Hope for the Stressed

While I am reading The new Straits Times, Monday, 23rd Feb ediotion, mu reading was interupted by a post " Hope for the Stressed" . It states that our life is full of stress. For me, it is depending more depending on the particular person. How he/she manages the problem and prevent the stress from keep on bombarding our life. Stress leads to tension, physical and emotional strain. This can cause problems like insomnia, headaches and weight loss.

The writer provide us with some ways to relieve stress.

1- Exercise releases tension and stress, whether it's working out at a gym or doing a sport such as tennis, swimming or running.

2- Deep breathing exercises. Breathe in through your nose slowly and deeply, and then out through your mouth. Feel all of the tension flow out of you as you exhale.

3- Massage therapy or aromatherapy also helps to tone down stress levels.

4- Play! Do something you used to do as a child or long ago before you had all the commitments, such as play with an electric train or eat cotton candy at the fair.

5- Treat yourself, a new outfit, a haircut, all day spa, or if you're a guy some new power tools!

6- Talk to someone. Talking relieves stress, especially for women, knowing someone else understands and hears you without judging or necessarily offering advice.

7- Sleep more. Lack of sleep leads to stress. This is a vicious cycle. More sleep can leave you stress free.

8- Eat right. A well balanced meal, with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetable, is important for maintaining good health and leaves you stronger and well equipped to face what life throws at you.

9- Faith. Get closer to God. Faith is a big stress reliever. Cast your cares to the wind.

10- Focus and visual relaxation. This is when you close your eyes and imagine you are somewhere nice that you choose, like on a deserted island, walking along the shore or skiing on a snow-covered slope with the cold brisk wind in your face.

Turtle Conservation

A turtle is moving slowly from the sea to the nesting ground, where she will lay her eggs.

Turtle is one of endangered species that we want to highlight in this post. We must start the effort to educate the young generation to aware on turtle conservation. With the help from Eorld Wide Fund for nature (WWF) and the Ma'Daerah Heritage Community Association (Mekar) , the teachers in Terengganu will taught Turtle Conservation as part of the language subject. This subject will be taught in Bahasa Malaysia and 20 primary school has been chosen to be the kick start for this project.

The public are aware the importance to conserve turtle, for our future to come.

Mekar, formed in 2004, is a local community group which is seeking to raise awareness on turtle conservation. This project has been endorsed by the state education department will involve 20 schools in Dungun and Kemaman.

Supervisor of this programme said that this project was an easy way to get the conservation message across.

WWF Terengganu turtle programme community liaison officer River Foo said their main aim was to get pupils interested in protecting turtles.

Carbon Dioxide

The three most important substances that make life possible are water, oxygen and carbon dioxide. The primary structural and functional element in all living things is carbon. All carbon in protein, fat, carbohydrate and other organic molecules in living things is derived from atmospheric carbon dioxide. Without atmospheric carbon dioxide, the life cycle will not complete.

The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged between the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere of our planet. Carbon is stored in four major reservoirs :

- The atmosphere
- The biosphere ( including fresh water systems and ground soil)
- The oceans ( including dissolved inorganic carbon)
- The sediments ( incloding fossil fuels)

A Diagram of the Carbon Cycle

Carbon is exchanged between these reservoirs via sequences of various chemical reactions and biological processes. Carbon exists in the Earth's atmosphere primarily as the gas carbon dioxide. Although it is a very tiny percent of the atmosphere, it plays an important role in supporting life. In nature, carbon can then be released naturally back into the cycle in many different ways with the most common being respiration, decay of animal and plant matter, and the release of dissolved carbon dioxide from the oceans by marine life.

PEMBAKARAN TERBUKA

Selepas membincangkan mengenai jerebu, perbincangan seterusnya adalah mengenai pembakaran terbuka. Pembakaran terbuka juga merupakan salah satu punca kepada permasalahan jerebu.

Pembakaran terbuka boleh didefinisikan sebagai sebarang kebakaran, pembakaran atau pembaraan yang berlaku di udara bebas dan tidak dihalakan melalui cerobong atau serombong kecuali aktiviti-aktiviti yang ditetapkan oleh Menteri melaui perintah yang disiarkan oleh Warta.

Pembakaran Terbuka Di Kawasan Luar Bandar

Aktiviti pembakaran yang dilarang sama sekali:

- di atas tanah gambut
- kawasan 30km jejari di sekitar Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur kecuali lima aktiviti berikut :
i) pembakaran tanaman berpenyakit
ii) pembakaran untuk aktiviti keagamaan/penyembahan
iii) pembakaran mayat
iv) gril, barbeku (bukan di atas tanah gambut)
v) 'flaring'

Pembakaran terbuka tertakluk di bawah Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling 1974

- Seksyen 29A
i) Tidak seorang boleh membenarkan atau menyebabkan pembakaran terbuka di mana-mana premis

- Seksyen 29B
i) Pemunya atau penduduk di mana premis itu disifatkan sebagai melanggar Seksyen 29A, Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling, 1974 melainkan jika dibuktikan sebaliknya.

Anda Boleh Membantu Mencegah Kebakaran Terbuka!

- Sampah sarap organik (seperti makanan) ditanam dan direputkan untuk dijadikan baja;
- Pastikan api dipadamkan sebelum membuang puntung rokok;
- Sisa-sisa pertanian, cantasan pokok, ranting-ranting di ladang dan di kebun direputkan sebagai baja;
- Reja-reja kayu di tapak pembinaan dijual atau di guna semula;
- Amalkan kitar semula;
- Laporkan kepada pihak berkuasa sekiranya ada berlaku pembakaran terbuka

Kesan-kesan Pembakaran Terbuka

- Kemusnahan hutan dan kepelbagaian biologi
- Gangguan aktiviti harian dan ekonomi
- Kemusnahan harta benda
- Gangguan kesihatan (lelah, bronchitis, alahan, radang paru-paru, sakit mata dan kulit) terutamanya kepada bayi, kanak-kanak, orang tua dan pesakit lelah.
- Kemerosotan industri pelancongan yang memberi kesan kepada ekonomi dan pertukaran wang asing.
- Keadaan persekitaran berjerebu.
- Jarak penglihatan yang berkurangan

JEREBU (BAHAGIAN 2)

Punca-Punca Jerebu?

Jerebu berlaku disebabkan pencemaran udara. Pencemaran ini boleh berpunca daripada kejadian semulajadi ataupun perbuatan manusia sendiri. Punca semulajadi pencemaran udara adalah seperti :

- Habuk tanah
- Letupan gunug berapi
- Tiupan angin laut yang mengandungi garam

Bahan pencemaran buatan manusia terdiri daripada

- Pelepasan pencemar dari kenderaan bermotor
- pembakaran bahan api
- pemprosesan industri
- pembakaran terbuka
- pembangunan tanah dan pembinaan
- penebangan dan pembakaran hutan

Pelepasan dari kenderaan bermotor

- Pertambahan jumlah kenderaan bermotor
- Penggunaan enjin kenderaan yang tidak mengikut piawai pelepasan asap
- Penggunaan petrol plumbum
- Penggunaan enjin motosikal 2 lejang

Kenderaan Bermotor - Antara punca berlaku masalah Jerubu

Pelepasan daripada stesen janakuasa

- Penggunaan arang batu sebagai bahan api

Pelepasan daripada industri

- Pelepasan bendasing ke udara daripada proses-proses industri melalui cerobong
- Pelepasan sebatian organik meruap (VOC) daripada kilang-kilang penapis dan stesen minyak

Pencemaran daripada pembakaran terbuka

- Kegiatan pembakaran sampah-sarap di tapak-tapak pelupusan
- Pembakaran buangan industri secara besar-besaran
- Hasil pembersihan tanah dan pembakaran sisa-sisa pertanian secara terbuka
- Penebangan dan pembakaran hasil hutan tanpa kawalan


Bagaimana Jerebu Boleh Di Hapuskan?

Zarah di atmosfera dihapuskan melalui beberapa proses. Praktikal yang lebih berat mendap ke bumi melalui tarikan graviti. Proses basuhan hujan (rainout) melibatkan pemeluwapan wap air ke atas zarah bagi membentuk titit air yang akhirnya menghasilkan awan. Zarah juga disingkirkan melalui pelanggaran dan pelekatan dengan turunnya titits hujan melalui proses yang disebut cucian (washout). Olakan (turbulence) juga boleh membawa zarah jerebu ke paras lebih tinggi untuk sebaran yang lebih berkesan. Di samping hujan lebat semulajadi yang menyeluruh yang boleh menyingkir jerebu, teknologi terkini juga boleh memungkinkan pembentukan hujan buatan melalui proses pembenihan awan.


Tindakan Orang Awam Jika Jerebu Berterusan

- Minum banyak air untuk membersihkan mulut dan tekak.
- Membasuh muka dan bahagian badan yang terdedah kepada jerebu dengan kerap
- Kurangkan aktiviti luar rumah
- Pakai topeng pelindung yang boleh menghalang jerebu memasuki saluran pernafasan
- Kerjasama daripada pihak industri untuk mengurangkan aktiviti yang menjadi punca masalah jerebu
- Dapatkan nasihat dan rawatan perubatan dari pusat kesihatan sekiranya terdapat masalah kesihatan yang berlarutan.

JEREBU

Apa itu Jerebu?
Jerebu yang kelihatan di ruang udara kita adalah disebabkan zarah-zarah halus yang tidak kelihatan oleh mata kasar terampai di atmosfera dalam kepekatan yang tinggi. Zarah-zarah ini menyerap dan menyerakkan cahaya matahari sehingga mengurangkan jarak atau batas penglihatan. Udara akan kelihatan samara kerana zarah kecil yang terampai.


Mengapa Jerebu Berlaku?
Tiga factor utama yang mempengaruhi berlakunya jerebu adalah :
i. Pencemaran dari permukaan bumi
ii. Iklim
iii. Topografi

Jerubu : UKM Bangi 

26 Feb 2005 Jam 12.44 tengahari

Jerubu : UKM Bangi 

1 Mac 2005 Jam 5.20 petang

Di kawasan tropika, kelajuan angin biasanya perlahan. Bagi tempoh-tempoh tertentu, keadaan atmosfera sangat stabil dan peredaran udara sangat berkurangan. Dalam keadaan ini, pembentukan awan tidak aktif dan menyebabkan cuaca kering. Tempoh cuaca kering yang panjang, atmosfera yang stabil dan pelepasan bahan pencemaran ke udara sama ada daripada punca tempatan atau luar negara akan menyumbang kepada pembentukan jerebu. Zarah dan bahan-bahan pencemar lain yang dibebaskan akan terperangkap dalam atmosfera jisim udara dan meningkatkan kepekatannya.


Kesan Kepada Kesihatan?
- Radang mata
- Gangguan pada hidung
- Gangguan sistem pernafasan
- Partikulat yang menyebabkan peradangan dan meninggalkan parut pada tisu paru-paru


Entri seterusnya, kami akan menerangkan mengenai punca-punca jerebu, bagaimana jerebu boleh dihapuskan dan tindakan orang awam jika jerebu berterusan. Bertemu lagi pada entri seterusnya :)

Scheduled Waste

Have you heard about scheduled waste?

‘Scheduled wastes are substances that are highly flammable, corrosive, toxic and easily react or cause explosion when mixed with other substances. They may exist in a liquid, solid or semi solid form (sludge)’. Section 34B

Main Effects?

 -Pollute water courses, ground water, atmosphere and land
 -Toxic to human, plant and organisms
 -Cause cancer, damage to skin and body tissues
 -Fire outbreak at dumping site which can release toxic materials

Management of Scheduled Waste?

 -Recovery at facilities or premises licensed by DOE
 -Final disposal at secured land fills licensed by DOE
 -Incineration at incinerators licensed by DOE

* Note : DOE is Department of Environment

Stop illegal dumping of scheduled wastes because illegal dumping of scheduled wastes is dangerous and totally prohibited!!!