THUR~DAY,NOVEMBER 24, 2016 THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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Beware the impacton environment

HERE is nothing muchthat can be done to pre-vent flash floods in low-lying areas in thecoastal region following

the high-tide phenomenon. High-tide floods are caused by gravi-tational force, which is a naturalphenomenon occurring frequentlythroughout the world of late. Theoccurrence of super moon fromtime to time is somewhat related tothis. This annual natural phe-nomenon hit the coastal regionfrom Oct 16 to 18 With a greatimpact on the environment com-pared with the previous years. Theenvironmental impact of such na-ture would have. far-reaching im-plications on human lives and agri-culture in the country in duecourse.Scientists tend to believe that

'. open burning throughout the+ world has resulted in the emissionof greenhouse gases, such as car-bon dioxide, into the atmospherethat blanket the Earth, making itwarmer. As of now, the level ofcarbon dioxide in the atmospherehas reached 400ppm, almost dou-ble the amount compared with be-fore the industrial revolution.The worldwide increase in. tem-

peratures on the Earth surfacehelps accelerate global warming. InParis this year. 19S countriespledged to contain the temperatureincrease by up to 2°C to avoid dis-asters from happening interms of rise in se~ levels and vi-

olent weather conditions.Global cooling and warming in

the history of Earth are a naturalphenomenon, occurring intermit-tently for a period of time. How-ever, human activities have has-tened the process. Evidence fromstudies conducted worldwidepoints towards that direction. Theincrease in Earth's terriperaturewill melt ice in the polar regions ofthe globe that results In-the rise ofsea level, which can be felt inSoutheast Asia, too.Studies show that the sea level

increases by a few millimetres peryear. So far, the sea level has goneup by almost 1m compared with100 years ago. If the trend con-tinues as scientists have predicted,I cannot imagine what will happento the lowlands near the coastalparts of our country and othercountries. The rise in sea level dueto global warming will make thehigh-tide flood phenomenonworse. Some had predicted thatthis could happen in the east coaststates of the peninsula nextmonth.For all we know, the 1m rise in sea

level could flood the lowlands of. Southeast Asia. The environmentalconsequences cannot be describedin words. Global warming can alsodeteriorate weather patterns acrossthe globe. Nowadays, we experi-ence stronger typhoons, violentstorms and heavier rainfall. Themost' affected countries are thePhilippines, China, Taiwan and

Japan. The recent HurricaneMatthew that created havoc inHaiti and Florida, the UnitedStates, is a case in point.If what had been mentioned in

Parliament is anything to go by, weare not spared this wrath of nature.According to the forecast by a gov-ernment agency, in some coastalareas of Malaysia, the sea levelcould rise by as much as O.Sm to1m. The minister -in charge men-tioned that about 18 per cent ofMalaysia would be flooded due tothe rise in sea level in 2100. Whatdoes this mean to those living nearthe sea when this environmentaldisaster comes in full force? Howdo we save our lives and those welove?To prove my point, check what :

happened in our backyard lastyear. Then, use this to predict whatcould possibly happen should thetrend in temperature rise continueto haunt us.A friend from theeast coast state

of the Peninsular Malaysia showedme photographs of the areas af-fected by the high -tide phe-·nomenon last year, which wasrather scary. The Oct 16-to-18 high-.tide phenomenon had proved be-yond doubt that it could occuragain in the coastal regions of thepeninsula, with similar likely sce-narios.. Another friend, who used to

work in Port Klang for many years,told me that the level of springtides around the port had in-

Send

The world experiences stronger typhoons, violent storms and heavierrainfall now. . .creased (4m to Srn) compared with

in Langkawi or Kuantan (about 3m)in recent years.But the highest level reached in

the vicinity of Port Klang from Oct16 to 18 at the height of the high-tide phenomenon was S.6m. toS.7m. What does this mean to theareas surrounding the port? This

will result in ships berthed at theport to collide with each other.There could be material damagenot only to the ships but also to thesurrounding lowlands.Land degradation is vanojher

.matter of concern to the stake-holders in the areas.Salt from the seawater will in- ,

crease the electrical conductivity(EC) of the soils. An EC value ofmore than 4dSjm is disastrous tocrops such as rice.I am concerned about the rice

fields in the coastal regions of thewest coast of the Peninsular

Malaysia should the high-tide I

floods of that magnitude recur.

IIIDR J. SHAMSUDDIN.Research fellow, Faculty of Agritulture,Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, .Se,langor