Johor MP: Discard plastic bag habit, 'learn from recent Singapore flood'

The Star 4 Oct 10;

JOHOR BARU: The people here must learn from the recent flood in Singapore and discard the use of plastic bags because these items choke up the waterways when it rains, said Johor Baru MP Datuk Abdul Shahrir Samad.

“If this (flood) happened in the middle of Johor Baru such as at Jalan Yahya Awal, people would remark that it is normal and that the irrigation plan in the city is bad.

“But this happened in the middle of Singapore, which is known to have the best development plan,” he said when launching the “No Plastic Bag Every Saturday” campaign by Aeon Co (M) Bhd at the Aeon City Tebrau mall on Saturday.

Shahrir warned that if such a thing could happen in Singapore, the people in Johor Baru would have to be more vigilant and not clog drainage systems with rubbish.

He proposed that the use of plastic bags be made illegal as a step to reduce pollution.

Shahrir said plastic bags were the main pollutants, especially in the city centre, as users would usually just chuck these at the roadside.

“This is a common sight, especially in Sungai Tebrau,” he said, adding that global warming had made it worse by increasing rainfall.

Aeon human resources and administration senior general manager Isao Yamaguchi said the campaign at its Tebrau mall marked the fourth phase of its nationwide drive at Jusco stores, covering Johor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca and Perak.