Sustainable Green Living

In the Johor Streets today

Pic by Roslan Khamis

JOHOR BARU: RESIDENTS living along the banks of Sungai Sebulung, a tributary of Sungai Tebrau, which was once polluted as it was a dumping ground is now a tourist attraction.

The tributary cuts through Kampung Melayu Majidee, a modern Malay kampung.

Mohd Isa Ahmad, 51, head of the Kampung Melayu Majidee resident commitee, said the project, which was mooted in 2005 was a success story in the government’s effort to rehabilitate dying rivers.

“Sungai Sebulung was once one of the dirties tributaries in the state. As it runs across the back of some houses, the villagers threw their household waste into in.

“We had many problems then, as well as flash floods, besides the fact that we are living in filth.”

The Iskandar Regional Development Authority recently included a the kampung as a must-see attraction for tourists who visited the Legoland Malaysia Resort.

Isa said he had been tasked to give talks at Felda residences and other villages to share his experience about Effective Microorganism (EM) technology and the effectiveness of using food waste as fertilisers and cleaning agents.

Isa said the villagers teamed up with Kumpulan Syarikat Jamof and the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB), which provided each household with a plastic container to collect food waste.

Isa said the beautification and rehabilitation project for Sungai Sebulung was divided into two phases.

Phase One comprised of 110 houses stretching 500 metres, where villagers were taught to plant tree and shrub species like Janda Merana, Mahkota Dewa, Serai Wangi, Tongkat Aliand Misai Kucing.

The dilapidated bridge and five-foot way were also upgraded between 2005 and 2006.

In 2009, the second phase was launched, which involved 60 houses stretching 300m.

The village saw the installation of new septic tanks and an interlocking walling system for drainage.

Salijah Senan, 52, who has lived in the village for 30 years said initially it was difficult to get 
the villagers to change their attitude.

“Most residents were skeptical when we were told about the local council’s plan to rehabilitate Sungai Sebulung. We did not know what EM was and how to use the mudballs that had to be thrown into the tributary once a month.

“Now we understand that fish feed on the mudballs and the stream is teeming with fish once again.”

MBJB public relations officer Abdul Aziz Ithnin said the villagers underwent a complete mindset change.

“If you drove through the village, you would see the EM Gallery and other galleries maintained by the residents with the hope of spreading the message that green living was possible.

“The villagers here now love their backyards more than they love their front entrances because of the stream that runs through the back of their houses,” Aziz said.

On another matter, Aziz said Sungai Pandan and Sungai Skudai have yet to adopt this conservation method because the two rivers, which have become dumping grounds are under the jurisdiction of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage and not the local council.

On the local council’s efforts to get other villagers to adopt the EM concept, Aziz said many were skeptical but he believed that nothing was impossible.

“Sungai Sebulung is an example for other villages who want to adopt sustainable green living.”

Meanwhile, Tanah Sutera Development Sdn Bhd, a private property developer here has adopted EM to clean its shopping mall and as raw building materials for its development projects.

by Chuah Bee Kim

source NST online

Simon Murray

Met Simon Murray from the United Kingdom, who supplies eyewear for the Harry Porter movies.  He has a huge collection of spectacles and has co-written a book titled 

Simon, among others, were at the Dataran Bandaraya in Johor Bahru today spreading joy to some 100 members of the Johor Society of the Deaf.

The event, organised in conjunction with World Deaf Day today, had activities such as laughter yoga, coconut bowling, face painting, a book signing session and photo taking opportunities with Simon.

You also get to wear the glasses to take a photo. 

Besides supplying eyewear, Simon also has also supplied costumes and props for movies like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Superman, among other blockbusters.

Meanwhile, the Yayasan Pembangunan Keluarga (Family Development Foundation) in Kota Iskandar, Nusajaya, can help those with hearing, speech and other impairment to find employment in government and private sectors.

At A Crossroads

We are at a crossroads where what we decide today can affect the future.  A balance between development and environmental conservation is essential. KPRJ, IRDA, NGOs related to environmental protection, the property developer concerned, the Federal government and the local community needs to come together and talk about this matter in depth. Seriously.

Meanwhile, a report by NST Johor bureau chief Ben Tan today

Explain Clearly, Forest City Developer Told

JOHOR BARU: THE developer of the controversial Forest City project must be clear in their explanation about the development and its impact on the affected villagers in the area, said Tan Sri Shahrir Samad.

The Johor Baru member of parliament said this was because he felt that the explanation offered to the Kampung Pok community in Gelang Patah by the developer, Country Garden Pacific View Sdn Bhd, had raised more questions than answers.

“They should have had the dialogue session earlier to address the concerns regarding the environmental impact and the villagers’ concern,” Shahrir, who is also Iskandar Regional Development Authority adviser, said after launching the IM Klik photography competition here yesterday.

Present was Iskandar Investment Berhad president and chief executive officer Datuk Syed Mohamed Syed Ibrahim.

Shahrir said many villagers were not satisfied with the developer’s explanation.

“The developer needs to be more realistic in giving the real picture of their development not only to potential buyers, but to the surrounding community as well.”

Bernama had reported that since reclamation works for the project started in March this year, fishermen’s haul had dwindled.

“In the past, our haul would reach between 20kg and 40kg, but now, it is difficult for us to get even 1kg,” Abu Talib Khamis, 56, said.

The fisherman, who started going to sea at 12, claimed that the massive reclamation works under the Forest City Project at the Johor Straits had impacted negatively on fishermen.

The Forest City project is a joint-venture between a property developer from China and a local agency to create four artificial islands in the area.

The project’s gross development value is expected to reach RM600 billion in 30 years.

State Malaysian Nature Society chairman Vincent Chow had in July described the continental shelves off Tanjung Adang and Merambong in the Johor Straits as a sensitive marine heritage.

Zulkifli Hassan, 49, said he and other fishermen were now forced to go further out to sea.

“We have to make a detour to avoid the reclamation area.”

He said the project had affected the sea currents, endangering the safety of fishermen using small boats.

“We are also using more fuel to reach new fishing spots and using bigger vessels to rough out the stronger currents.”

During the public dialogue held last Sunday at the Kampung Pok community hall in Gelang Patah on the detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) briefing of the Forest City project, villagers had voiced their protests.

Among others, they questioned the credibility of the survey on  the social and economic impact conducted by the DEIA consultant.

Of the 100 villagers polled, 60 per cent of them had apparently said “yes” to the controversial project.

The audience questioned the methodology used in the survey and whether the sample was sufficient.

Kampung Pok Village Development and Security Committee deputy chairman Azman Abdul Rahman said he did not know when the survey was conducted, and if it had ever been conducted.

Primate For A Playmate

Yesterday, I got to meet sheeps and goats. Today it's this little sweetheart.

She does look a little sad, doesn't she?

Will a foot massage make you feel better, my dear?

Its guardian says he'll let Jenni out of her cage once the visitors leave. He says Jenni would run away when there are visitors in the house. It has happened before.

The guardian also tells me Jenni likes Milo beverage and jelly.

Why would people want to eat monkey brains or carry out experiments on them? Those who are and had ever been unkind to primates should watch Planet of the Apes.

A Mother's Love

Sheeps are so timid and shy. They scampered when they saw us approaching.

They probably know that the end is near. 

Can you spot the mama sheep in this picture?

In spite of the sheeps' shy and timid nature, when Wan (left) picked up a little lamb, its mother quickly came near and looked at Wan as if asking, "Hey, what are you doing with my kid?"

A woolly world we live in.  Need some mental clarity.  Focus.

Sea Of Rubbish

in the Johor Streets today

THREE years ago, some 120 families of Kampung Pendas Laut relocated to a new neighbourhood across Sungai Pendas to make way for a development in Iskandar Malaysia.

The residents live in concrete homes now at the edge of Sungai Pendas in their new settlement called Kampung Pendas Baru in Tanjung Kupang.

Though their living conditions and surroundings have improved, residents are disheartened to live in a sea of rubbish as there are no rubbish trucks to collect their waste since they moved there.

Putu Minah Pahlil, 75, said villagers were each provided with rubbish bins.
“However, no one has come to collect the rubbish since we moved here.

“I have to burn my household waste.

“Some of the residents just throw their rubbish into the sea. If not, what are we going to do with our rubbish?”

Jemiah Awang, 84, who lives next door to Putu Minah, said she has no other complaints besides rubbish collection.

“The village is peaceful and the people are friendly. I’m just curious as to why we were given rubbish bins without any collection service provided.”

A Streets check revealed that household waste comprising polystyrene and plastic were found strewn along the riverbank of Sungai Pendas.

John Chew, 60, a photography enthusiast said the rubbish was an eyesore.

“There are tourists who come to the village to buy fresh fish and the sight of the rubbish is off-putting.

“Can’t the authorities in charge of this development do something about the rubbish before they plan any more developments here?

“The roads are tarred as there are lorries and buses coming in.

“How can a garbage truck not be able to come to the village?

“By not providing garbage collection facilities it will only encourage the dumping of rubbish into the sea.”

Chew, who is also a nature lover, said he could imagine what the rubbish pile-up in the mangrove area was doing to the marine habitat in the river.

SWM Environment Sdn Bhd corporate communications head Shahrul Amir Abdul Rahim confirmed that the company does not send its truck into Kampung Pendas Baru.

“Most villagers have to appoint their own contractors. It is difficult for SWM to send our trucks into a village.

“However, I will ask the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation to review the matter.

“We can propose a large garbage bin to be placed somewhere where our trucks can pick up the rubbish without having to venture into the village,” Shahrul said.

Attempts to get a comment from the Iskandar Regional Development Authority were futile.