Malaysian Journal of Tropical Geography (MJTG)

SPATIAL VARIATION OF CLIMATIC HAZARDS IN THE NORTHERN REGION OF SRI LANKA

Piratheeparajah Nagamuthu — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0800

There are no discernible patterns concerning drought and flood hazards in Sri Lanka; some areas have experienced more disasters than others. The objective of this study is to identify the spatial patterns of drought and flood hazards that exist in this region. Monthly, seasonal, and annual climatic data were gathered from thirteen stations, covering the period from 1972 to 2022. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was employed to examine each station's drought and flood hazards from 1972 to 2022. The Arc GIS 10.4 Krigging method was utilized to identify the spatial variations of the drought and flood hazards. During the South West Monsoon Season, severe droughts were detected in Vavunikkulam, Akkarayankulam, Murunkan, and Pavatkulam. Extreme floods were common during the First Inter Monsoon Season; three occurrences were noted at Iranaimadu, Thirunelveli, Pallavarayankaddu, and Nainathivu stations in the Northern region, identified through the SPI method. During the Second Inter Monsoon Season, two extreme floods in Thirunelveli, two in Vavuniya, and three in Murungan and Akkarayankulam stations were identified alongside seven severe droughts at Nainathivu and five at Vavuniya. During the North East Monsoon Season, three severe floods were identified in Akkarayankulam, three in Ambalapperumalkulam, three extreme floods in Pallavaraykaddu, three severe floods in Muththaiyankaddu, four severe floods in Vavunikkulam station, and three severe floods in Vavuniya in the Northern region of Sri Lanka. Some areas in the Northern Region of Sri Lanka have been affected several times spatially by both floods and droughts. The eastern parts of the study area have more flood hazards, while the western parts have more droughts, according to 70% of the people surveyed. Furthermore, the frequency of flood occurrences decreases gradually in the direction from east to west, while that of droughts decreases gradually from west to east.

HISTORICAL EXTREME TEMPERATURE TRENDS IN A PART OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Idowu, Mary Adefunke — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0800

The study examines the historical trends and changes in extreme temperature events in Nigeria using both observed (NIIMET) and simulated (Regional Climate Model) data over the study area. The spatiotemporal patterns, variability and trend analysis of the datasets were carried out. Fourteen (14) indices of the 27 climate indices were used to determine the trends and changes in extreme events across the region. Results showed an increase in trends of minimum and maximum temperature across the eco-climatic regions of Nigeria, and the RegCM replicated the observed data for most of the eco-climatic regions, except for the Sudan savanna. The study identified significant implications attributed to the temperature increase in humans, plants and animals.

ENVIRONMENTAL-INDUCED MIGRATION AND LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY IN PATIGI LGA, KWARA-NORTH SENATORIAL DISTRICT, NIGERIA

Awotayo Gbenga Paul — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0800

Migration and livelihood are interwoven so that both can be perceived as products of the environment. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the global occurrence of forced migration as a result of environmental stress, which is a global challenge. However, approaches adopted in confronting it vary globally, and the present study contributes to global knowledge from a rare perspective. The approach solution to environmental stress holistically, particularly with the advocacy for community members' participation at every stage of solution building, which was downplayed in the past in solving disaster-prone area challenges. It neglects the adoption of edge-cutting methods, such as the blue economy approach, that the old order did not have. The paper assessed the prevalence and occurrence of environmentally induced disasters in Patigi's environs as well as their impact on livelihood vulnerability as a case study. The data for this study were obtained from a structured questionnaire, focus group discussions (FGD), and in-depth interviews. Purposive sampling was used by the National Emergency Management Agency to select five communities considered disaster-prone areas. These communities are Edochigi, Gudugi, Mawogi, Sokingi, and Gakpan. A total of 125 copies of structured questionnaires were administered using a disproportionate random sampling technique. Twenty-five disaster victims were selected from each community. The result showed that floods accounted for 72% of the prevalence of environmental disasters in the study area. Findings also revealed that 75.2% of the respondents are mostly farmers in rice cultivation. The correlation analysis shows that flooding greatly impacts farming, with a correlation of 0.615, especially during the rainy season. The study concluded that environment-related disasters had led to displacement and negatively impacted inhabitant livelihoods. The study recommended the need for community members' involvement in the problem-solving process and the need to adopt the blue economy concept to minimize the adverse effects of disasters.

CYBERCRIME EXPERIENCE'S IMPACT ON WOMEN'S EMOTIONS: A CASE STUDY IN PENANG

Norhayati Mat Ghani, Mohd Azmeer Abu Bakar, Hafizah Rosli — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0800

According to reports, 73% of women worldwide are cybercrime victims due to the consumption of social media. Cybercrime incidents have various effects on female victims, including emotional, relationship, and educational consequences. This study aims to investigate the emotional effects of cybercrime among the female victims. Ten women who were victims of cybercrime were selected for in-depth interviews using snowball and purposive sampling. This study employed the qualitative approach; the data was analyzed using content analysis. The results show that cybercrime involving instances of cyberbullying and fraud was the most prevalent among respondents, at 21.4%. The emotional effects of cyberbullying and fraud include sadness, trauma, embarrassment, stress, depression, frequent crying, anxiety, distraction, anger, fear, depression, loss of trust, always thinking negatively, lack of self-confidence, and becoming a hater. This study provides information about the emotional impact of cybercrime on women who use social media. This study suggested that government agencies and related organizations should consider the potential dangers posed by social media, which could negatively impact the emotional and psychological health of young women.

APLIKASI SISTEM MAKLUMAT GEOGRAFI (GIS) DALAM MENENTUKAN KEBOLEHUPAYAAN PEJALAN KAKI TERHADAP KEBOLEHTERSAMPAIAN DI BANDARAYA BERSEJARAH MELAKA

Mohd Sahrul Syukri Yahya, Edie Ezwan Mohd Safian — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 00:00:00 +0800

Kebolehupayaan pejalan kaki ialah satu kajian disiplin ilmu yang meluas terhadap kebolehtersampaian tanpa menggunakan mod pengangkutan berteraskan motor. Kajian ini dijalankan di kawasan bersejarah iaitu Bandaraya Melaka yang mempunyai pelbagai akses dan aktiviti pelancongan. Kaedah yang digunakan ialah analisis rangkaian dan proses hierarki analitik berasaskan aplikasi sistem maklumat geografi (GIS) sebagai platform data ruangan utama yang dapat menentukan skor akses kebolehupayaan pejalan kaki di kawasan kajian. Empat parameter digunakan iaitu pemboleh ubah perhubungan jalan raya, guna tanah, tempat kediaman dan bangunan komersial atau sejarah. Hasil kajian yang dijalankan dapat menunjukkan peratusan skor kawasan yang mempunyai keupayaan berjalan kaki yang tinggi, sederhana dan rendah. Selain itu, penggunaan GIS dan data walk score dapat menentukan bahawa lokasi Bandar Hilir merupakan kawasan yang sangat tinggi ‘walkability’ dan akses yang sempurna. Oleh hal yang demikian, kajian ini dapat memberikan impak positif kepada perancang bandar yang lestari dari segi ekonomi, alam sekitar dan reka bentuk bandaraya tanpa penggunaan kenderaan bermotor.