Peat forest fire detectors need to be developed immediately due to the frequency of peat forest fires in Malaysia during the summer is very high. This can affect the life in the forest and the health of the surrounding population. Among them is the Ayer Hitam Muar Forest Reserve, Johor which is almost 50,000 acres in size and experiences fires every year. However, fire monitoring management methods still need to be improved in terms of speed, accuracy and systematic channeling fire alerts. Apart from location and area factors, the main challenge of the early fire detection process is the lack of manpower to monitor and notify fires. The conventional method through patrols and phone calls from farmers who see a fire is less effective because of the delay in the notification received by the authorities. Initially, the work of identifying the location of the fire and measuring the signal strength of the telco service in the Forest Reserve was done with the help of rangers from the Muar district forestry department. This article proposes a prototype for detecting peat forest fires capable of monitoring and sending early fire notifications using a smartphone. The prototype uses an ESP32 microcontroller, GSM/GPRS modem and industry-standard sensors incluing smoke, temperature, humidity and motion detectors. A total of five prototype units were developed as sensor nodes (SN) 1 to 5 with unique IDs that can send information to UTHM web servers simultaneously. Data from each SN is displayed in real-time while notifications of smoke detection and motion alerts are sent to the authorities via the Telegram application. Solar panels are used as a source of electricity supply while the authorities can access information via smartphones. This prototype was tested to see its stability and operational accuracy while the data obtained were recorded. The developed system can help the authorities detect fires at an early stage and the location of the fire can be known based on the SN information received on the smartphone screen.
Green roof has shown potential contribution on improving the functional performance of buildings by lowering the roof exterior surface temperature, which is indirectly, could potentially reduce the energy demand. In addition, it is likely to provide important ecological services to urban areas through lowering of urban heat island (UHI) temperatures, increasing storm water retention and improves the biodiversity. This paper will then present the initial outcomes of the joint initiative between Malaysia Agricultural Research and Development (MARDI) and Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM) in promoting this green technology in Malaysia. As green roof technology is still emerging, there is limited technical data available at present in Malaysian climate. The study aims to provide initial observation on the thermal performance of green roof and its effect towards surrounding and associated significant environmental benefit. In order to achieve the goal, the thermal performance of green roof system in experimental plot at MARDI had been monitored. The green roof experimental plot has been set up on two flat roofs in Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI, Serdang, Selangor and the treatments consists of two green roof system known as conventional system and self-watering system. The substrate depths were 50 mm and 100 mm. In addition, some observation on the attracted wildlife to the green roof was initiated. Based on the initial results, it is interesting to report that the temperature reduction for the green roofs on Roof 1 and Roof 2 were in averages of 6.1°C and 10°C, respectively. In conclusion, this joint study between UTHM and MARDI may facilitate the development of roof top gardening system in greening the urban area. With more studies, it will possibly highlight the engineering significance, furthermore promoting the application of green roof technology in Malaysia.
Vegetation has been proven for establishing and implementing resistive measures against erosion and failure of slopes, river banks, removal of air pollution and reduced storm water runoff. Installation of cover crop involved soil element usage as growth medium which create several interaction between both strands. This study was carried out to investigate the soil strength performance by using Guinea grass at different construction period up to three months. Grass was planted in a 300 mm x 300 mm x 700 mm test plot with a suitable soil medium. Direct shear tests were conducted for each plot to determine the soil shear strength according to different construction period. Some basic geotechnical testing also were carried out. The results showed there is an increment in shear strength for soil sample over the time at various depths. During period of 1st, 2nd and 3rd month, the average shear stress of 100 mm depth was 50.56 kPa, 63.96 kPa, and 96.59 kPa respectively. Meanwhile, for 200 mm depth the result was 40.843 kPa, 53.91 kPa and 62.93 kPa respectively. Lastly, on 300 mm depth, shear stress was 37.21 kPa, 51.09 kPa, and 59.27 kPa respectively. Based on the result, the higher shear strength was obtained at different construction period and at varying depths. From the observation, roots mass increased for different construction period. In terms of tensile strength, the diameter of the root affects the rate of resistance against the tensile forces. This indicated that the roots structure growth affects the soil shear strength.
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