Water Pollution? Mud Balls are the Solution!

The invited guests and the organising committee

In a bid to shed light on the myriad positive effects that mud balls have on water quality enhancement, UTAR’s Faculty of Engineering and Green Technology (FEGT) and the Built Environment Society joined hands in initiating an environmental awareness workshop at Sports Complex, UTAR Kampar Campus on 12 March 2016.

Titled “Water Pollution? Mud Balls are the Solution!”, the 1Malaysia For Youth (iM4U)-sponsored community project saw the active involvement from UTAR students, staff, as well as Kampar residents. The one-day workshop served as a platform to enrich the participants’ knowledge on the purpose of Effective Microorganisms (EM) mud balls, the making process, and the immense benefits to lake rehabilitation EM mud balls bestow.

Invited to launch the event was UTAR Vice-President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Assoc Prof Dr Teh Chee Seng. Also present were FEGT Deputy Dean for Academic Development and Undergraduate Programmes Dr Ng Choon Aun, FEGT Deputy Dean for R&D and Postgraduate Programmes Dr Lo Po Kim, iM4U officers Athifah Ain Alang and Maisurah Mazlan, FEGT Professor Dr Naoto Mine, and event advisors Dr Kwan Wai Hoe and Chang Kok Yung.

Commending on the success of the event, Dr Teh said, “It’s heartening to see such concerted efforts aimed to raise awareness on the use of EM mud balls in purifying our disused tin mining lakes and in helping to preserve the existing ecosystem. Such a community project reflects the university’s bedrock principle of ‘by the people, for the people’.” He also expressed his appreciation to the organising committee for the invitation and also to iM4U for the sponsorship.  

Dr Teh welcoming the guests and participants

A guided tour around the exhibition booths ensued, followed by a mud ball making demonstration by the working committee where guests were invited to join in making the EM mud balls.

The VIPs trying their hands on making the EM mud balls

“Mud balls are very easy to make and are widely used to clean polluted waterways because they will inhibit the growth of algae and break down any sludge and silt in the water,” explained Organising Chairperson Sik Zhii Yang during the demonstration. “Mud balls also control ammonia levels and pathogens present in rivers, ponds, or lakes. They are widely used in sewage treatment, and are also beginning to have acceptance in the aquaculture field due to its efficiency,” the Second Year Construction Management student added.

Facilitators guiding the participants in making their own mud balls

The event reached its highlight when the invited guests and the organising committee threw their self-made mud balls into Westlake, a disused tin mining lake.

The guests and organising committee displaying their mud balls before throwing into the lake

Throwing the mud balls