KUALA LUMPUR – Only 53 per cent of rivers in Malaysia are classified as clean, while 42 per cent are categorised as polluted and the remainder are placed in the severely polluted category.
These facts were revealed by Dr Ismaniza Ismai and Dr Nurul Nadiah Mohd Firdaus Hum of the School of Chemistry and Environment, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), in their article titled ‘Tercemarnya Hari Air Sedunia dengan Pencemaran Sungai Yang Berterusan’.
According to the article, the issue of river pollution has been rampant of late, which resulted in the disruption of water supply in the Klang Valley.
This stemmed from the lack of education on, and public awareness of, river sustainability, as well as how to properly manage rivers to ensure that the quality of river water is guaranteed
“For instance, this year’s (World Water Day) celebrations saw the Kim Kim River in Johor polluted again. Complaints from local residents and Department of Environment (DOE) monitoring found that pollutants and chemical waste are still at alarming levels.
“In Selangor, river pollution has become a major issue, and it often results in water supply disruptions. On average, every few months there will be cases of river water pollution and water supply disruptions. The industry sector and local communities are affected due to continuous water disruption,” it said.
The article was published in the Bernama Tinta Minda section on the Bernama news portal, in conjunction with World Water Day celebration today.
Although the appropriate measures have been taken by the authorities, many parties are still pointing fingers at the state government, urging it to take drastic action to prevent the recurrence of water pollution.
“This finger pointing attitude does not solve the pollution or water supply issues. There should be cooperation between the community and the authorities; both parties must work together to ensure sustainability of water resources.
“The annual World Water Day celebrations may be considered unsuccessful as long as many still mismanage and do not appreciate this limited and irreplaceable resource,” the article said.
World Water Day is celebrated on March 22 every year with this year’s theme being ‘Appreciating Water’.
Collective responsibility
In an interview with recently, Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said the notion that rivers’ cleanliness fall on the shoulder of the local authorities must be changed so that the community understands that they too are responsible for the cleanliness of our rivers.
“This theme was chosen to raise awareness that it is our collective responsibility to care for our rivers – whether non-governmental agencies, the community at large, individuals or the local authorities. Sometimes some of us feel detached from the responsibility because we think that we don’t own it.”
“This theme is to remind them otherwise, so that when they see trash in the river, they will feel compelled to remove it. We want them to have a sense of shame when it comes to littering in the river,” he said.
At the same time, he also urged NGOs, communities and owners of industries set up near rivers to maintain and beauty the country’s main source of water, in the bid to protect it from pollution.
“Imagine if 1,000 rivers in the country have NGOs, communities or an industry that looks after it, making areas to lounge on the banks, beautifying it and providing toilets that visitors can use for a small fee. It would be worth it as the river would be clean and beautiful.
“There is enormous potential in this as it can improve the local economy. The government can also create awards appreciating such efforts,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said the government hoped that rivers would change for the better over the next 10 to 20 years. He believed this would be possible if everyone played their part.
“We want our water sources to have a different look, trails around the river to come alive and the people responsible in ensuring the creation of new water sources. For now, we are cleaning up and beautifying the Kim Kim River in Johor to ensure it attracts visitors in the future,” he said.
Tuan Ibrahim said in line with the theme, his ministry would work with Yayasan Waqaf Malaysia to organise the Waqaf Air programme to help provide access to clean water for people in rural areas.
For now, RM2.4 million has been collected for the project including building pumps and tanks, and creating a filtration system to channel the water supply to houses in the rural areas.
