Browsing by Author "NORHAYATI MOHD TAHIR"

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    BEHAVIOUR OF WATER QUALITY PARAMETERS DURING EBB TIDE IN DUNGUN RIVER ESTUARY, TERENGGANU
    (Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 2008) NORHAYATI MOHD TAHIR; SUHAIMI SURATMAN; NOOR AZHAR MOHD SHAZILI; MARINAH MOHD ARIFFIN; MOHD SHAFARIL MOHD AMIN; NIK FARIS MALIK NIK ISKANDAR ARIFF; WAN NOR HASMIZAN WAN SULAIMAN
    A study has been carried out to determine the behaviour of selected water quality (WQ) parameters in Dungun river estuary. Samplings were carried out twice during october 2001 under similar tidal conditions (ebb tide) whereby samples were collected as a function of salinity i.e. along the salinity gradients from 0 ppt (freshwater end-member) to 31 ppt (coastal water end-member). WQ parameters monitored were the general physical parameters (viz. temperature, ph, dissolved oxygen, suspended solids and redox potential), dissolved metals (copper, cadmium and lead), dissolved nutrients (nitrogen- and phosphate-based nutrients) and chlorophyll-a. The physical water quality parameters were measured in situ using a multi-parameter data logger whilst nutrients and chlorophyll-a analyses were carried out based on the colorimetric method. Dissolved metals were analysed using gf-aaS technique following the pre-concentration step using aPDC-MiBk method. Results in general indicated that most of the parameters measured appear to behave non-conservatively with salinity. in the case of nutrients, with the exception of nitrate which exhibited removal behaviour, all other nitrogen- and phosphorus-based nutrients, exhibited addition behaviour in the estuary. Cadmium and lead were also found to behave in a non-conservative manner in the estuary i.e. positive deviation was observed for cadmium whilst lead exhibited a negative deviation from the theoretical dilution line. These observations suggest that the estuary act as a source for cadmium but a sink for lead. Copper on the hand exhibited a linear relationship with salinity indicating a conservative distribution along the estuary. Results obtained in the present study clearly show the different behaviour of a given water quality parameter in the estuary and also illustrate the important role played by Dungun River estuary in modifying the nutrient and metal concentrations during the transportation from the river to the coastal waters.
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    HE LAWS AND POLICIES FOR THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF BIODIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA
    (Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 2013) WAN IZATUL ASMA WAN TALAAT; NORHAYATI MOHD TAHIR; MOHD HAZMI MOHD RUSLI; MOHD LOKMAN HUSAIN
    Biodiversity conservation and management in a sustainable manner is crucial for Malaysia and having suffcient laws and policy providing for such is mandatory. As a Contracting Party to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Malaysia has undertaken to abide by what has been stipulated by the CBD and to endeavour to provide legislative, administrative and policy measures towards achieving the objectives and expectation of the CBD. Among the frst measures taken by Malaysia was the conduct of a country survey on biological diversity cumulating in the “Assessment of Biological Diversity in Malaysia” in 1997, which was immediately followed by the launching of the National Policy on Biological Diversity on 16th July 1998. Malaysia has also taken the steps to provide legislative implementation of the broad objectives of the Policy by putting in place three specifc legislationsnamely the Biosafety Act 2007 (Act 678), the Access to Genetic Resources Act and the National Biodiversity Council Act, both of which are still in the bill stage. This paper aims to provide an overview of the existing laws and policy in Malaysia that subscribe to the effort of sustainable management of natural resources and determine the suffciency of these laws and policy in providing for biodiversity conservation and management in Malaysia as sanctioned by the CBD. This research methodology employed aqualitative study carried out via content analysis on the data collected from the primary sources namely the National Policy of Biological Diversity (NPB) as well as the numerous federal legislations. The research tool used for data analysis is the Rule of Statutory Interpretation, which is the same tool used by the judges. The fndings reveal that the Vision Statement and the Policy Statement of the NPB undeniably emphasize Malaysia’s commitment towards the conservation and sustainable use of her biological diversity heritage for the sustainable progress of the nation. However, it is also found that the current legislative framework creates some restrictions, thereby causing some defciencies for an effective conservation and management of biological diversity in the country.
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    SOURCES OF POLYCYLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS IN MANGROVE SEDIMENTS OF PULAU CIK WAN DAGANG, KEMAMAN.
    (Journal of Sustainability Science and Management, 2011) NORHAYATI MOHD TAHIR; MUHAMMAD FAIS FADZIL; JURIFFAH ARIFFIN; HAIRUNAZIFAH MAAROP; ABDUL KHALIK HJ WOOD
    In this study, the distributions of policyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in surface sediments of fifteen stations from a small mangrove island located within the estuary of Kemaman River were determined. Sediments were soxhlet extracted using a 1:1 mixture of dicholoromethane and hexane as solvent. Desulphurisation was done using mercury treatment while fractionation was done using silica-alumina column chromatography technique. The hydrocarbons were detected using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometer (GCMS). Results showed that total identifed PAHs (TIP) ranged between 0.12 – 1.42 mg g-1. Regardless of site, the most common compounds detected were those of higher molecular weight largely known to be associated with combustion of fuel materials. A strong correlation exists between benzo[ghi] perylene and TIP suggested that combustion of fuel materials (vehicular emissions) could be a major contributor of PAHs to these sediments. Based on the strategic location of the island within the Kemaman estuary, it is postulated that the most likely sources of the PAHs compounds are runoffs and atmospheric deposition from various related activities from Chukai Township and from maritime sources such as discharges from ships and fishing boats.