Brine waste from seawater desalination in Malaysia: assessment on public awareness and understanding

Mahadi, Cynthia and Kasmuri, Norhafezah and Miskon, Mohd Fuad (2024) Brine waste from seawater desalination in Malaysia: assessment on public awareness and understanding. In: International Conference on Civil Engineering & Technology 2023 (CIVENTECH 2023), 14 December 2023, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra Library, UniMAP, Perlis.

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Abstract

Water scarcity is a growing concern, and saltwater desalination is being explored as a potential solution, including in Malaysia. Therefore, it is important to assess public awareness of the outcome of desalination and the harmful effects of improper disposal of brine in the ecosystem. Hence, a survey was conducted and analyzed using the relative importance index method to gather information on public awareness of brine waste management practices and the negative impacts of brine waste. One hundred respondents from the public in Malaysia were randomly selected for this sample study. The results indicated that the public has an average level of awareness about desalination. Despite that, their perception of brine waste and its impact on the ecosystem ranges from average to high. Nevertheless, the study also reveals significant findings related to the low understanding among Malaysians regarding the detrimental effects of untreated brine wastewater disposal. Thus, the experts emphasize the importance of education and awareness to the public and encourage the government to implement stricter regulations on brine disposal with more effective policies. Moreover, the output of this paper gauged the public awareness level in Malaysia regarding the increasing use of desalination technology and the potential negative consequences of brine waste. It later equips the policymakers with the necessary information to make well-informed decisions by actively engaging the understanding of local communities' needs, perspectives, and aspirations on matters that directly affect them.

Item Type:	Proceeding Paper (Slide Presentation)
Subjects:	BPG Islamic geography > BPG113 Environmental ethics/responsibility. Sustainable living. G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA0421 Public health. Hygiene. Preventive Medicine T Technology > TD Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering > TD172 Environmental pollution T Technology > TH Building construction > TH6014 Environmental engineering.
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Science Kulliyyah of Science > Institute of Oceanography and Maritime Studies
Depositing User:	Dr Fuad Miskon
Date Deposited:	10 Jul 2024 11:10
Last Modified:	10 Jul 2024 11:49
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/113053

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