Journal of Building Performance ISSN: 2180-2106 Volume 10 Issue 2 2019 21http://spaj.ukm.my/jsb/index.php/jbp/index Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia The Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia Page 93 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ON RESIDENTS’ WELL-BEING IN THE VICINITY OF QUARRYING Wan Hasmirah Wan Ibrahim 1 , Emma Marinies Ahmad Zawawi 1 , Julitta Yunus 1 , Nurfashiha Hashim 1 , Khalida Mohd Sukur 1 1 Faculty of Architecture Planning and Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Shah Alam, Selangor *Corresponding author: wwanhasmirah@yahoo.com.com Abstract This study investigates the quality of life of the large population living in the vicinity of quarrying. The negative impact of quarrying activities, such as health problems and air pollution is among the variables that influence human well-being. The objective of this study is to investigate the residents’ experience of air quality in their area and to provide suitable preventive measures to reduce air pollution. A set of questionnaires was distributed to the community at Bandar Saujana Putra and Taman Kajang Perdana, in Selangor. Residents were randomly selected to participate in this study. The study reveals that the community was concerned about health conditions and safety. It is anticipated that this study could assist both residents and authorities in improving the quality of air in this area by providing suitable preventive measures to reduce the environmental impact. Keywords: Air Quality, Quarrying Activities, Environmental Impact Article history: Submitted: 15/02/2019; Revised: 21/05/2019; Accepted: 11/07/2019; Online: 01/10/2019 INTRODUCTION Quarrying is an important industry in national development. For economic reasons, it needs to continue to supply raw materials for construction, building and manufacturing. However, to sustain this development, both industry and government agencies must take responsibility for controlling its activities. Population increase may result in the spread of residential areas. However, the limited availability of land has always been an issue, and it is highly likely that residential zones will be developed near quarries (Ibrahim, 2009). This scenario may worsen the level of the Air Quality Index (AQI), as the dust from quarry sites is a major source of air pollution. According to Ng (2012), the balance between the environment and economic development needs to be improved, with legislation to improvement quarry management and provide preventive measures for preserve the environment. Section 34A of the Environmental Quality Act, 1974 - Amendment 1985 requires that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report must contain measures to assess, prevent and reduce the impact on the environment. Following Wahid’s study (2010), of 49 EIA reports from 1995 to 2002 on housing construction activity, it was proposed that for quarrying or any other industry, there should be a buffer zone of at least three kilometers from the site. However, due to the growth in population, a lot of housing has been built near quarries, with many negative impacts such as cracks in houses, broken roads, dirt and dust in the atmosphere, and noise from blasting (Ibrahim, 2009). The purpose of conducting this research is to investigate the experience of residents towards the quality of air near their homes and to recommend preventive measures in the face of quarry activities. In the past, the growth of the industry was not an issue as most quarrying was far away from residential areas and people. However, with the passage of time and the rapid growth of population, the increased number of housing projects has pushed building near the quarries (Tarmizi, 2014). Hence, the aim of this study is to identify the residents’ perception of air quality near their homes.