Mengarusperdana GIS dalam Menghadapi Cabaran Negara

1. Di peringkat global, teknologi GIS ini telah berkembang dan telah diguna pakai dalam menyelesai pelbagai isu kompleks yang dihadapi di seluruh dunia. Teknologi ini digunakan secara berkesan dalam bidang-bidang seperti pertahanan, pembangunan infrastruktur, pembangunan luar bandar, pengurusan sumber asli dan tanah serta pemeliharaan alam sekitar. GIS juga digunakan secara meluas untuk pemantauan kejadian-kejadian bencana alam seperti banjir, gempa bumi, pemanasan global dan lain-lain lagi. Dalam konteks ini, penggunaan maklumat geospatial secara optimum adalah merupakan salah satu aspek utama yang diyakini akan dapat membantu menangani permasalahan dengan lebih cekap dan berkesan serta pantas.

2. Dalam hubungan ini, sukacita saya berkongsi pengalaman mengenai lawatan teknikal saya bersama Lembaga Jurukur Tanah Semenanjung Malaysia ke negara Belanda pada bulan Mei yang lalu. Saya telah berpeluang melawati satu organisasi yang dikenali ‘Dutch Kadaster’ di mana penggunaan data geospatial yang optimum di dalam GIS dalam memantau aspek pembangunan negara. Sistem GIS yang dibangunkan di sana mampu memantau aktiviti-aktiviti pembangunan secara on-line dan real-time. Sebagai contoh, terdapat hampir 3,000 aktiviti korek-mengorek tanah bagi tujuan pepasangan utiliti bawah tanah yang berjalan di seluruh negara Belanda dan ianya dapat dipantau setiap hari secara on-line dan real-time di Pusat Kawalan Dutch Kadaster. Operator di Dutch Kadaster yang memantau aktiviti korek-mengorek ini mengetahui maklumat terperinci bila aktiviti akan bermula, bila akan selesai, berapa jam diperlukan untuk menutup laluan jalan sekiranya perlu dan lain-lain lagi. Inilah yang dikatakan sebagai “SPATIALLY ENABLED GOVERNMENT” di mana semua maklumat geospatial dapat digunakan dengan berkesan dalam semua aspek sama ada untuk pembangunan negara atau pun mengawal bencana alam seperti projek ‘flood mitigation’, kebakaran dan lain-lain lagi.

3. Apakah rahsia di sebalik kejayaan Negara Belanda menjadikan “SPATIALLY ENABLED GOVERNMENT” (SEG) dan juga “SPATIALLY ENABLED SOCIETY” (SES) ini ? Saya rasa rahsia kejayaan ini adalah tidak lain tidak bukan dengan penggunaan data geospatial secara optimum yang mungkin, di mana data-data ini dapat dikongsi dan diintegrasikan oleh agensi-agensi yang mempunyai data geospatial melalui satu platform yang dipanggil Spatial Data Infrastructure atau SDI. Saya difahamkan bahawa negara Belanda juga mempunyai perundangan yang khusus untuk geospatial yang mana ia mengawal dan menggalakkan perkongsian data geospatial di kalangan Agensi Kerajaan, swasta dan pengguna.

4. Memandangkan faedah dan manfaat teknologi GIS amat meluas, maka negara kita juga harus terus membangunkan teknologi ini untuk menghadapi pelbagai cabaran masa kini dan masa akan datang. Teknologi GIS sudah pasti mempunyai potensi yang besar dalam membantu merangsangkan lagi pembangunan negara. Terutamanya, saya yakin ia akan memudahkan perancangan dan pelaksanaan pelbagai program untuk mencapai sasaran-sasaran Petunjuk Prestasi Utama (KPI) di pelbagai peringkat Kerajaan serta matlamat Bidang Keberhasilan Utama Negara (NKRA), model Model Baru Ekonomi (MBE) dan Rancangan Malaysia Ke-10.

5. Penggunaan GIS secara meluas oleh agensi-agensi Kerajaan berupaya membawa perubahan yang nyata dan berkesan dalam aspek pengurusan dan pentadbiran. Melalui penggunaan GIS, ia dapat membantu kerja-kerja perancangan dan pentadbiran maklumat berkaitan dengan harta tanah, perhutanan, pertanian, alam sekitar, pengangkutan, bencana alam, kawalan wabak penyakit, pemantauan kejadian jenayah dan lain-lain. Malah yang paling utama, penggunaan GIS merupakan satu lonjakan besar dalam gerakan kualiti dan usaha mewujudkan perkhidmatan lebih berkesan dan bersistematik.

6. Dalam usaha menangani cabaran negara ketika ini, saya ingin menarik perhatian ke atas keprihatinan kerajaan mengenai isu alam sekitar termasuk pemanasan global dan bencana alam. Isi-isu ini perlu ditangani dengan bijaksana menggunakan kepakaran dan teknologi termasuk teknologi GIS, di samping menggunakan instrumen-instrumen lain seperti penilaian impak alam sekitar (EIA), penilaian strategik alam sekitar (SEA) serta analisis kos faedah untuk menilai dan mengurangkan impak aktiviti pembangunan terhadap penduduk dan alam sekitar.

7. Saya amat gembira untuk melihat negara kita juga sedang mengorak langkah menuju ke arah SEG dan SES. Pelbagai agensi Kerajaan seperti JUPEM, Jabatan Pertanian, Agensi Remote Sensing Malaysia, Jabatan Kerja Raya, Unit Perancang Ekonomi, Jabatan Penilaian Dan Perkhidmatan Harta dan lain-lain telah lama terlibat dalam penggunaan teknologi GIS. Pada tahun 1997, NaLIS (National Infrastructure for Land Information System) telah ditubuhkan bagi memudahkan perkongsian data di kalangan agensi-agensi kerajaan yang terlibat dalam urusan tanah. Seterusnya pada tahun 2002, MaCGDI (Malaysia Centre for Geospatial Data Infrastructure) ditubuhkan bagi menggantikan Unit NaLIS memandangkan peranan dan tanggungjawab dalam pembangunan infrastruktur data geospatial semakin meluas dan mencabar.

Liability and Redress under the context of Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

1. Malaysia, one of the 12 megadiverse country in this planet and home to the world’s oldest rainforest. Being a megadiverse country, Malaysia puts great emphasis on one of the most challenging issue facing us today - biosafety.

2. Biosafety ensures the potential adverse impact of modern biotechnology is minimised and managed in a manner that it does not have a negative impact on biodiversity and human health.

3. We all recognize that modern biotechnology is a new knowledge intensive technology which is fast growing and if used ethically and wisely has the potential to address some of the problems and challenges the world is facing in terms of agriculture, food and medicine.

4. Malaysia being blessed with rich biodiversity has huge potential in using these resources in a sustainable manner for new wealth creation. The New Economic Model for Malaysia which is being introduced by the Rt Hon Prime Minister of Malaysia, stresses the huge potential that biological resources can play in generating wealth for the nation while catering for social well being. One of the ways to utilise this biological resources as identified in the National Policy on Biodiversity and The National Biotechnology Policy is by the application of biotechnology.

5. While venturing into new areas of biotechnology such as genetic engineering and manipulation, the Government of Malaysia has a clear policy which is supported by a legal framework- The Malaysian Biosafety Act 2007. Our approach in addressing modern biotechnology is balanced, which calls for the need for biodiversity and human health concerns to be addressed, while allowing for modern biotechnology to be developed in a safe manner. Hence while balancing the need to allow for technological development we must not compromise on safety.

6. Malaysia in the early days of the negotiations of the Convention on Biological Diversity played an important role in introducing the provision for the need to regulate modern biotechnology.

Wastewater Management in Asia

Malaysia, despite being blessed with ample water resources shares similar water management problems and challenges faced by the rest of the world and in particular the Asia Pacific countries arising largely from the impacts of our rapid development.

Our waters at its source is crystal clear and clean but as it passed through settlements, waste water from agriculture and urban activities join the natural system, the rivers, through all the drainage outlets. Managing these challenges is an uphill task especially for our Department of Environment, which is responsible for monitoring and enforcing the required standards through the Environmental Quality Act, 1974.

The 10th Malaysia Plan is aimed at addressing new challenges facing the country and is premised on high income, inclusiveness and sustainability. The Plan provides the policy framework and strategies to transform the country into a high-income economy and developed nation by the year 2020.

In providing efficient public utilities and services in the water sector, the 10th Malaysia Plan emphasises improvements and enhancement to the quality of service and coverage to ensure sustainability from both an operational as well as environment perspective. Under the Plan, Malaysia’s strategy for ensuring sustainable water supply will have two main areas of focus:

Firstly, in developing a long-term strategy for water resource management to achieve water security. The National Water Resources Policy (NWRP), currently being formulated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, will chart the future course for the water sector. In considering Malaysia’s long term supply-demand profile, the policy will outline measures to ensure efficient and effective management of this increasingly scarce resource, including streamlining policies and legislations to allow for more efficient and equitable distribution of water resources. Other measures to be implemented during the Plan period include expanding the implementation of the Integrated Water Resources Management and Integrated River Basin Management approaches in planning, managing, protecting and rehabilitating water resources. In addition, research and development efforts will be intensified in area of conservation of water resources to support efforts to develop a sustainable water sector for the national economy.

8. Secondly in protecting rivers from pollution. More than 90% of Malaysia’s water supply comes from rivers and streams. Thus, efforts to tackle river pollution have always been, and will continue to be given due emphasis. River pollution is due largely to an increase in the number of sources of pollution and a decrease in the amount of rainfall. Major sources of pollution include improper discharge from sewerage treatment plants, agro-based factories, livestock farming, land clearing activities and domestic sewage. During the 10th Plan period, some of the measures to be undertaken by the Ministry to improve pollution control targeting these sources include:

 a. Strengthening the enforcement on industrial effluents and sewage discharge in line with the revisions to the regulations under the Environmental Quality Act 1974;

b. Assessing the Total Maximum Daily Load and carrying capacity of rivers to determine allowable discharge loads, for both point and non-point sources of pollution;

 c. Revising the current Water Quality Index to incorporate additional parameters, such as biological parameters, for more accurate river water classification;

 d. Developing the National Marine Water Quality Index to replace the current Marine Water Quality Criteria and Standard, which was developed in 2008; and

 e. Expanding outreach and awareness programmes targeting various segments of society,

“CAN CANCUN REDEEM COPENHAGEN?”

Can Cancun redeem Copenhagen? This is not a trivial question; the implications are far reaching, the challenges daunting and the price of failure, in human terms, morally unacceptable.

YES. I believe Cancun CAN redeem Copenhagen, but for this to happen, we need to be painfully honest with ourselves, with our negotiating partners and with the history of mankind’s use of the full range of resources on this planet.

We need firstly to be honest about the science of climate change. There is more than enough scientific evidence to show that this phenomenon is real. The few mistakes that have made in reporting and representing the data have been put in the correct perspective and both the scientific community and society at large remain convinced by the larger body of scientific evidence that had been accumulated and cross checked by independent and reputable international organisations.

We also need to be honest about the history of our reliance on fossil fuels for energy and the resulting pattern of differential global development that has influenced societies and shaped lives all around the globe. In doing so, we note that the countries that have had the historical opportunities to harness the power of fossil fuels now find themselves in a financially and technologically advanced state. With these and other resources at their disposal, they are capable of generating more than USD 2000 worth of GDP for each metric ton of GHGs emitted.

Indeed it was with the most lucid understanding of this situation that the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change was so carefully crafted and its objectives and principles so clearly enunciated. To achieve the objectives of the convention, the international community reached a consensus that legally binding commitments and targets to reduce greenhouse gases emissions were needed. In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol became the instrument through which developed countries agreed to reduce their collective emissions of greenhouse gases by at least 5% compared to the year 1990 with each country’s emissions target to be achieved by the first commitment period, 2008-2012. This was followed by the Bali climate talks in December 2007 which yielded the Bali Roadmap including the Bali Action Plan. These negotiations in Bali were aimed at agreeing to deeper emissions targets in the second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol and acknowledged that “deep cuts in global emissions will be required to achieve the ultimate objective" of avoiding dangerous climate change. The Bali event was followed by the Poznan conference in December 2008 to once again reiterate the need and urgency to take concrete measures including providing sufficient funds to vulnerable poor and developing countries to tackle the climate change issue. The 15th Conference of Parties in Copenhagen at the end of 2009 was agreed as the deadline to finalise what we set out to accomplish in Bali 2 years earlier.