On 2nd October 2024, Water Watch Penang organized a dual Water Education and Awareness Program at SK Kubang Telaga and SK Keting, in line with the Rainwater Harvesting System Project in Kelantan.
The main objective of the educational session was the same as before, which is to raise awareness among students about water issues at the international, national, and state levels, as well as the benefits of using rainwater as a clean secondary water source for daily needs. During the program, Water Watch Penang also demonstrated the operation of the rainwater harvesting system installed at the schools, as well as the UV system that supplies drinking-quality clean water.
On the morning of October 5th 2024, Water Watch Penang held a Training of Trainers (TOT) programme at the Penang Botanical Gardens to expand our network of water education facilitators. There were 14 participants in total, many of them lecturers, teachers or other educators of sorts. The programme started at 9 am and was concluded by noon. There was even a surprise participation by Mr. Khor Hung Teik, one of the founding members of Water Watch Penang, whose presence undoubtedly added much meaning and joy to our session. Each participant was provided with a training manual containing examples and slides that can be utilized for classroom and outdoor education.
Our president and founder of Water Watch Penang, Prof. Dato’ Chan Ngai Weng, gave a thought-provoking speech about Water Watch Penang and the social and environmental issues he observed that inspired its founding. The participants listened intently, captivated by his stories. Our Executive Manager, Dr. Hong Chern Wern, based on the manual, then continued the session by briefing the participants on water-related issues and the importance of conserving water, opening their eyes to some aspects they might not have thought about before. He also talked about the various ways one can save water in their daily life, empowering participants to conserve water and contribute to the green cause.
Once Dr. Hong was done with the briefing, he let one of our trained facilitators, Mr. Aiman from Universiti Sains Malaysia, take over and help conduct the chemical assessment of river water. He led the participants down to the river and taught them how to conduct the chemical tests, parameter by parameter, by adding the relevant reagents and comparing against a colour chart. Many of the programme participants were surprised at how clean the river at the Botanical Gardens was.
Afterwards, our senior facilitator, Dr. Ong Ke Shin, helped conduct the biological assessment of the river water using bioindicators. She explained the different types of macroinvertebrates one could find in the river and the insights it could provide about the river quality. Using the analogy of a fussy eater indicating that a restaurant serves good food, she explained that some macroinvertebrates are more fastidious than others and can only thrive in clean, unpolluted waters. The participants took to the river, catching various macroinvertebrates such as dragonfly nymphs, freshwater shrimp and even a rare balloon-tailed damselfly nymph.
Once the macroinvertebrates sampled were collected, they were identified and assigned points based on The Freshwater Name Trail: A Guide to Freshwater Invertebrates of Ponds and Streams in Malaysia. The points totalled to an average of 6.5, which signified a very clean river. The captured macroinvertebrates were released back to the spots they were found, with some of the damselfly nymphs that were found under rocks placed back under them for shelter.
For more information, please contact us at info.waterwatchpenang@gmail.com or +6019-5751253.
At the bustling community market situated in Hin Bus Depot, Water Watch Penang held a three-day exhibition and talk as a part of Earth Fest 2024. This event, filled with all sorts of sustainable vendors, was organized by Grow Community Market, and ran from the 4th to 6th of October 2024, 10 am to 6 pm every day for the duration of the event.
As usual, we laid out our chemical water quality test kits to teach kids about the various parameters that must be maintained within a safe level for the aquatic ecosystem and human use. Aside from that, Ms. Fatin Azahara had some simple games prepared for the children who visited the booth. Many visitors, children and adults alike, clamoured to view our macroinvertebrate samples under the microscope – a stonefly nymph and a caddisfly nymph – as well as a live specimen of a stonefly nymph captured just days before at the Penang Botanical Garden.
The Salcon Smart Water Programme, a CSR initiative between Salcon Engineering Berhad and Water Watch Penang (WWP), took place at Taman Rimba Bukit Kerinchi on September 28, 2024. The programme was participated by a total of 38 students and 5 teachers from SMK Taman Ehsan in Kepong, along with Salcon Berhad’s representative, Mr. Chin Yaw Ying, Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Executive and Aini Suhailah Binti Mukhtar, the Corporate Affairs Protégé.
In the first session, the participants were given an information about rivers, water and the national water issues, facilitated by Dr. Hong Chern Wern, the Executive Manager of WWP. Together with Education Officers Ms. Fatin Azahara and Ms. Nur Atiqah, supported by trained facilitators Mr. Yee Jean Chai, and Ms. Elsheena Joan, and assisted of interns Ms. Nurul Husna, Ms. Khor Ci Shan, and Ms. Nurul Fatin.
The Student Explore Aquatic Sciences (SEAS) Camp 2024 was a resounding success at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Led by Dr. Chee Su Yin, the camp featured a dedicated team of staff, postgraduate students, research officers, research assistants, and interns from the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), USM, along with support from Water Watch Penang, Jabatan Pendidikan Negeri Pulau Pinang, and Perbadanan Bekalan Air Pulau Pinang. A total of 30 primary school students, aged 13 to 17, participated alongside two teachers.
The camp featured three engaging activities at various USM locations. The first, led by Associate Professor Dr. Lee Hooi Ling from the School of Chemical Sciences, was supported by interns from CGSS and Water Watch Penang. In this hands-on session, students tested the pH levels of drinking water and created sodium alginate worms/beads, enhancing their understanding of scientific principles.
