Suchergebnisse

AbstractMalaysia has, since the turn of the 21st century, formally adopted Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as the way forward to sustainably manage its water resources. This paradigm shift has also been embodied in the National Water Resources Policy formally launched in March 2012. The adoption of IWRM marks a clear shift away from past fragmented and sectoral management practices. The recent endorsement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by Malaysia has further reiterated that IWRM will be implemented at all levels by the year 2030. Despite the formal declaration and adoption of the IWRM policy, its implementation to‐date has yet to gain adequate traction on a national scale. Fragmented management of the water sector both at the Federal and State levels is a legacy from the past which continues as the institutional norm. There is a need for IWRM awareness raising, advocacy, and capacity building. This includes training and education programs, modular and material development, communication, and delivery system, facilities establishment, and appropriate governance mechanisms to improve the current water management system and practices in Malaysia, as well as ensure local participation and governance. This approach will also polish the shortcoming through the mobilization of all institutional and community stakeholders toward the implementation of the IWRM agenda nation‐wide.

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the global public health system and led to many deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is highly contagious and can be spread by symptomatic or asymptomatic individuals. As such, determining the risk of infection within a community is difficult. To mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19, the government of Malaysia implemented seven phases of the movement control order (MCO) from 18 March to 31 December 2020. However, the socioeconomic cost was substantial despite the effectiveness of the MCO in bringing down cases of infection. As noted by the Prime Minister of Malaysia, the final criterion that should be met is community empowerment. In other words, community-based mitigation measures through which communities unite to contain the pandemic are essential before the completion of the vaccination program. As a measure for controlling the pandemic, mitigation strategies in the new normal should be feasible, practical, and acceptable to communities. In this paper, we present a deliberation of a set of community-based monitoring criteria to ensure health and well-being in communities, such as efficacy, technicality, feedback, and sustainability. The proposed criteria will be instrumental in developing community-based monitoring initiatives to achieve the desired goals in coping with the pandemic as well as in empowering communities to be part of the governance process.

BACKGROUND: The Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) was developed to enhance chemical classification and hazard communication systems worldwide. However, some of the elements such as building blocks and data sources have the potential to cause "disharmony" to the GHS, particularly in its classification results. It is known that some countries have developed their own lists of classified chemicals in accordance with the GHS to "standardize" the classification results within their respective countries. However, the lists of classified chemicals may not be consistent among these countries. METHOD: In this study, the lists of classified chemicals developed by the European Union, Japan, Malaysia, and New Zealand were selected for comparison of classification results for carcinogenicity, germ cell mutagenicity, and reproductive toxicity. RESULTS: The findings show that only 54%, 66%, and 37% of the classification results for each Carcinogen, Mutagen and Reproductive toxicants hazard classes, respectively are the same among the selected countries. This indicates a "moderate" level of consistency among the classified chemicals lists. CONCLUSION: By using classification results for the carcinogenicity, germ cell mutagenicity, and reproductive toxicity hazard classes, this study demonstrates the "disharmony" in the classification results among the selected countries. We believe that the findings of this study deserve the attention of the relevant international bodies.

Purpose
In Malaysia, research indicates that there is an interest amongst the stakeholders, namely, administrators and academicians to be engaged in education for sustainable development (SD), but it is rarely implemented as a part of the higher education curriculum due to various barriers. This paper aims to develop a framework for integrating SD concepts into the chemistry curriculum, using a case study approach.


Design/methodology/approach
This study was conducted at a local university located in Selangor, Malaysia, offering a foundation programme to students between 17 to 18 years of age. Data was collected using a qualitative approach that involved 12 experts as informants. The collected data was analysed via three coding stages, namely, open coding, category coding and thematic encoding using Atlas.ti 7.0 software.


Findings
The research revealed that six aspects contribute to the integration of SD concepts into the chemistry curriculum, namely, educational policy, awareness, resources, curriculum, pedagogical approach and stakeholders' engagement. The proposed framework was formulated by considering these aspects.


Originality/value
The findings of this study can be used as a guide to facilitate the integration of SD concepts into the chemistry curriculum. It is expected to encourage the involvement of more teachers in adopting sustainable chemistry teaching.

AbstractThis paper reports on a study of the institutional challenges and factors affecting policy processes and outcomes of integrated river basin management (IRBM) in the Langat River Basin (LRB), Malaysia. A case study approach using institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework was used, and field observations and interviews with local stakeholders of LRB were carried out. The study revealed that polycentric institutional arrangements under the Federal administration are likely capable of coordinating and integrating river basin management by extending the scope of an iterative learning through participation of individual stakeholder at the lowest appropriate level. There should also be an iterative learning mechanism within the interorganizational network for IRBM in LRB. This learning approach is conceptualized as social learning and accordingly a framework is recommended for LRB. The findings of this study would be useful to those who are concerned with successful IRBM implementation in LRB and elsewhere.