I am a true blue Pisces, who shares my birthday with Dame Elizabeth Taylor and Josh Groban, and we are water people. We are at peace around water and the news about pollution at Tasik Chini disturbed me, especially when I haven’t wet my feet at this magical lake in Pahang and enjoy the sights of its lovely lotus.
No wonder Pahang State Gomen is asking the Federal Gomen RM4.0 Million to ‘clean up’ magical Tasik Chini. Check out the *asterisks*.
Quoted from “Water Quality of Several Feeder Rivers between Two Seasons in Tasik Chini, Pahang” Studies Paper by Muhammad Barzani Gasim, Mohd. Ekhwan Hj. Toriman, Ahmad Abas, Mir Sujaul Islam and Tan Choon Chek from UKM’s Social Science and Humanity Faculty – 12 March 2008: -
“Source of Pollution
The physical environment of the Tasik Chini is strongly influenced by total discharge and quality of the feeder rivers. Discharge from each sub-basin depends strongly on the weather condition and total runoff. The quality of the inflowing water is a function of the point and non-point pollutant sources in the lake. Based on the above criteria, the pollution sources were transported during heavy rainfall through water surface runoff along the different land use upstream into the lake. Several point and non-point sources of pollutions that were identified are listed as follows: (1) Direct runoff from cleared land activities such as logging, agriculture and cultivation; (2) Discharge from eco-tourism resort operators* and Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN*) camp wastewater without or with insufficient treatment and (3) Siltation from Sungai Pahang entering Tasik Chini through Sungai Chini during wet season”.
A blogger, Mohd Izaidi Ismail (presumably a Malaysian) commented on an Indonesian lecturer’s blog at School of life sciences and technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, last March 2008. Here’s excerpt of his comments’ on water pollution that befalls Tasik Chini: -
“Another example of the tourist industry in being the cause of pollution is the water area. At Chini Lake (Tasik Chini), just so that ‘eco-tourists’ don’t have to get their feet wet, the Government built a dam at the river draining Pahang’s Tasik Chini. But now the dam has drowned thousands of trees surrounding the lake, threatening fisheries as well. In a cautionary tale of the times, Andrew Sia who won the ICI-CCM Environmental Journalism Award (Honourable Mention) for his 1994 story, Damming the Lotus Lake, revisit Tasik Chini to seek out the real picture behind the ostensible ‘tourist pampering’ rationale of the dam”. Check also his link here on “Welcome to save our Earth and Make a Difference”.
Hope this body of water will return to its once-pristine ecosystem, soon. For the time being, indulge your grey matters with some facts and myths about this magical lake.
No wonder Pahang State Gomen is asking the Federal Gomen RM4.0 Million to ‘clean up’ magical Tasik Chini. Check out the *asterisks*.
Quoted from “Water Quality of Several Feeder Rivers between Two Seasons in Tasik Chini, Pahang” Studies Paper by Muhammad Barzani Gasim, Mohd. Ekhwan Hj. Toriman, Ahmad Abas, Mir Sujaul Islam and Tan Choon Chek from UKM’s Social Science and Humanity Faculty – 12 March 2008: -
“Source of Pollution
The physical environment of the Tasik Chini is strongly influenced by total discharge and quality of the feeder rivers. Discharge from each sub-basin depends strongly on the weather condition and total runoff. The quality of the inflowing water is a function of the point and non-point pollutant sources in the lake. Based on the above criteria, the pollution sources were transported during heavy rainfall through water surface runoff along the different land use upstream into the lake. Several point and non-point sources of pollutions that were identified are listed as follows: (1) Direct runoff from cleared land activities such as logging, agriculture and cultivation; (2) Discharge from eco-tourism resort operators* and Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN*) camp wastewater without or with insufficient treatment and (3) Siltation from Sungai Pahang entering Tasik Chini through Sungai Chini during wet season”.
A blogger, Mohd Izaidi Ismail (presumably a Malaysian) commented on an Indonesian lecturer’s blog at School of life sciences and technology, Institut Teknologi Bandung, last March 2008. Here’s excerpt of his comments’ on water pollution that befalls Tasik Chini: -
“Another example of the tourist industry in being the cause of pollution is the water area. At Chini Lake (Tasik Chini), just so that ‘eco-tourists’ don’t have to get their feet wet, the Government built a dam at the river draining Pahang’s Tasik Chini. But now the dam has drowned thousands of trees surrounding the lake, threatening fisheries as well. In a cautionary tale of the times, Andrew Sia who won the ICI-CCM Environmental Journalism Award (Honourable Mention) for his 1994 story, Damming the Lotus Lake, revisit Tasik Chini to seek out the real picture behind the ostensible ‘tourist pampering’ rationale of the dam”. Check also his link here on “Welcome to save our Earth and Make a Difference”.
Hope this body of water will return to its once-pristine ecosystem, soon. For the time being, indulge your grey matters with some facts and myths about this magical lake.
1 comment:
if only we have a glimpse of what is to come... perhaps everyone should watch "the day the earth stood still". this planet... is not 'our' planet...
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