Environmental Issues and Conservation Practices in Malaysia – Chapter 1 Review

45 question-and-answer flashcards covering Malaysia’s environment, legislation, pollution issues, Japanese corporate involvement, regulatory standards, scheduled waste management, and EIA procedures as presented in Chapter 1 of the lecture.

What is Malaysia’s total land area and how does it compare to Japan?

About 329,700 km², roughly 90 % the size of Japan.

Name the three main ethnic groups in Malaysia and their approximate population shares.

Indigenous Malays (~62 %), ethnic Chinese (~27 %), and Indians (~8 %).

What is Malaysia’s official religion, and how is religious freedom handled?

Islam is the official religion, but the constitution guarantees freedom of religion.

Which national strategy announced in 1991 aims to make Malaysia an advanced nation by 2020?

“Wawasan 2020” (Vision 2020).

What major economic step did Malaysia take in September 1998 to combat the Asian financial crisis?

Imposed capital controls and pegged the ringgit at 3.8 RM per US dollar.

List three key reasons Japanese companies choose to invest in Malaysia.

Political/social stability; pro-foreign-investment policies & tax incentives; good infrastructure and English-speaking workforce.

Which manufacturing sector dominates Japanese investment in Malaysia?

Electrical and electronic (semiconductor) sector.

What percentage of Malaysia’s exports is produced by foreign affiliates?

About 70 %.

Identify Malaysia’s three traditional industries that first caused serious water pollution.

Tin mining, natural rubber, and palm-oil production.

What environmental disaster in 1997 caused months-long haze over Malaysia?

Large forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan (Indonesia) produced transboundary haze.

Which act forms the backbone of Malaysia’s environmental legislation?

Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974.

In what year was Malaysia’s Department of Environment (DOE) established?

1975.

What major change did the 1985 amendment to the EQA introduce?

Mandatory Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for prescribed activities.

What was the main purpose of the 1996 amendment to the EQA?

Increase fines and jail terms for environmental offences.

Why was the EQA amended again in 1998?

To impose a nationwide ban on open burning following the 1997 haze crisis.

Name four of the five divisions at DOE headquarters.

Administration; Information System & Technology; Control; Development & Planning; Environmental Assessment.

What index does Malaysia use to publish river water quality status?

Water Quality Index (WQI) based on six parameters (pH, DO, BOD, COD, ammonia-N, SS).

Differentiate between Standard A and Standard B in Malaysia’s effluent regulations.

Standard A applies upstream of drinking-water intakes; Standard B applies downstream and is slightly less stringent.

Why is Malaysia’s COD limit effectively stricter than Japan’s, even when numbers look similar?

Malaysia measures COD with potassium dichromate (CODCr), yielding results roughly three times higher than the potassium-permanganate (CODMn) method used in Japan.

Give two pollutants for which Malaysia’s effluent limits are notably stricter than Japan’s.

COD (50 mg/L vs Japan’s ~160 mg/L CODMn) and cyanide (0.05 mg/L vs Japan’s 1.0 mg/L).

Which company operates Malaysia’s only prescribed facility for scheduled-waste disposal?

Kualiti Alam Sdn. Bhd.

State two main treatment technologies used at Kualiti Alam.

Rotary-kiln incineration and physical/chemical treatment with solidification and secure landfill.

Approximately how many waste categories are listed as “scheduled wastes” in Malaysia?

107 categories.

Which 1989 regulations define and govern scheduled wastes?

Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 1989.

What document must accompany each shipment of scheduled waste to a disposal facility?

A six-part DOE consignment note.

Which organization privatized Malaysia’s sewerage services, aiming for 79 % coverage by 2000?

Indah Water Konsortium Sdn. Bhd.

Name two key ambient-air parameters included in Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index (API).

PM10 and SO₂ (others include CO, NO₂, O₃).

What campaign targets black-smoke emissions from diesel vehicles in Malaysia?

AWASI (Area Watch and Sanction Inspection).

Which regulation sets emission limits for stationary sources such as boilers and kilns?

Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 1978.

How long after the Clean Air Regulations came into force did new facilities have to meet the strictest ‘Standard C’?

Immediately, upon commissioning.

List three substances explicitly limited under Malaysia’s ‘gases’ category for stationary emission.

Hydrogen chloride, hydrogen sulfide, oxides of nitrogen (others: chlorine, acid gas, etc.).

What are the four industry classes used in Site Suitability Evaluation?

Light Industry A, Light Industry B, Medium Industry, Heavy Industry (plus Special Industry in guidelines).

For a Medium Industry plant, what minimum buffer distance from residential areas is recommended?

250 meters.

How many categories of prescribed activities trigger mandatory EIA in Malaysia?

19 categories (e.g., airports, forestry, industry, waste treatment).

At what production threshold does a cement plant become an EIA-prescribed activity?

Clinker throughput of 30 tonnes per hour or more.

Which two stages make up Malaysia’s EIA review process?

Preliminary Assessment and, if required, Detailed Assessment.

Who sits on the Review Panel for Detailed EIA reports?

Independent experts and consultants appointed by the DOE Director-General.

What must a factory do if it intends to alter processes that generate new scheduled wastes?

Notify the DOE within one month, detailing category and quantity of the new waste.

What is the maximum fine for offences involving scheduled wastes after the 1996 EQA amendment?

500,000 Malaysian ringgit.

Which Act (year) governs protected wildlife in Malaysia and is separate from industrial pollution control?

Protection of Wildlife Act 1972.

Name two pollutants whose atmospheric lead levels dropped after Malaysia’s fuel reforms.

Lead itself (from unleaded petrol) and associated particulate lead compounds.

What does IMP2 (1996-2005) criticise about Malaysia’s first Industrial Master Plan?

Lack of effective industrial linkage between foreign affiliates and local companies, including environmental collaboration.

Which Malaysian ministry oversees global-warming matters rather than the DOE?

Malaysian Meteorological Service (with energy policy aspects handled by the Ministry of Energy, Communications & Multimedia).

What year did Malaysia ratify the Basel Convention, tightening controls on hazardous-waste exports?

1993.

Give one example of a preventive environmental program promoted by the DOE beyond classic regulation.

Encouraging companies to adopt ISO 14001 environmental management systems (others: environmental audits, environmental fund proposals).