UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA - MALAYSIA-

JAPAN INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF

TECHNOLOGY
COURSE
UHAK2142

PROFESSIONAL, ETHICS, SAFETY AND HEALTH (NINGEN RYOKU)

LECTURER Dr. LEE MENG HEE

GROUP MEMBER 1. WONG WEI SHEN (A18MJ0164)
2. GAN WAI KEET (A18MJ0036)
3. TENG ZHI WEN (A18MJ0153)
4. CHAI RUI QIN (A18MJ026)
5. SIK PEK YIN (A18MJ0143)

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CONTENT
NO.TOPIC PAGE
1.0 ABSTRACT 3
2.0 INTRODUCTION 3
3.0 BACKGROUND 4
4.0 HUMAN IMPACT 5
5.0 CONSEQUENCES 6
6.0 SOLUTION 7
7.0 CONCLUSION 8
8.0 REFERENCES 9

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1.0 ABSTRACT

In September 2015, all United Nations Member States have come out with the
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development that includes 17 Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs). This is to provide a cooperation blueprint to bring peace and prosperity
for people and the Earth from time to time. 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
highlights a holistic approach to sustainable development for all following a principle
which is “leaving no one behind’’. Some of the 17 Goals are ’No Poverty’, ‘Zero Hunger’,
‘Good Health and Well-being’, ‘Quality Education’, ‘Gender Equality’, ‘Clean Water and
Sanitation’ and many more. Each of the goal has their own targets to be achieved over
the next 15 years which is before 2030 starting from 2015. Some of the goals are
related to environmental sustainability issues in Malaysia which is still an under-
development country. Clean water and sanitation make an important role in Malaysia as
Malaysia is facing a serious water pollution problem and it can lead to negative impact
to the sustainability of water resources in Malaysia.

2.0 INTRODUCTION
Water is one of the most necessary elements in our daily life. First and foremost,
water is needed to support every living being. Without food, a human being still can
survive for around three weeks, but without water, a person can survive for three or four
days only. In Malaysia, although most of the citizen has access to clean water and
sanitation, there are still people out there being ignored. During these days, water
pollution is a serious problem that will lead to decreasing of sources of clean water if not
be handled properly. Thus, the sixth goal of sustainable development goal, ‘Clean
Water and Sanitation’ can be related to the environment situation in Malaysia until all
the water sources in Malaysia are pollution-free and all the Malaysians has 100%
access to clean water.

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3.0 BACKGROUND

Although some people have improved water sanitation starting form 1990, most
people still having trouble to have access to clean water supplies such as the clean
water supplies are too expensive and not affordable. In 2015, around 6.8 billion of
people are suffering from safe sanitation service or having a clean and useable water.
Clean and accessible water sources for all living beings worldwide is very necessary if
we wish to survive in this world. However, the fact is that there are people dying from
diseases caused by infected water or shortage of water. There are many possibilities
causing this scenario such as bad economic or poor infrastructure. Water shortage, low
quality of water and inadequate sanitation will bring a lot of negative impact to human
either directly or indirectly.

At the current time, there are more than 2 billion people who live in an
environment with risk of having limited access to clean water resources and by 2050, it
is predicted that at least one in four people is expected to live in a country affected by
chronic or recurring shortages of clean water. Due to modern civilization, the world has
lost 70% of its natural wetlands over the last century. During these years, the rate of
land reclamation is increasing due to the increase of population causing the decreasing
of the wetlands. Taking example of Hong Kong in 2016, around 7,000 hectares of land
in Hong Kong has been formed by reclamation due to limited usable land and large
population.

Thus, United Nations has decided to ensure availability and sustainable

management of water and sanitation, adding this as one of the goals in 17 sustainable
development goals to transform the world. There are a lot of target that need to be
achieved by the end of 2030.We need to achieve universal and equitable access to safe
and affordable drinking water for all people worldwide.

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4.0 HUMAN IMPACT

In the era of modernization, the quality and resources of clean water in Malaysia
is decreasing and the human have great responsibilities in contribution to the issues.
There are many factors leading to poor quality of water, sanitation and hygiene. For
example, pollution is one of the main factors causing the issues. The irresponsible act of
throwing rubbish or waste product into river or water sources can lead to a serious
water pollution problem. In industrial area, people find it a lot easier and cost-saving to
throw the chemical waste into the river or sea instead of handling them in an
appropriate way. Meanwhile in household area, there are people throwing rubbish at
place that they should not be. After long term, those rubbish will be accumulated if not
being taken care of and this will cause serious hygiene problem and make the
environment not suitable to live in. Leaving the rubbish for a period will also cause flash
flood and the transmission of diseases such as diarrhea.

Besides, most of the people nowadays are materialistic and inconsiderate the
others, they do not care about nature or be grateful with what they have. They will carry
out land reclamation for a certain price without considerate the future of the land and do
anything for money. In their daily life, even tiny habits like leaving the tap water flowing
can lead to water shortage. It will not be a problem if only one person is doing but it will
not be the same if the whole country is doing this. The government should take the
responsibilities to enforce the law and not just hold their hands together, letting these
scenarios going on.

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5.0 CONSEQUENCES

Having no access to safe and clean water and sanitation can be vital for health
among all the living beings on Earth. Poor water quality, sanitation and hygiene can
cause a lot of serious consequences that cannot be ignored either short-term or long-
term. Water is very important for human beings as water can prevent us from
dehydration and keep our metabolism functioning well. Based on a research in 2013, an
estimated 2,000 children under the age of 5 die every day from diarrhea diseases which
90% of the deaths are related to poor water, sanitation and hygiene globally. Without
water, human beings will also lose their sources of food as plants and animals also
need water to grow and survive. This will cause human beings to insufficient of nutrients
and healthy diet. Meanwhile polluted sources of water will also cause destruction of the
nature ecosystem or distinction of certain species eventually. Taking example of fishes
in a river, when the river is seriously polluted and cause the environment no longer
suitable to live in, the fishes will not be able to survive longer in the river and die or get
infected. The worst case is when there is people who eat those fishes and get infected
with the diseases.

In 2015, there are more than 2 billion of people that still did not have access to
their personal free and useable sanitation facility. When there is low accessibility to
improved sanitation facility, the practice of open defecation will be happening. In South
Asia, 34% of people are practicing open defecation while 22% in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Globally, 638 million of people still don’t have their own sanitation where they have use
the facility with the others. When people defecate in the open near water sources
especially river, it will be carried into the water system. As a result, the defected water
will flow into the main water source. Thus, when people in the area use the water for
drinking and cooking before boiling them will result in water borne diseases such as
cholera, typhoid and trachoma. Besides, when the human waste accumulates into
heaps, it will attract flies or other insects. These flies will travel around the surrounding
areas, transmitting defecate matter and diseases causing microbes where the flies land
on food and drink that people go ahead and ingest unknowingly.

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6.0 SOLUTION

There are a lot of solutions that can be taken to overcome and improve water,
sanitation and hygiene problems. First provision of toilet, it is very important to ensure
that there are enough toilets. This will take the efforts of the government as well as the
local non-government organization (NGO) to help fixing the problem. They can help
providing fund to construct pit latrines and other toilet options such as compost toilets to
help dealing with the problem of lacking sewer systems.

Besides, a corrective civil education should be implemented since early age

globally. The children should be educated with civic education to prevent them from
causing more damage to the nature such as throwing rubbish into river and cause water
pollution which can degrade the water quality. They also need to learn to keep
themselves hygiene. In Japan, there is no janitor to clean up the classroom or the
toilets. The students themselves will have to do the jobs cleaning their classroom and
the toilets. Through these, they will be able to learn to keep their sanitation clean and
importance of staying hygiene.

Furthermore, the government should enforce the law to law offender strictly. For
example, heavy fined or long-term jail should be applied on those who throw chemical
waste in an Improper way. With this, people will be afraid carry out those activities that
can lead to water pollution. Thus, the quality of water can be preserved.

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7.0 CONCLUSION

The 17 sustainable development goals are an agenda which act as a plan of

action for people, planet and prosperity. It also aims to strengthen the global peace in a
larger freedom. With goal 6th (Clean Water, Sanitation and Hygiene), all people have the
right to obtain safe and affordable clean water as well as adequate and equitable
sanitation and hygiene. Even though Malaysia have access to piped and central water
supply and an adequate sanitation facility, whether a sewerage connection, a safe
septic tank or a latrine. However, as time goes on, the rate of water pollution in Malaysia
is getting higher and higher until all the clean water sources are gone. Thus, people
from all stage should be working together to continue the hard work so that people can
continuously have the access to those rights in the future and forever.

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8.0 REFERENCES
Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved from
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
N.Groce, N.Bailey, R.Lang, J.F.Trani & M.Kett .(2011). Water and sanitation
issues for persons with disabilities in low and middle income countries: a literature
review and discussion of implications for global health and international development.
Retrieved from
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/f6c1/2088a82224b55f5475b2aad141ecf10f2620.pdf
Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation
for all. Retrieved from https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/envision2030-
goal6.html

Noranida Mokthsim & Khairulmaini Osman Salleh. (19 March 2014). Malaysia's
Efforts toward Achieving a Sustainable Development: Issues, Challenges and
Prospects. Retrieved from
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042814016371

5 Reasons Why Everyone Needs Clean Drinking Water. Retrieved from

http://www.aidforum.org/topics/health-and-wash/5-reasons-why-everyone-needs-clean-drinking-
water/

Progress of Goal 6 in 2019. Retrieved from

https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg6

Guy Hutton & Claire Chase. Injury Prevention and Environmental Health 3rd Edition. The
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank. (2017)

What is Open Defecation. Retrieved from https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/how-open-

defecation-affect-human-health-environment-and-solutions.php