, typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Swimming in contaminated water may cause skin diseases. Groundwater polluted with pesticides and fertilizers can lead to problems in the reproductive and endocrine systems, such as infertility and deformed babies. Our nervous systems can be affected by pesticides containing carbonates and organophosphates, which can be carcinogenic and enter our bodies through pollutants. In surface waters, fluoride occurs naturally from the weathering of rocks and soils containing fluoride compounds, while it occurs from the leaching of bedrock with fluoride content in groundwater. Excess of fluoride in drinking water can cause yellowed teeth (while an optimum amount of fluoride in toothpaste protects them), dental fluorosis, and problems in skeletal tissues; harmful algal bloom in drinking water causes respiratory problems and liver ailments. Heavy metals dumped in the water is toxic to aquatic creatures and the humans who consume them. Farms release nitrates that may cause blue baby syndrome in infants — cyanosis. Babies with this syndrome will have discolored, blue patches of skin.
As for the environment, water pollution disrupts the food chain. It also disrupts the aquatic ecosystem. Sewage causes microbial diseases in terrestrial and aquatic communities. Oil spillage from tankers and drains kills thousands of waterfowl each year. Suspended water contaminants reduce sunlight penetration in lakes, which prevents the growth of aquatic plants and threatens the life forms depending on them to survive.
The list goes on, the horrifying products of humanity’s ignorance and callousness in protecting the environment and each other. There are ways to amend this, if we truly put our energy and efforts into it. A small act, when done by a lot of people, has a bigger impact than you think. The simplest way: conserve as much water as you can. Rainwater may not necessarily clean in urban areas in the city, but if you live in mountainous and forested areas, it is quite safe. For a more old-fashioned mind, wells were used in the older days, drawing water from the ground using an efficient system. Don’t sweep leaves into storm drains, this clogs the sewers. When using water to wash a car or hose yourself down, make sure the water runs into the grass or gravel instead of the street to prevent pollutants mixing in it. Use less plastic. Reuse items like plastic bottles and plastic bags so they don’t end up in the sea. Don’t dispose of oils in the sink. When handling toxic chemicals, make sure you’re handling them properly and safely. Don’t throw away medicines, or garbage down the toilet. These are things we can all do at home without going to great lengths.
But apart from that, we can do bigger things. Young children can discuss this at school with their peers and ask adults about it. Teachers should teach their students about the dangers of littering and polluting water as part of the syllabus, or perhaps an Eco Week. Parents play an even bigger role: they educate their offspring about what they should do at home, to use canvas shopping bags instead of plastic bags, and to categorize waste into three —glass, paper, and aluminum. The young are the future, and it’s important that they are taught the right way of treating the environment from a young age.
Laws and regulations such as Malaysia’s Environmental Quality Act of 1974 punish offenders who violate the code of conduct, and so does the Environmental Quality Order 1989. Fines are issued to prevent companies from dumping chemical waste into rivers that are potentially hazardous to human health. For the worse offences, prison time is given and, in some cases, caning.
As for us all, start saving the earth’s water by doing it today, right this minute. It may be a long way to go, but we have to start somewhere.
Sources and references
‘Point-source pollution’; ‘non-point pollution’; ‘areas in Malaysia with water pollution’; ‘The Minamata Incident’; ‘Environmental Quality Act of 1974’ - vetsb, 2021, ‘Water Pollution in Malaysia – What You Should Know’, VETSB, October 9, viewed December 18 2021, https://vetsb.com.my/2021/10/19/water-pollution-in-malaysia-what-you-should-know/#:~:text=Water%20pollution%20in%20Malaysia%20was%20a%20major%20issue,recorded%20instances%20of%20river%20contamination%20%28Malay%20Mail%2C%202019%29.
‘Effects on water pollution on living beings’; ‘effects on human health’; ‘environmental effects’ - Sciencetopia, 2021, ‘Effects of Water Pollution’, Sciencetopia, viewed December 19 2021, https://www.sciencetopia.net/pollution/water/effects
‘Ways to prevent water pollution’ - Raleighnc.gov, 2021, ‘6 Ways to Prevent Water Pollution’, Raleighnc.gov, October 6, viewed December 19 2021, https://raleighnc.gov/SupportPages/6-ways-prevent-water-pollution
Comments