Article: All for cleaner rivers

Thursday July 23, 2009

By JEREMY TAN

ONE million Effective Microorganisms (EM) mudballs will be thrown into polluted rivers in Penang on Aug 8 in a move to resuscitate aquatic life.

State Youth, Sports, Women, Family and Community Develop-ment Committee chairman Lydia Ong Kok Fooi said the production of the one million mudballs would set a world record.

"We need to save our environment together, both the government and the people.

"Our efforts will definitely bring a change to the world we all share," she said after taking part in a workshop which produced over 20,000 mudballs at the Penang Municipal Youth Park.

Participants making EM mudballs at the workshop.

Almost 300 people from governmental bodies, organisations and the private sector took part in the workshop.

It was a joint effort by the state government, EM technology consultancy Em AdminS and supplying company Jamof Sdn Bhd.

The workshop was part of the 'A Million Apologies to Mother Earth' bio-remedial campaign, aimed at producing one million mudballs to clean up Penang's rivers.

To date, over 600,000 EM mudballs have been produced in previous workshops.

EM AdminS chief administrator Soo Lee Choo said that an earlier effort at Sungai Kelian in December 2008 dramatically improved the water quality of the river, lifeless at the time.

Six months after the EM mudballs were used, fish could be seen in the water.

The Effective Mircoorganism technology uses naturally occuring, beneficial micro-organisms such as photosynthetic bacteria, lactic acid bacteria and yeasts which are able to purify and revive nature. It is currently in use in over 130 countries.

Developed by University of Ryukyus professor Dr Teruo Higa, EM has a wide range of applications such as water and sewage purification, improving recycled water and solving sanitary problems.

It is also widely used in agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries and food production.

EM mudballs are made from ordinary clay, EM Activated Solution (EMAS) and rice bran with a small quantity of molasses.

To make them, dry clay is mixed with 10% to 20% rice bran, while the EMAS is mixed with molasses at a ratio of 10:1.

Both mixtures are then mixed together and thoroughly kneaded and formed into mudballs the size of tennis balls. After drying for about a week, the mudballs are ready for use.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 23 July 2009