Achieving Excellence in Sustainable Development Goals …
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to hyper-eutrophication (Shan et al. 2014; Koh et al. 2018a). Sustainable and costeffective remediation measures will be developed to improve water and sediment
quality in SL. It has been decided to rehabilitate Sunway Lagoon water quality by
constantly and consistently removing accumulated nutrients and other pollutants by
simple and sustainable means. Lake water at depth of 7.0–7.5 m will be drained
regularly and replaced with rainwater. The drained water with high nutrients will be
used for in-house vegetation watering. This rainwater harvesting and recycling of
nutrient rich lake water as fertilizer is consistent with the basic concepts of SDGs.
Recent sampling results also suggested a possible negative role of high fish density
on SL water quality. High fish density will reduce DO, increase nutrients and BOD via
fish respiration, fish meal residuals and excretion. A research was therefore conducted
in a fish pond G3 located within Sunway University campus. The DO levels were
very low, between 0.5 and 1.2 mg/L, causing some fish kill over the night time (Koh
et al. 2018b). Nitrate (NO 3 ) levels were very high at around 20 mg/L, reflecting
water quality indicative of aquaculture farms (Samocha et al. 2010). The low DO
and high NO 3 reflect high eutrophication due to high levels of nutrients from fish
meals and excreta. Sunway Lagoon fish biomass density should be kept far below
0.1 kg/m
3 . To develop relevant skills and competences in implementing SDG 6
and 13, final year project students were engaged to perform laboratory, field and
simulation studies. The simulation model used is an in-house model E2Algae (Teh
and Koh 2013). Engaging students, technicians, academics and SL management in
this research helps to integrate various components of the Sunway ecosystems into
one holistic entity, fulfilling SDG 17: Partnerships for SDGs.
5 SDG 13: Climate Action and Mangrove Conservation
Climate change is characterised as a pattern of extreme weather changes and accelerated sea level rise (SLR) that can pose threats to many SDGs. Hence, effective SDG
13: Climate action is urgently required. Climate change is commonly believed to be
the primary reason why natural disasters such as severe floods, extensive droughts,
treacherous hurricanes and violent storm surges happen more frequently and with
more intensity than previously. Sea levels across many parts of the globe have been
rising on average by about 3 mm annually due to warming climate. Malaysia is
not spared from this global SLR phenomenon. Sea level measurements along the
Malaysian coasts suggest that sea levels have been rising at a rate of 2.7–7.0 mm
annually (NAHRIM 2010), affecting many Malaysian coastlines in Penang, Kedah,
Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak. Over the coming century, sea levels around the coastline of Malaysia are expected to rise 25.3–51.7 cm. Many low-lying coastal areas of
Sabah and Sarawak will likely be submerged 43.2–106.4 cm below mean sea level
by the end of the century. Scientists across multiple disciples are scrambling to avert
this potential disaster that will affect millions of Malaysians, reduce agricultural
and tourism outputs, and disrupt the national economy. It is therefore imperative
271
to hyper-eutrophication (Shan et al. 2014; Koh et al. 2018a). Sustainable and costeffective remediation measures will be developed to improve water and sediment
quality in SL. It has been decided to rehabilitate Sunway Lagoon water quality by
constantly and consistently removing accumulated nutrients and other pollutants by
simple and sustainable means. Lake water at depth of 7.0–7.5 m will be drained
regularly and replaced with rainwater. The drained water with high nutrients will be
used for in-house vegetation watering. This rainwater harvesting and recycling of
nutrient rich lake water as fertilizer is consistent with the basic concepts of SDGs.
Recent sampling results also suggested a possible negative role of high fish density
on SL water quality. High fish density will reduce DO, increase nutrients and BOD via
fish respiration, fish meal residuals and excretion. A research was therefore conducted
in a fish pond G3 located within Sunway University campus. The DO levels were
very low, between 0.5 and 1.2 mg/L, causing some fish kill over the night time (Koh
et al. 2018b). Nitrate (NO 3 ) levels were very high at around 20 mg/L, reflecting
water quality indicative of aquaculture farms (Samocha et al. 2010). The low DO
and high NO 3 reflect high eutrophication due to high levels of nutrients from fish
meals and excreta. Sunway Lagoon fish biomass density should be kept far below
0.1 kg/m
3 . To develop relevant skills and competences in implementing SDG 6
and 13, final year project students were engaged to perform laboratory, field and
simulation studies. The simulation model used is an in-house model E2Algae (Teh
and Koh 2013). Engaging students, technicians, academics and SL management in
this research helps to integrate various components of the Sunway ecosystems into
one holistic entity, fulfilling SDG 17: Partnerships for SDGs.
5 SDG 13: Climate Action and Mangrove Conservation
Climate change is characterised as a pattern of extreme weather changes and accelerated sea level rise (SLR) that can pose threats to many SDGs. Hence, effective SDG
13: Climate action is urgently required. Climate change is commonly believed to be
the primary reason why natural disasters such as severe floods, extensive droughts,
treacherous hurricanes and violent storm surges happen more frequently and with
more intensity than previously. Sea levels across many parts of the globe have been
rising on average by about 3 mm annually due to warming climate. Malaysia is
not spared from this global SLR phenomenon. Sea level measurements along the
Malaysian coasts suggest that sea levels have been rising at a rate of 2.7–7.0 mm
annually (NAHRIM 2010), affecting many Malaysian coastlines in Penang, Kedah,
Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak. Over the coming century, sea levels around the coastline of Malaysia are expected to rise 25.3–51.7 cm. Many low-lying coastal areas of
Sabah and Sarawak will likely be submerged 43.2–106.4 cm below mean sea level
by the end of the century. Scientists across multiple disciples are scrambling to avert
this potential disaster that will affect millions of Malaysians, reduce agricultural
and tourism outputs, and disrupt the national economy. It is therefore imperative