2024 WATER AWARENESS PROGRAMME (STORYTELLING) Little Water Warriors!”

Prepared by Dr Ng Si Ling

Between June and December 2024, five storytelling sessions were held at kindergartens, welfare homes, and primary schools, reaching approximately 190 children aged 5 to 15 and 22 teachers. The primary goal of the program was to raise awareness about water conservation and the vital role water plays in daily life. Children were introduced to various water-related topics through interactive storytelling, engaging them in discussions about the sources of freshwater, the importance of water, and the need to conserve it for future generations.

The program featured a range of activities, including storytelling, art, craft projects, and practical tips on water conservation. Through these activities, the children learned how water is essential for various aspects of life, such as agriculture, industry, and personal use. They were also taught simple yet effective ways to save water in their daily routines, helping them understand how small actions can have a big impact on preserving this precious resource. The hands-on activities allowed the children to creatively express their newfound knowledge while reinforcing the lessons.

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Leadership training: Identifying and understanding water pollutants in the environment.

Principal Investigator: Dr. Oh Wen Da

Co-Principal Investigator: Dr Ng Si Ling

Introduction

Water pollution stands as one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century, encompassing a range of pollutants with diverse characteristics that complicate removal efforts. Pollutants are generally categorized into emerging contaminants, pathogens, suspended solids, and nutrients, each requiring distinct approaches to mitigation due to their unique properties. Many of these pollutants arise unintentionally from everyday activities; for instance, disposing of grease down drains can lead to fat buildup, blocking sewers and drains. This project aims to develop future leaders equipped to educate the public—especially university students—to recognize and understand the sources and impacts of water pollutants within their environment. As such, the objectives of this project are to (i) provide education/leadership training through seminars and workshop on identification and understanding of water pollutants in the environment and (ii) provide a guide to reduce unintentional generation of water pollutants.

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ECO-WUDHU’ 2.0 : GREEN PRACTICES OF ISLAMIC ABLUTION

SK TELUK KUMBAR

16th October 2024, Sekolah Kebangsaan Teluk Kumbar

Water Watch Penang (WWP), in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), organized a sustainability-based project titled “Eco-Wudhu’ 2.0: Green Practices of Islamic Ablution” at SK Teluk Kumbar. The program, led by Dr. Mohd Amirul bin Mahamud, aimed to promote water-saving practices during ablution.

The program included three key activities:

  • replacing traditional ablution taps with water-saving taps,
  • conducting Eco-Wudhu’ practice training and a water-saving awareness campaign, and
  • creating an Eco-Wudhu’ banner for the school’s prayer hall (surau sekolah).
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Exhibition and Talk at Earth Fest 2024 – Grow Community Market – Hin Bus Depot – 4th to 6th October 2024

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.

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River and Water Education Programme for Prince of Wales Island International School (POWIIS) – Taman Jajar, Sungai Ara, 10th September 2024

At the Taman Jajar, Sungai Ara on September 10, 2024, Prince of Wales Island International School (POWIIS) participated in a river and water education event that was successfully planned by Water Watch Penang (WWP).

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