The environmental consulting and monitoring services are mainly conducted by ASMA. ASMA has established an infrastructure, employing state-of the-art technology that supports a comprehensive monitoring network for both air and water designed specifically for the DOE’s privatised monitoring program.

The monitoring program involves the installation, operation and maintenance of a network of air and water quality monitoring networks known as CAQM and CWQM (collectively known as the “Continuous Monitoring Networks”) throughout the entire nation for the DOE. The air and water quality is being continuously monitored via the fifty-one units of CAQM stations and fifteen units of CWQM stations installed throughout Malaysia.

These stations are equipped with instrumentations that are able to monitor major pollutant gasses in the air and water quality characteristics for the rivers. All the data are polled to ASMA’s Environmental Data Centre (“EDC”), which are manned by qualified technicians on 24-hours basis.

ASMA’s scope of services can be divided into the following sub-categories:

• Water Resources Management
• Air Quality Management
• Environmental Data Management
• Environmental Consultancy (EIA, EMP, EMS, ESA)

(i) Water Resources Management

ASMA provides a complete range of services in water quality monitoring and assessment including consultation services relating to management and control options. Hence, the determination of the state of the water quality of the ‘water body’ provides the relevant data that then can be used for assessment purposes which in turn allows for the proposal and implementation of the appropriate management and control options. Ambient water quality monitoring - Continuous and manual or batch sampling;

• Industrial effluents monitoring and assessment;
• Assessment of water quality with respect to specific beneficial uses;
• Pollution sources identification; and
• Provision of consultancy services relating to management and control options.

In addition, ASMA also provides the integration, installation and maintenance of these continuous stations for the monitoring of water quality. ASMA provides a one-stop centre to cater to the environmental needs of the manufacturing and agro-based industry as well as other wastewater generating activities. Other water resources management services offered includes sampling and analysis of polluted water (“effluent”) to ensure compliance to the effluent discharge standards, wastewater characteristic study, efficiency studies of waste water treatment plants and upgrading of water treatment capabilities.

(ii) Air Quality Management

ASMA provides complete ambient air monitoring solutions, with fully integrated air monitoring systems thus making ASMA the market leader in the field of air monitoring. ASMA provides unique and customized systems integration using instruments, hardware and software, landline modem, cell phone modems, radios and satellite communications. In addition to ambient air monitoring, ASMA also provides stack gas sampling where stack emission constituents such as particulates, acid gases, hazardous organic compounds are measured.

In addition to compliance measurements, ASMA provides value-added services such as pollution spread model from industrial stacks and refineries using established dispersion models that measures the spread of pollutants from pollution sources.

Air Quality Management activities encompasses the following :-

• Management of Continuous Air Quality Monitoring Stations
• Management of Manual Air Quality Monitoring Stations
• Stack sampling at Stationary Sources for DOE Compliance

(iii) Environmental Data Management

ASMA has a wealth of air and water quality database stretching back to 1995. These data are generated on a continuous basis (24 hours a day) and are subject to very strict quality assurance procedures to ensure their precision and accuracy. With this enormous database, ASMA is thus, in a position to provide value-added measures, in the form of statistical analysis, dispersion modelling, trend analysis or forecasting, to ensure that the data and reports are custom-made to suit the varied needs of the customers.

In addition, ASMA also develops Geographical Information System (GIS) applications for environmental analysis and modelling. This technology adds a new dimension to the conventional methods of environmental analysis as it allows graphic visualizations of environmental variations in over a wide area

(iv) Environmental Consultancy

Leveraging on the ASMA’s in-depth technical knowledge in the environmental field, the Group is able to provide consultancy services to assist companies which intend to establish, implement and maintain their environmental management systems (EMS). The consultancy package ranges from initial environmental review, evaluation of significant impact, EMS documentation to system implementation and maintenance. The main objectives are to guide companies to achieve the ISO 14001 certification and ensure compliance with the environmental regulations.

Additionally, ASMA also provides consultancy services in conducting environmental site assessments (ESA) of sites that have either been contaminated or are potentially subjected to contamination. In many instances, such sites are contaminated by scheduled wastes. In conducting environmental site assessments, ASMA also conducts monitoring of all the relevant medium as well as value-added recommendations and solutions for cost-effective remedial actions.

ASMA has also been involved in the preparation of a number of EIAs. In addition to the provision of environmental data, ASMA also conducts baseline studies, provides assessment of potential impacts as well as monitors and assesses the post-EIA phases.