Semarak Climate Science Letters

The Effects of Landslides on River Sedimentation and Water Quality: Insights from the Batang Penar River, Malaysia

Siti Nurhidayu Abu Bakar — 2024-12-26

Landslides pose a significant environmental threat in tropical forested catchments, as they can severely impact water quality and increase sedimentation in downstream rivers. This study evaluates the effects of landslides that occurred on December 18, 2021, in the Berembun Forest on the water quality of the Batang Penar River. Precipitation data and water quality parameters for 2021-2022 were recorded by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) at 15-minute intervals and by the Department of Environment (DOE) at two-month intervals. The analysis focused on changes in Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), and Ammoniacal Nitrogen (AN), as well as their correlations with rainfall. Statistical methods, including T-tests, simple regression, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, were employed to assess the landslide impacts. The results indicated a significant increase in TSS (66.833 to 132.28 mg/L, p = 0.0143) following the landslides, while variations in BOD (1.23 to 0.92 mg/L, p = 0.1767), COD (10.63 to 10.00 mg/L, p = 0.4640), and AN (0.10 to 0.03 mg/L, p = 0.0912) were not statistically significant. The correlation between rainfall and both TSS (0.2287 to 0.2533, p < 0.05) and COD (0.3422 to 0.3849, p < 0.05) strengthened post-landslide, suggesting enhanced sedimentation. Notable spatial and temporal variations in water quality were also observed across sampling stations. The findings highlight the measurable impact of landslides on water quality especially parameter TSS, underscoring the importance of implementing effective landslide prevention and post-event rehabilitation strategies to mitigate sedimentation and safeguard water resources.

Examining Recreational Experiences using Social-Ecological Framework for Urban Park Planning

Ain Zatul Nabilah Rosman — 2024-12-26

The social-ecological framework provides a comprehensive interdisciplinary approach in natural resources management, focusing on the dynamic interactions between social, situational and ecological elements within recreational settings. This framework is particularly relevant in urban contexts, while recreational forests and parks play critical role in providing sustainability and ecological well-being in the area. The value of natural settings is not limited to ecosystem services providers only, but also in their capacity to enhance social cohesion and recreational experiences among urban residents. Therefore, understanding the interplay between these factors is essential. Understanding the value of recreational forest and its ecological services are important in promoting sustainable city. This study examined the influence of social, situational and ecological factors towards visitors coping behaviour, their decision-making and overall satisfaction while being in the Johor Bahru Recreational Park. This study employed structured questionnaire for primary data collection and a total of 360 respondents were involved. Descriptive statistics analysis was conducted to assists in the data analysis process. The findings of this study showed that majority of respondents do agree that they are interested in creating social interaction while making new friends, but the layout of the park did not allow any social interaction between visitors. By applying the social-ecological framework, this study offers valuable recommendations to understand on how urban parks can be better managed to support both environmental sustainability and community well-being thus advancing the goals of sustainable city planning.

Geographically Varying Relationship of Dengue Incidence with Climate Factors in Malaysia

Jamaludin Suhaila — 2024-12-26

Dengue, a mosquito-borne arboviral disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes, has been a growing public health burden. Since dengue data is collected spatially, non-stationarity in the data series is possible. Therefore, we employ a Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model to ascertain the correlation between dengue incidence and location-specific predictor factors. Nevertheless, because GWR is based on conventional least squares, it has several drawbacks, including the inability to consider non-continuous variables, non-linear relationships, or non-Gaussian error distributions. Therefore, this study suggests a hybrid model called a Generalised Geographically Weighted Regression (GGWR), which combines Geographically Weighted Regression and a Generalised Linear Model (GLM) to address these flaws. This study aims to examine the influence of climate factors on the increase of dengue incidence in Malaysia and to establish their relationship using the proposed GGWR model. Stationarity and spatial autocorrelation assumptions will be evaluated using the Breusch-Pagan and Moran's tests, respectively, while normality will be assessed through the Jarque-Bera test. In addition, since the data series shows a problem of overdispersion, a negative binomial is proposed. Compared to GLM, the GGWR model offers a superior fit based on the minimum Akaike information criterion. This study also found that the GGWR negative binomial performed better than the GGWR Poisson regression based on the mean square errors in dealing with the overdispersion problem. The GGWR and GLM models demonstrated that climate factors substantially influence dengue incidence. The proposed GGWR model provides a more robust framework for understanding the spatial variability in dengue outbreaks, offering valuable insights for policymakers to devise more effective preventive strategies to mitigate the spread of the disease. The contributions of the study lie in developing and applying the GGWR model, which addresses key limitations of traditional GWR and GLM approaches, providing a more refined tool for analysing spatially varying relationships in public health data.

Exploring Underutilised Crops for Food Security and Economic Resilience: Insights from the ASSESSCROP Project's Pilot Community Intervention

Advina Julkifle — 2024-12-26

In Malaysia, food and nutrition insecurity still exists, especially amongst lower-income households. Studies have shown that underutilised crops, known for their nutrient rich profile, present an opportunity to address nutrient deficiencies while potentially contributing to economic improvement. However, their adoption remains limited, due to lack of awareness and market integration. The ASSESSCROP Phase 2 project introduces a pilot community intervention programme to raise awareness about underutilised crops, enhance their adoption, and assess their impact on income levels. The intervention targeted women entrepreneurs from the bottom 40% (B40) income household to lead the transformation and market integration of underutilised crops. This paper will examine the impact of the programme on the underutilised crops adoption and participants' income levels, as well as assessing the overall feasibility of the intervention. The pilot intervention followed a mixed-method approach with six key components including entrepreneurship skills training, product development workshops and providing a support system. The pilot community intervention programme demonstrated the positive impact of promoting underutilised crops. Participants exhibited a better understanding of the value of underutilised crops, leading to improvements in their income levels and business growth. Additionally, participants reported positive changes in their lifestyle, health, and social relationships. Overall, the intervention empowered participants by enhancing their economic outcomes, business expansion, and well-being. The feasibility of the programme was also demonstrated through these positive results, with recommendations for future enhancement. This intervention had demonstrated the potential of underutilised crops to boost economic opportunities, particularly for marginalised groups. Future interventions should consider expanding the outreach to a more diverse population, addressing logistical challenges such as access to raw material, and providing additional support to caregivers. These findings offer valuable insights for integrating underutilised crops into resilient food systems and fostering sustainable food entrepreneurship.

The Mediating Role of Environmental Knowledge on Energy Conserving Behaviour

Noor Asiah Hassan — 2024-12-26

The rapid increase in energy consumption and the limited availability of resources in developing countries highlight the pressing need for energy conservation strategies. Despite this, there is limited research on what drives energy-conserving behaviours among university students. This study examines the mediating role of environmental knowledge in fostering energy conservation behaviours among Malaysian university students. A sample of 400 students, selected randomly from various faculties, was analysed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to evaluate the relationships between attitude, environmental knowledge, and energy conservation behaviours. The findings revealed that environmental knowledge not only had a significant direct effect on energy conservation behaviour but also fully mediated the relationship between attitude and behaviour. Model fit indices (RMSEA = 0.072, CFI = 0.953, TLI = 0.943, ChiSq/df = 2.585) indicated a good fit to the data, supporting the hypothesized relationships. These results highlight the importance of integrating environmental knowledge into university curricula to cultivate sustainable practices among students. Future research should investigate these dynamics across different contexts to develop effective interventions for promoting energy conservation.