Talk on Applications of Water Quality Modeling in NAHRIM, 25th August 2008

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Maketab Mohamed (Dr. Mac) and Mr. Zaki Zainudin (ZZ) of the Water Quality Research Group were invited to give a short half-day talk on the "Applications of Water Quality Modeling" at the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Seri Kembangan. Dr. Mac gave a 1 1/2 hour talk on the fundamentals of water quality modeling and QUAL2E, after which, ZZ continued with a brief outline on QUAL2K and some examples on the use of these tools in Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs). Participants ranged from various water related agencies throughout the country both from government and corporate sectors. Below are some photos from the event.

Water Quality Parameters Workshop

A workshop on "Water Quality Parameters" was conducted by Mr. Zaki Zainudin for executives of ASMA from the 14 - 15th of August at Concorde Hotel, Shah Alam. The workshop encompassed various fundamental and advanced principles in relation to the characteristics of water quality constituents, spanning from physical, chemical and biological assessments. The workshop is part of ASMA's continuous effort in ensuring technical competency among its staff and executives. Below are some photos from the event.

FKK Annual Dinner 2008

Dear Students,

The FKK Annual Dinner 2008 shall be held as follows ;

Date : 14th of August 2008
Time : 8.00 pm
Venue : Dewan MBSA Shah Alam
VIP Guests :

1) Y. Bhg. Dato' Seri Naib Chancellor UiTM
2) Y. Bhg. Dato' Bandar Shah Alam

FKK students are cordially invited to the said event. Show your support for the faculty !!

Regards.
ZZ

CPE625 : Environmental Engineering Test 1

Dear Students,

Test 1 for CPE625 shall be held as follows :

Date : 07 August 2008
Time : 4.10 pm - 5.30 pm
Venue : B5-A12-08 (Classroom)

Regards,
ZZ

Industrial Training Presentation Briefing (Jan - Apr 2009)

A briefing session for students scheduled to undergo Industrial Training next semester, Jan - Apr 2009 shall be held as follows :

Time : 12.30 pm
Date : 16 July 2008
Venue : DK-G

ATTENDANCE IS COMPULSORY.

Regards,
ZZ

Jungle of Sarawak

FOR VIDEOS, CLICK HERE.

We proceeded on with our journey to Similajau National Park today, with excursions not too far from the park's administrative office. The trip was still rather challenging, mostly because we still had "Pak Bedal" on our minds. A skeletal sample of the crocodilian was available for viewing before we started moving. Several signages warning hikers taking the same rail reinforced the healthy distribution of Pak Bedal within the area to outsiders. We had to be on the lookout.

Ready with our cowboy hats, we took on the challenge to further comprehend this lush and fertile land. Besides Pak Bedal, the area is also habitat to other sensitive fauna such at the "Leatherback Turtle" and "Irrawady Dolphins", of which some baseline research is being done for the latter. The nesting grounds of the Leatherback is about a few kilometers north of the park grounds, along the coastline. The locals informed us that nesting season is typically between May to July. Nonetheless the bay area where the park is located, though beautiful is unperturbed, most probably due to the presence of Pak Bedal.

The hiking trail was relatively well-kept with some indication of decaying wood. Dr. Mac fell right at home here :-), naturally as he is an expert when it comes to these things, being able to identify various species of plants and trees located within the park vicinity off-hand ! right away !

There were thorny plants, huge trees, some with bright red trunks and forest ants almost the size of small cockroach ! Even a tree which was pissed off at something or someone (pokok Bengang). Hiking up and down the trail proved to be a most liberating and rewarding experience. You truly get to appreciate the sensitive ecosystem which binds this place together, and thus really comprehend and feel (in your heart) the importance of environmental preservation.

I must admit that towards the end of our journey my heart skipped a beat when we encountered some-kind of animal trail in the ground. The foot print looked fresh as if it was just made a few hours ago. From a layman's perspective, the distance between the front and hind legs resemble that of Pak Bedal. I really didn't want to stick around and find out so a quick snap-shot and whosh ! I was out of there. There were small streams that lead up to this area that seemed ideal for him to use as a jungle highway.

Overall I must say that the journey was a really rewarding one. The current environment must be preserved for the benefit and viewing of future generations. Whatever developmental activities that take place in Similajau must take into account its rich bio-diversity, with minimal impact towards its surroundings as well as the flora and fauna.

Regards,
ZZ

Adventure in Similajau

My initial intention was to do a proper write-up of the events that transpired today, however, I am just too tired from the field work to think straight and produce a plausible piece, though my excitement to share the photos taken during the survey is still overwhelming; it would be suffice to say that we went to several locations in Similajau that is generally "un-touched" by industrial development except for some logging. Very rarely do we encounter such a situation where mother nature exists in its bare condition, rich with flora and fauna. Then again, one would generally expect to see these things Sarawak. So here are the photos for your viewing pleasure.

Plate 1 : Taking a boat from the nearby fishing village to get to Sg. Similajau. The South China Sea tide was relatively kind to us (but Dr. Mac still felt a touch of nausea, you can tell from his face ;-))

Plate 2 : We entered the river mouth through the coastline. It was a gradual transition from saline to, well less saline water.....

Plate 3 & 4: I looked terrible, as we were literally scorching in the sun for a few hours before getting to Sg. Semba, a tributary of Sg. Similajau (we did some in-situ measurements and sampling of the marine environment). Conditions here were as natural as any tropical river can get.

Plate 5 : Doing some in-situ measurements, sampling and flow gauging at Sg. Semba.

Plate 6 : Sg. Similajau, main-stem heading back to the mainland. We had a close encounter with a baby crocodilian here, but we didn't stick around to investigate further as we didn't want to meet its mother. According to the locals, a man was devoured a few days back, hence we CABUT !!

Tomorrow we'll be heading to the forest reserve next to the Sg. Similajau Inya-Allah, to view the conditions over there. Thus I'll need all the rest I can get ! Hope you liked the photos....

Regards,
ZZ

Water Quality Parameters Talk and Training

Recently, Mr. Zaki Zainudin of the Water Quality Research Group was invited to give a talk and training session on "The Fundamentals of Water Quality Parameters" by Alam Sekitar Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. (ASMA) to its Malaysian Water Quality Monitoring network personnel at Teluk Rubiah Beach Resort, Lumut, Perak from the 29th to 30th of May 2008. The talk encompassed a theoretical classroom bit as well as a field survey portion covering techniques and procedures of field sampling. Below are some photos from the event. 

Thanks Ardy, Shamuddin and Dr. Rani for inviting me over. For participants, please do not hesitate to contact me via e-mail if you have any enquiries.

Regards,

ZZ

Career and Industrial Training Opportunities with CCM Rev. 1

Dear Students (or should I say guys and gals :-)),

CCM is extending a special invitation for students who graduated from FKK this semester to join their company. The details of the interview session are as follows :

Date   :   6th June 2008 (Friday)

Time   :   8.30 am (BE EARLY !!)
Venue :

Tingkat 11
Bilik Mesyuarat Fakulti
Faculty of Chemical Engineering
Universiti Teknologi MARA
40450 Shah Alam
Selangor

It is a walk-interview session. Please bring along your relevant documents.

PLEASE DEPOSIT YOUR CVs (HARDCOPY) TO KAK YATI/KAK SHIKIN/KAK ZAHRAH ON OR BEFORE THE 5TH OF JUNE 2008. Please grab this opportunity to work at one of the most prestigious chemical companies in the country. Spread the word to your friends !! (even those from other relevant engineering disciplines).

For those of you who are applying for internship, please also directly e-mail your CVs to HR Manager, Mr. Abdul Rashid B. Abdul Majid (rashid-majid@ccm.com.my) for his perusal. This is just for students scheduled to undergo LI next semester, July - October 2008, however you must still deposit hardcopies of the CVs to the Academic Office.

Regards.

ZZ

Industrial Training Info. (July - October 2008)

Dear Students,

How are you ? Hope everything is well. Please READ THE INSTRUCTIONS BELOW CAREFULLY !!!

1) Please update me on the latest placement offers which you have received/accepted to that I can add it to the master list. Remember to include the company name, address, nature of business and other relevant information.

2) PLEASE FILL IN THE RULES OF INDUSTRIAL TRAINING FORM (click to download) AND SUBMIT IT BACK TO ME ALONG WITH YOUR BLUE FILE WITH THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS BEFORE YOU COMMENCE WITH YOUR INDUSTRIAL TRAINING.

3) Tentatively, the industrial training presentation is scheduled for the 21ST OF OCTOBER 2008. The Industrial Training Report and IEM Logbook should be submitted on the same day.

4) Kindly pass the Guidelines for Supervisor and Supervisor Evaluation form to your respective industry supervisors. The form should be submitted back to me after the Industrial Training duration.

5) You should also read the "Visiting Lecturer Guide" for you to coordinate with the respective lecturers who will be visiting you mid-way through the training. I will update you on the respective individuals in due time. PLEASE ENSURE THAT ALL CONTACT DETAILS IN THE BLUE FILE ARE ACCURATE, so that the lecturers (and me) won't have any trouble contacting you. Do not forget to fill in the checklist of places which you have submitted applications to.

Students who fail a subject this semester (Jan - Apr 08 ) are not automatically allowed to continue with the industrial training. An application to the faculty's academic advisory committee is required before you can continue.

Regards,

ZZ

EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EU-MCCI) Registration

Dear Students,

Refer attached. This is an opportunity for all of you to secure an Industrial Training placement for the Jan - Apr 2009 semester. Please act accordingly.

The registration form can be downloaded here.

Regards,

ZZ

RM94mil to clean up three rivers in Johor

THE STAR, 10 MAY 2008, JOHOR BARU : The people's bad habit of dumping solid waste into rivers will cost the State government RM94mil to clean up garbage in three rivers here.

Sungai Segget, Sungai Tebrau and Sungai Skudai have been classified as the most polluted within the Iskandar Malaysia development project area.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the move was essential to prevent the rivers from being further polluted.

He said a mechanical system to trap solid garbage would be installed along the 32.5km-long Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Skudai (35km) and Sungai Segget (4km).

"We have carried out all the studies on these rivers and will go for open tender this year," he said.

Abdul Ghani said waste and sewage from construction sites, squatter areas and factories also contributed to river pollution.

"As such several plans are being drawn to counter the problem," he said.

He said among them was to relocate squatters living along the rivers.

"The relocation cannot be avoided. We cannot deny that the riverside dwellers have contributed to river pollution by dumping solid waste into it.

"The garbage trap system will not be as effective if they continue to dump rubbish into the river," he said.

Abdul Ghani said they were looking into the possibility of relocating foreign workers at designated places in view of their increased numbers in Johor, with the development of Iskandar Malaysia.

He was speaking to reporters at a gotong-royong to clean up Sungai Tebrau here yesterday.

Some 1,500 people including students, villagers and non-governmental organisations spent a day to pick up the rubbish in the river and those trapped in the mangrove areas.

Abdul Ghani said RM45mil has been allocated to carry out research at several river basins in Johor.

He said upgrading works would also be done in these river basins, which include the Sungai Muar stretch in Segamat, Sungai Batu Pahat, Sungai Kluang-Mengkibol, Sungai Pontian and Sungai Mersing.

He added 20 river rehabilitation projects have also been carried out in eight districts.