Grease Traps - Letter to Press

LETTER TO PRESS

6 October, 2008

Dear Sir,

I would be most grateful if you could allow me to use your Readers’ page to express my disappointment at the lack of responsibility in some of our government servants and the complete absence of accountability.

In this instance, I would like to only touch on grease traps as an illustration.

To protect our waterways like rivers, lakes, seas, etc., grease traps are mandatory at all eateries. It is bad enough that these are not inspected periodically to make sure that they serve the purpose they were intended for. How could an outlet not having any grease trap be licensed in the first place?




May I ask, isn’t this negligence of duty or corruption or both? Shouldn’t the person who approved the licencing of such outlets be taken to task by the department? Is this the case of the top can’t care less and the bottom just have a field day? When one is made aware of the rampant violations of laws and orders in this country one cannot help but feel that accountability does not exist.

Instead of having more NGOs taking an active part in projects like “Love Our Drains”, “Love Our rivers” and “Love Everything Under the Sun”, we should have only one campaign i.e. make the public servants have a career-long campaign called “Love Our Jobs”. This is to remind them that unless they perform they will be sacked without any exception. This should be more stringently applied to the heads than the subordinates.




In Section 7 Petaling Jaya, only a handful of outlets have grease traps working. Most of them have grease traps that are not maintained and some even without any installed. Ideally, all drain-outlets to rivers, lakes and all bodies of waters should have heavy-duty grease traps installed by the local authorities. This is to ensure even discharges from households and other outlets that are not required to install grease traps do not contaminate our lakes, rivers, etc.

After privatisation, we now have NGOs carrying out all sorts of gotong royong projects, is there anything left for the government servants to do, besides collecting money?

Sincerely,

Jack Lim
Vice President
Friends of Kelana Jaya Park

Korean Visitors

PRESS RELEASE
19 September 2008

South Korean Visitors come to Kelana Jaya Park

As part of a fact-finding trip, members of the Environmental Education Network of South Korea will visit Kelana Jaya Park on Sunday, 21 September 2008.
The visitors have included Kelana Jaya Park in their itinerary to learn how, in a Malaysian township, community participation is being encouraged to help rehabilitate the lakes in the park.

Community participation in this instance is being fostered mainly by Friends of Kelana Jaya Park, a club which comprises a multiethnic group of residents living in areas adjacent to the park.

Members of Friends of Kelana Jaya Park and staff of Global Environmental Control will host the visitors at 2:15 pm on Sunday, 21 September 2008 at the Landscape Department of MBPJ in Kelana Jaya. A short formal presentation will be followed by a tour of the park. About nine visitors from South Korea are expected to be present.

While Friends of Kelana Jaya Park has hosted visits in the past, this is the first time the club is welcoming international visitors to the park.

James T. Cherian
Asst. Secretary,
Friends of Kelana Jaya Park

FoKJP Visit to Tok Bali, Kelantan 11th -14th August 2008

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Ecofan installation


(Click to enlarge)

Note: First Ecofan installation was done on April 24^th 2008. However, due to some technical problems, only 2 units were installed. The next installation was on May, 14^th 2008; however the 4 units were not able to operate continuously. 4 units of new Ecofan were replaced on June 19^th 2008 and are completely functioning. Data taken on April 16^th and 18^th 2008 are less accurate due to heavy rainfall before sampling dates. Thus, data taken on April 24^th and May 16^th and 22^nd 2008 were more rational (in terms of accuracy) for analysis.


Ecofan


Installing the ecofan

- Courtesy Shafinaz Shahabudin

The Girl who Silenced the World for 5 Minutes

Severn Suzuki speaks at the UN Earth Summit 1992.
(Contributed by Jack Lim)

FoKJP Visit to Langkawi Geopark from 23rd - 25th June 2008

You get 3 lakes, not 1 pond

05 June 2008

You get 3 lakes, not 1 pond
By Halim Said
halimsaid@nstp.com.my

PETALING JAYA: Residents here have been assured that they will get three lakes and not only one pond for recreation. The Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has promised PJ residents the "full package" once the Kelana Jaya Park is gazetted. MBPJ public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid said this in response to a query by Friends of Kelana Jaya Park, an NGO, which claimed that the Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS) was handing over to the council only a pond at the park to be gazetted as a recreational area.

Haniza said the council's town planning department will submit an evaluation report of the lakes to the Petaling land office before it can be submitted to the State Government to be gazetted.

"We have to clarify that the process of gazetting the park involves the council's town planning department, the state government and land office," she said. "We start with the three lakes first, before proceeding with the pond owned by PKNS. We are appointing a surveyor to determine the boundaries for the park," she added.

Friends of Kelana Jaya Park secretary Musa K. Muhamad said their concern as not with the issue of the ponds per se, but the lakes being gazetted as a recreational area. "If the lakes are not gazetted as a recreational area, we fear that the land may be earmarked for more commercial development," he said.

He added that the society has prepared a memorandum demanding that the state government gazette the park, which will be handed over to Seri Setia state assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad soon.

"The promise to gazette the 42-hectare was made six years ago. We do not want more years to be wasted," he said.

It was reported that PKNS had promised to hand over the park to MBPJ for it to be gazetted as a recreational area. PKNS public relations manager Mohd Wazir Abdul Gani had said the park's handing-over process had been planned as far back as 2005, when the issue was raised with the then former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo in 2005.

Wazir confirmed yesterday PKNS had submitted the letter of handover for the pond (behind the Kelana Jaya Seafood restaurant) to MBPJ on Tuesday, to be gazetted as part of the Kelana Jaya park. Wazir clarified that the three lakes in the Kelana Jaya park are part of state government land and not owned by PKNS.

The move ends a long battle by residents who have pushed for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area after PKNS announced plans to build sfaff quarters on the site.

Following a protest by residents, Dr Mohd Khir promised that the land would be transferred to the council, but to date, residents were still awaiting the handover.

Alice Teh: A Walk in Kelana Jaya Park

SLIDE SHOW
Oct 21: A Walk in the Kelana Jaya Park by Alice Teh

Kelana Jaya Park Rangers: Community Lake Monitoring Programme

An interesting feature about the project is community participation. The outcome from previous Lake Community Monitoring Training has managed to engage the community to become Kelana Jaya Park Rangers responsible in monitoring lake water quality. The first Kelana Jaya Park Ranger Community Monitoring was conducted on Saturday, May 24th 2008 at 9.00 a.m.. The Park Ranger project is under the coordination of Mr. Jack Lim, Vice President of Friends of Kelana Jaya Park.

A short discussion was held among the rangers who came to monitor the lake. Based on the previous training they had acquired, the discussion was about methods of sampling in Lake 1. During the discussion, the rangers came out with questions such as what are the parameters involved in monitoring, how to monitor the parameters involved, when to monitor and where to monitor. These questions enabled them to come out with specific answers and directly facilitate their monitoring process. Therefore, they have come out with the following:

1. The Kelana Jaya Park Ranger will be monitoring Lake 1 via physical and chemical parameters.

2. Physical parameters will be assessing using Lake Report Card as well as snapping some pictures;

3. Chemical parameters will be assessing using Water Testing Kits which include the essential parameters to measure water quality which are:

• pH

• Dissolved oxygen

• Nitrogen

• Phosphate

• Turbidity

• Temperature

The Rangers have selected four sampling points to assess physical and chemical characteristic of Lake 1. Monitoring programme will be scheduled once in every month.


Park Rangers Sampling Location (Click to enlarge)

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Community Lake Monitoring Training Program

A Community training program was conducted on 28 January 2008 in the MBPJ Landscape Department premises.

A total of 38 participants from the neighbourhood areas were trained to be Kelana Jaya Park Rangers using lake modules which comprises of theory and practical (physical, biological and chemical monitoring).

PKNS confirms park handover in two weeks

PKNS confirms park handover in two weeks
by Halim Said

(Source: NSTonline, Friday 16 May 2008)

SUBANG JAYA: As promised the Selangor State Development Corporation will, in two weeks time, hand over the Kelana Jaya park to the Petaling Jaya City Council to be gazettted as a recreational area.

PKNS public relations manager Mohd Wazir Abdul Gani said the process of handing over the park, which also includes three lakes which is reserved as a water catchment pond, has been long planned since the issue was brought up to the former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo in 2005.

"Talks to surrender the park to the council began in 2005 but nothing concrete could be finalised.

"Land disputes usually take a long time," he added.

Mohd Wazir said PKNS was in the midst of finalising the content of the surrender-documents which he said he was not at liberty to disclose.

"The official handing over of the documents will be held in next two weeks.

"We will send the letter to MBPJ notifying them of the hand over," he said.

He added after MBPJ had received the letter, PKNS would wait for their response before further action was taken.

Meanwhile, MBPJ public relations director Haniza Abdul Hamid, when informed of PKNS' decision on the hand over, said that she will refer the matter to the council's Town Planning department.

"The department will go through the documents once we receive it from PKNS and proceed from there on according to the specifications of lake management," she said.

However, Haniza said MBPJ would still hold a meeting with PKNS to assess the park hand-over matter.

"At the moment we have yet to receive anything in black and white from PKNS."

It was reported in Streets recently that Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad is pushing for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area for the Kelana Jaya residents.

In the report, Taman Kelana Indah Residents' Association vice-president Musa Mohamad said the residents have been fighting for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area for the past six years.

PKNS had earlier planned to build workers quarters for its staff which drew protest from the Kelana Jaya residents. Following the protest, Dr Mohd Khir Toyo promised that the land ownership would be transferred to the council but nothing had happened until now.

The park, near the PKNS Sports Complex, has three lakes, making it an ideal recreational area for the residents.

MBPJ employees plant trees

(Source: the Star online 14 May 2008)

It was a significant moment for many staff members of the Petaling Jaya City Council as they planted tree saplings on the grounds of the Kelana Jaya Park as part of the local authority’s effort to save the environment.

To make it more meaningful, a sign that carried the name of the individual who planted the tree was erected next to the sapling.

Some early morning joggers stopped and helped the staff to plant the trees.

The effort was part of the council’s Tree Planting Program with the tagline ‘One Staff, Five Trees’. They were joined by Seri Setia state assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad and representatives from Friends of Kelana Jaya Park.

(Nik Nazmi (in red cap) helping a MBPJ staff member plant a tree)

“This program helps to create a healthy and green environment for the community and it is a positive step that encourages the local community to take part in preserving the environment. It is a responsibility that everyone must take on,” Nik Nazmi said.

The program was launched last year in the PJS10 neighbourhood and was spearheaded by the council’s management service department where they planted trees in Taman Aman. This time around 170 and 105 staff members from the engineering and landscape department respectively decided to do their part for the Kelana Jaya Park. Nearly 1,500 trees were planted, including Ochanostachys amentace, Melaleuca cajuputi Powell, Neobalanocarpus heimii, and Tamarindus indica.

The employees were assigned to different zones in the park where they planted various trees and botanical plants deemed appropriate.

“This is a good opportunity for the staff to mingle with each other and promote environmental awareness. We must realise the importance of our roles, no matter how small, in helping to reduce the effect of global warming,” said MBPJ secretary cum acting mayor Puasa Md Taib.

“We hope to be able to plant 8,620 trees by the end of the program where 1724 of it will be canopy trees and 6,896 botanical plants,” said Puasa.

Kempen Tanam Pokok MBPJ

Majlis Bandaraya Petaling Jaya (MBPJ) telah mengadakan kempen tanam pokok "1 kakitangan 5 pokok" bagi Jabatan Landskap & Jabatan Kejuruteraan MBPJ bermula pada jam 8.00 pagi hari Selasa 13 Mei 2008. Aturcara penanaman pokok beramai-ramai bersama pegawai dan kakitangan MBPJ yang bertempat di Taman Bandaran Kelana Jaya ini telah diresmikan oleh ADUN Selangor YB Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

Sebilangan AJK Friends of Kelana Jaya Park yang diketuai oleh presiden Tuan Syed Khalid Syed Ahmad juga telah dijemput ikut serta.

Berikut adalah beberapa foto aktiviti tersebut:

Visit to FRIM

The FoKJP committee visited the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) on Wednesday 7 May 2008.

Below are several photos of the visit.













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Kelana Jaya park to be gazetted?
From NST, 08/05/08

by Azira Shaharuddin



PETALING JAYA: Kelana Jaya residents' wish for their community park in SS7 here to be gazetted as a recreational area will soon materialise, if Seri Setia assemblyman Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has his way.

At a recent meeting with residents, Nik Nazmi said he would push for the park, owned by Selangor State Development Corporation (PKNS), to be turned into a recreational park for residents in the area.

"I will be meeting with PKNS to ensure that they hand over the land to Petaling Jaya Municipal Council as promised by the previous state government," he said.

Nik Nazmi said in his opinion, the park should not be developed as it is the biggest recreational area for the residents there. He said he was aware of the issue as in 2005, the former Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohd Khir Toyo had promised to hand over the land to the then Petaling Jaya Municipal Council, following protest by residents against the proposed development of PKNS workers' quarters on the park.

"However, until today, the hand-over has yet to be finalised.

"I will make sure that the hand-over will be completed soon," he said, after the meeting with the residents.

Nik Nazmi said that after he had enquired the matter, the council confirmed that the hand-over was still pending.

The park, near the PKNS Sports Complex, has three lakes, making it an ideal recreational area for the residents in the area. Several years ago, PKNS had proposed that the park would be developed, receiving criticism from the residents. Upset with the proposal, residents staged a protest against the proposal and demanded the park be gazzetted as a recreational area.

Following the protest, Dr Mohd Khir promised that the land ownership would be transferred to the council but until today, it has yet to materialise.

Nik Nazmi said the residents did not want the park to be developed as the lakes could also act as water catchment areas for the area. "If they develop the land, the flash flood problem in the area will worsen," he said.

He said in the meeting, the residents had also voiced out their concerns on flash flood problem in the area.

"The council had informed me that steps are being taken to curb the problem," he said, adding that he was told that several monsoon drains in Petaling Jaya and Sungai would be widened. The residents had also submitted a memorandum to Nik Nazmi, highlighting other issues for the latter to look into. "I cannot promise that I could solve all the problems. However, I will give my best," he said.

Taman Kelana Indah Residents' Association vice-president Musa Mohamad said the residents had been fighting for the park to be gazetted as a recreational area for the past six years.

"We hope that our state assemblyman can make it happen," said Musa, who is also a member of Friends of Kelana Jaya Park.

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World Wetlands Day
26 February 2006

This year World Wetlands Day was celebrated at Taman Tasik Bandaran Kelana Jaya on Sunday 26 February 2006. This is the first time Wetlands International together with co-organisers i.e. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) and Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ) celebrated this event together. The theme selected for this event was `Wetlands and Water - Supporting Life, Sustaining Livelihoods'.

The event was officiated by Puan Zuraidah Sainan, the director of Landscape Department of Petaling Jaya Municipal Council (MPPJ). She was accompanied by the organisers, Dr. Sundari Ramakrishna, director of Wetlands International-Malaysia, Mr. Lee Lih Shyan, the Local Agenda 21 officer of MPPJ and the Ramsar officer from Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Mr. Azhar Noraini.

The other organisations that supported the event were Friends of Kelana Jaya Park, Global Environment Centre and Malaysian Angling Association. They helped to make this event a great success!

The activities held during the celebration were:
1. Wetland awareness talks
2. Primary school children drawing contest
3. Wetland poster and photograph exhibition
4. Wetland planting programme
5. Wetland treasure hunt
6. Alien fish removal programme
7. Wetland book sale

Approximately 500 people participated in the event including 52 primary school students in the drawing contest, 30 people in the wetland treasure hunt and 150 anglers in the alien fish removal programme.

The link between Wetlands, Water and Livelihoods was highlighted during the exhibition. Posters and pictures depicting the importance of wetlands for livelihood were displayed by Wetlands International and Global Environment Centre. While MPPJ exhibited on community activities developed in Kelana Jaya area and Malaysian Angling Association displayed on dangers of alien species in Malaysian waters.



For the drawing contest the primary students were required to draw based on the theme of World Wetlands Day, Wetlands and Water – Supporting Live and Sustaining Livelihood. The children were very creative and had fun drawing and colouring. The first 3 prizes of category II (Standard 4-6) was won by Serena Yong, Winson Chan and Vivian Teoh, while Ng Hann Jane, Teoh Ting Kai and Kang Tze Xin won the first 3 prizes of category I (Standard 1-3).



The anglers drew in the crowd during the fishing competition. They removed a total of 100 kg of alien fish species e.g. the Carp, Jaguar Cichlid, Plecostomus (ikan bandaraya), Tilapia and Africa Keli. After the competition, representatives from the Malaysian Angling Association released a total of 386 local indigenous fish of 7 different species which included Giant Snakehead (Toman), River Barb (Lampam Sungai), Climbing Perch (Puyu), Knifefish (Ikan Selat), River Catfish (Baung), Sultan fish (Jelawat) and Rasbora (Seluang) into the lake. This competition aimed to educate the public on the dangers of alien fish species in our waters and the damage that they invoke upon the indigenous species. At the end of the fishing competition, the Angling Association also removed more alien fish by a netting exercise.

In the wetland planting programme a total of 200 wetland plants comprising 4 different species i.e. Tube Sedge Lepironia articulata, Common Reed Phragmites karka, Spike Rush Eleocharis dulcis and Cattail Typha angustifolia were planted by the volunteers from Friends of Kelana Jaya Park, Global Environment Centre, Wetlands International and 12 college students from Institute Teknologi Utama, Kelana Jaya.

The importance of wetlands and the problems and challenges faced by the Kelana Jaya Lakes was discussed during the awareness talk. It was a good platform for all stakeholders to address water quality and other environmental issues and to decide on the best method to further improve the environmental condition of the lake area.