Sugud Waste Inundation Management (S.W.I.M.)
Helping the Underprivileged Community
Kampung Sugud, Penampang shown in Figure 1 & 2 is one of the places that is often affected by floods. Last year, one of the biggest floods in Sabah swept Sugud on September 15, 2021 as shown in Figure 7. Based on Figure 2, without taking any waste into account, it is very crucial to have a river with good water flow to prevent flooding because the only road that leads to the main road is at the lowest level and the surrounding terrains are hills.There are two types of flood. The first type of flood is when the grading of the area is not designed as so to allow water to flow towards the river or drainage that when it rains, the water will not be able to flow naturally towards the drainage or in this case the river. When this happens, the water will pool up and seep into the soil and cause the underground water table to rise and cause flood. This is not the type of flood we are trying to solve but the next one is where the area has good gradation so that water can flow towards the river and exit the area thus preventing water to pool up. But in Sugud, it will flood when it starts to rain heavily where all the small to intermediate wastes starts to accumulate at the bridges ie the two points my team and I had found in the village. One way to solve this problem is by enlarging the river width and depth so that the wastes will not accumulate. But by doing so will need to reconstruct the bridge which will take a lot more costs. Our way of solving this problem is by providing the villagers a way to deal with the branches and wastes when it rains and starts to clog and slow down the water flow which will cause the water to start to rise and cause the underground water to rise as well thus causing flood. The said solution to the problem is by designing and constructing a waste entrapment made out of steel so that it acts as an interceptor during rainy weather and is able to be operated with simple pulley mechanism by the person in charge on the said rainy day as shown below in Table 1 in the Sustainability section.To combat this issue, our group has come up with a project that is able to reduce the rate of floods occurring in Kampung Sugud as shown in Figure 8. Figure 1: Kg Sugud areaFigure 2: Terrain overviewFigure 3: Station 1 locationFigure 4: Station 1 siteFigure 5: Station 2 locationFigure 6: Station 2 siteFigure 7: Last year’s flood at Sugud AreaFigure 8 : Sketch of the design
Overview of Issue / Background
Kampung Sugud, Penampang shown in Figure 1 & 2 is one of the places that is often affected by floods. Last year, one of the biggest floods in Sabah swept Sugud on September 15, 2021 as shown in Figure 7. Based on Figure 2, without taking any waste into account, it is very crucial to have a river with good water flow to prevent flooding because the only road that leads to the main road is at the lowest level and the surrounding terrains are hills.
There are two types of flood. The first type of flood is when the grading of the area is not designed as so to allow water to flow towards the river or drainage that when it rains, the water will not be able to flow naturally towards the drainage or in this case the river. When this happens, the water will pool up and seep into the soil and cause the underground water table to rise and cause flood. This is not the type of flood we are trying to solve but the next one is where the area has good gradation so that water can flow towards the river and exit the area thus preventing water to pool up. But in Sugud, it will flood when it starts to rain heavily where all the small to intermediate wastes starts to accumulate at the bridges ie the two points my team and I had found in the village.
One way to solve this problem is by enlarging the river width and depth so that the wastes will not accumulate. But by doing so will need to reconstruct the bridge which will take a lot more costs. Our way of solving this problem is by providing the villagers a way to deal with the branches and wastes when it rains and starts to clog and slow down the water flow which will cause the water to start to rise and cause the underground water to rise as well thus causing flood.
The said solution to the problem is by designing and constructing a waste entrapment made out of steel so that it acts as an interceptor during rainy weather and is able to be operated with simple pulley mechanism by the person in charge on the said rainy day as shown below in Table 1 in the Sustainability section.
To combat this issue, our group has come up with a project that is able to reduce the rate of floods occurring in Kampung Sugud as shown in Figure 8.
Figure 1: Kg Sugud area
Figure 2: Terrain overview
Figure 3: Station 1 location
Figure 4: Station 1 site
Figure 5: Station 2 location
Figure 6: Station 2 site
Figure 7: Last year’s flood at Sugud Area
Figure 8 : Sketch of the design
Project Objectives (Vision & Mission)
- Reducing the risk of floods occurring in the Kg. Sugud area by improving the river flow.
- Able to reduce the occurrence of floods due to the type 2 flood as much as 80%.
- Integrate flood hazard reduction with efforts to preserve and restore.
- Keep the river free of branches and waste.
Due to extreme floods that oftenly occurred in Kampung Sugud as seen in Figure 7, it has caused massive damages to the affected residents. A lot of houses and properties were also affected by floods.
One of the main factors of this occurrence are due to branches and wastes clogging up the flow of the river. It has caused the water to overflow above the bridge and the river bank causing floods to happen.
Thus, in order to reduce the burden faced by the villagers, this project will design a waste trapper that will trap all of the rubbish and branches mainly, to allow the river to flow smoothly.
Project Details (Activities and Tasks)
- Preparation of proposal - consists of different aspects including detailed plans, specifications as well as cost estimation of our project.
- Planning and discussion - survey location to construct the waste entrapment
- Proposal checking - by our supervisor, Sr Ts. Dr. Asmawan Mohd. Sarman and Khind Starfish Foundation
- Project approval - by Khind Starfish Foundation
- Survey on Kampung Sugud’s Residents - to know more details regarding the cause of the flood and also the resident’s experiences during the flood
- Inspection on the river blockage
- Preparations of material and budgeting - purchased materials that are required to build the waste entrapment
- Meeting with the villagers - to discuss with the Sugud’s Chief and create community among villagers
- Final project report
Figure 9: Organizational Chart Committee
Waste Entrapment Committee
Based on Figure 9, a committee will be created among the villagers. The committee will be supervised by Sr. Ts. Dr. Asmawan bin Mohd Sarman. The leader of this project is Muhammad Aniq Azraei bin Suradi. This committee will also be working with two authorities which are JKR, `Penampang Fire and Rescue.
The reason this project involves the JKR is because we need to acquire details regarding the location that will be chosen, such as if there is any future plan for the location and to acknowledge them regarding the waste entrapment that will be built.
Meanwhile, the involvement of Penampang Fire and Rescue is to monitor the location during heavy rain. Besides that, there is Sugud’s Village Chief, Puan Mary Jimbangan, who will monitor from time to time on waste entrapment and also ensure the volunteers follow the schedule to pull out the waste. Lastly, receivers who was chosen among the villagers will be responsible to clear the waste trapped.
How safe is our project?
- Our group members consist of two experienced construction personnel, whom are Muhammad Aniq Azraei bin Suradi and Karvinthan Kalaichelvan. Both of them are well trained and aware of the safety during constructing the waste entrapment.
- Besides that, this project does not involve machinery.
- Lastly, we will ensure that the villagers and our safety is our priority by ensuring that all the volunteers are wearing appropriate attire and following the procedure.
Expected Project Result & Outcomes
- Reduce the flood risk for the villagers
- Protect the properties of the villagers from flood
- Create a responsibility among the community to be in charge of the waste trapper
- Improve air and water quality - river clean from waste and branches
- Reduce villager's health risk
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Aniq Azraei1 year agoRM 2.00 -
Jun Iskandar Hj Murshidi1 year agoRM 100.00
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Ahmad Nurfaidhi1 year agoRM 100.00
-
Victor Valentine1 year agoRM 50.00
132% of RM312.00 Goal
Project Information
| University name | : | Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) |
| Project leader name | : | Muhammad Aniq Azraei bin Suradi |
| Project implementation date | : | 2022-09-26 |
| Location of project held | : | Kampung Sugud, Penampang, Sabah |
| Beneficiary | : | SMK Pengiran Omar II, Sipitang, Sabah |
| Number of beneficiaries | : | 300 |
Section I
Section I
- Project goals
The purpose of this project is to conduct a waste disposal management campaign for the Form 1-3 students, teachers and staff of SMK Pengiran Omar II. Besides that, this project will nurture the students with the obligation to take care of the environment for everyone’s benefit and at the same time to conduct a mudball workshop which has been used to treat the surrounding sewerage water condition. Other than that, this project also conducted an online workshop via google meet on how to create and use the waste tracker google form. This will increase their data management skills which will benefit themselves in their future.
- Did other fund-raising efforts contribute to your projects? What were they?
All tools and materials used in the project with the total cost of RM457.90 were bought by using MSF crowdfunding and additional funds gathered from our family members.
- Provide details about how your project worked.
On September 26, 2022, we went to S.M.K. Pangeran Omar II to give an exposure to the students about Recy-ball. We start our program by giving them a short talk that were given by Mr. Aniq Azraei our director for this program. After the short briefing we distribute a form to the students for them to fill to know their level of understanding about the talk and it goes well! We required the students to throw the recycling ball in a certain spot that had a lot of algae. The estimated turnaround time for this project is three weeks. We successfully divide into 8 groups, each of which will consist of 60 pupils and will go to different spot to throw the Recy-ball. In addition, we give the school trash bins and trash bags with several types of categories like metal, plastic, and paper. This goal is that to promote waste segregation, by having designated trash bins, the school can nurture or build up a habit of throwing their waste away in their designated bins. We also taught the students there how to create and use google form for tracking the waste that has filled their designated bins and to send them for pickup by 3rd parties. We also set up a club for students to study trash management and give back to the Sipitang community.
- Were there unanticipated difficulties? Budget constraints?
First and foremost, our project was supposed to be a waste management project in Sugud, Penampang. But after further inspection of the site, we have found that not only that the waste contributed to the floods happening there, but also the inefficiency of the downstream to flow water was very low which would cause floods to happen at the upstream due to the inability of the water to flow as quickly as it should to avoid water level from rising.
So we proposed and planned to build a weir or a small dam to slow down the water flow at the upstream so that water levels at the downstream can be reduced so that when it rains, the downstream will have enough allowance for flow efficiency. But this plan as well cannot be executed due to Jabatan Pengairan dan Saliran (JPS) already have funds allocated to do river maintenance and we cannot do any projects at the river as this will interfere with their works.
My group and I met and discuss with the head village about what are the problems that was still happening in Sugud. She told us that the nearby school always gets flooded due to the nearby housing do not have proper sewerage built and the water from the rain pours down to the school which caused the school to be flooded. So we proposed to build and construct a proper sewerage for the school but the village head never contacted us back even after we had followbacks with her. In the end, we went with Recy-Ball campaign at SMK Pengiran Omar II and luckily the teachers agreed to have us. But it was not without any difficulties.
Some of the unanticipated difficulties that have been encountered are the number of mud balls that have been prepared for the students are not sufficient as expected. Initially, the total number of mud balls that have been counted were 99 in total. Our team has divided the students into several groups in order to be able to use all the mud balls as much as possible. Unfortunately, the mud balls were not enough for some groups during the event. Other than that, spray paints that were used to paint the trash bins that will be given to the school do not dry quickly. Due to this matter, the writing that has been painted does not look really neat and presentable. Besides that, the PA system that was provided by the school does not function really well. During the talk given by our members, the sound emitted by the speaker echoed in the hall. It has caused inconvenience to the students as well as the teachers to listen to our presentation properly.
- Language or cultural barriers?
Overall, there are little to no language or cultural barriers happening as the students can understand Bahasa Melayu and we can communicate well verbally. However, some of the students were not able to understand the questionnaires that were prepared in English but our team members managed to assist them by translating it to Bahasa Melayu.
- What worked well? What didn’t work well?
The project worked smoothly according to the plan as SMK Pengiran Omar II students were very enthusiastic and supportive during the talk. The waste segregation and mudball application were new to them which instilled curiosity and made them pay attention until the end of the programme. They were able to answer the questionnaires prepared indicating that they have adequate understanding of what our team was trying to deliver.
What did not work well was that some of the students were unable to attend the following virtual workshop due to several reasons. Most of the students in SMK Pengiran Omar II stayed in the dormitory and were prohibited to bring smartphones making them unable to join the workshop. They were also not able to use the school facilities e.g computer room as the workshop was conducted on weekends as doing the programme on weekdays would interrupt their learning session. On the other hand, students that live outside of the dormitory either have low bandwidth connections or lack gadgets. However, our team told the attendees to share the workshop content to their friends that were absent.
- How many people benefited or will benefit from your project? Who are these people?
There are 300 people that benefited from our project. This includes students, teachers and all SMK Pengiran Omar II communities. From our project, the school waste management had improved since several recycle bins had been placed around the school for free. Besides that, the school sewer system had positive changes from where the drainage system had become cleaner and free from green algae.
Some students that had been selected as high committees for SECC (Student Environment Care Committee) also benefited from this project. They can improve their leadership skills and at the same time their communication skills also increase since they need to communicate with their teachers, other students, cleaners and also the waste collector. Lastly, this project also had to reduce the workload of the cleaner since the wastes are separated based on their type. All in all, the Recy-Ball Campaign really helps SMK Pengiran Omar II communities to have a better school environment.
- What is the long-term impact and sustainability of this project? Is there a future for your project?
Some of the long-term impacts of this project are the cleanliness of the drains that have been targeted by our group will be guaranteed. This is due to the fact that mud balls are able to remove algae and fishy smell from the drain. Mud balls consist of good substances that are very effective towards polluted drains.
Other than that, the learning environment for the students is secured. Students are able to learn even more productively than before as no odor has been released from the drains.
Next, the growth of unhealthy bacteria can be prevented. In instance, escherichia coli is one of the bacteria that are pathogenic and can transmit food-borne illness. In terms of sustainability, our group has established an organization known as SECC. We have selected some students that are capable of being in charge of this project. The aim of this organization is to ensure the drains in the school are well protected.
Other than that, this organization will monitor the development of the drains where further action will be taken depending on its condition.
Section II
Section II
- i) How does or will your project contribute to happiness? Short-term? Long-term?
This project will provide long-term happiness not only for the students but also the school community and parents. This is because our project had helped to improve the school’s learning environment where we had reduced the air and environmental conditions due to improper waste disposal and untreated sewer water.
This led to uncomfortable conditions for the school communities and residents nearby since there was a foul smell from it. Therefore, by doing this project, which is teaching the students on the process of making mud balls and the benefits of it, the condition of the sewer has improved and the foul smell is reduced. This will give a more comfortable environment for the school communities.
On the 26th of September 2022, Monday, eight of our group members went to SMK Pengiran Omar II, located in Sipitang, Sabah. During the day, our group leader, Muhammad Aniq had given a short talk on waste disposal management which had raise awareness among the students about proper waste management (recycables and non recycables). On our visit, we also provided designated bins (glass, paper, metal, plastic and food waste) around the school for the students, teachers and staff to practice waste segregation in their daily life. As this will be a long-term process, SECC (Student Environment Care Committee) has been formed which involves the Form 3 student. These students will be responsible to contact 3rd parties which had been already negotiated with to agree to take the wastes for recycling.
The students were really eager to become high-committees since they were excited to make their school environment clean. This program ended with a group photo session with all the students involved, teachers, Sr.Ts. Dr. Asmawan and also our group members.
All in all, this project has helped to improve the school surroundings and make the students and also school communities to be happy and comfortable with their environment. The school principal was very happy with the program that had been done and expressed her gratitude to us for choosing their school for our Recy-Ball Campaign. Thus, this project can be considered a success since the objectives of our project have been successfully achieved and will become a memorable experience for all the school communities and also our group members.
- ii) Has your project changed the way you think about the world? How has it changed you?
Yes. This project has changed the way we look and think about the world in a positive way. This is due to the fact that we are able to get out and lend a helping hand to others and make a big difference towards our team and to society. We were filled with gratitude and feeling happy and fulfilled as we were able to support and give valuable knowledge to the students. Interaction with other people, observing others' way of life, and giving immediate feedback on other people’s needs enhance our mood for the better long after the project ends.
We realised that by giving, we help other people in their need in every viable way. We also gained experience organising events. We also have been taken back to the old days as middle schooler students when we watch them enjoying all the activities given. Watching the students experience new skills made us proud as it shows a positive impact towards their skills and knowledge in life.
We also realized that organising these kinds of events can help increase awareness on how important it is to care for our society, because your voice will be trusted by the people that you know, thus by sharing something that can help others will much likely be more fun and interesting. To think that this project changed us in an effective way, motivates us to do better and really does give us different perspectives on life. We need to explore more to learn new things, and we learned to never be afraid to take new steps ahead as there are more fun things to enjoy in life.
We hope that by organizing this project will motivate the students to do well in their studies. As a result, this is how big the project has helped us change the way we think about the world.
- Quotation
“Big things are an accumulation of small things that took place before them. Given time and effort, not only districts, but you can also change the world” - Aniq Azraei
"Life is not about having everything, it's about finding meaning in everything" - Karvinthan Kalaichelvan
“If not us, then who?, if not now then when?, It is now or never.” -Bazla
"It's not the result that matters, It's who you become in the process of achieving your goals" - Richie Antonio
“We can do small things with great love even though not all of us can do great things” - Vanessa Joyce A.
Section III
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