KUALA LUMPUR, 06 March 2010 – Mudballs made of live micro-organisms will be released at the Zoo Negara lake to purify its water and restore aquatic life.

Yesterday, more than 250 Scope International staff members and 20 visually-impaired people from the Malaysian Association for the Blind started making 14,000 mudballs, to add to the 26,000 that were made in December.

The event kickstarted the Zoo Negara lake restoration project, which is a joint effort by the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Standard Chartered, Zoo Negara and Bioremeds, which provided the technological expertise for the EM mudballs.

Deputy Natural Resources and Environment Minister Tan Sri Joseph Kurup, in his speech when launching the project, said he was confident that the collaboration between the Government and private sectors and civil society would spark new thoughts on water conservation techniques and yield success.

The EM technology was developed by Japanese horticulturist Dr Teruo Higo. EM is the natural occurring of live micro-organisms such as bacteria and yeasts, which are used to improve the quality of water, solve sanitary problems and improving the environment.