PREDEEP NAMBIAR New Straits Times 7 Jun 14;
CRITICAL: 4 in Batu Ferringhi dirty, black and emit foul stench
GEORGE TOWN: EIGHT rivers in the state are listed as being nearly “dead”, said a state waterway and sea task force.
Out of the eight rivers, four of them are in Batu Ferringhi, with water quality at Class IV and V.
Class IV are polluted rivers while Class V are “dead” rivers, as they are dirty, black and emit a foul stench.
The rivers are Sungai Batu Ferringhi, Sungai Mas, Sungai Satu and Sungai Kechil. The other nearly “dead” river on the island is Sungai Pinang, located south of here.
Three mainland rivers, Sungai Kereh in Tasek Gelugor, Sungai Pertama in Prai and Sungai Jawi in Nibong Tebal, are listed as critical.
The task force listed 32 recommendations to tackle the pollution. Twenty will be implemented immediately or within a year.
The proposals include installing food and grease traps at wet markets by the municipal councils, and enforcement on abattoirs and indiscriminate discharge of waste into rivers.
Task force chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the rivers were polluted because of discharge of effluents by sewage treatment plants and indiscriminate rubbish dumping from illegal businesses, among others.
“The reduction in water quality is because of discharge of effluents from sewage treatment plants, such as Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) and privately held ones.”
The IWK had been blamed for the Sungai Batu Ferringhi pollution in February, and the Department of Environment’s water samples had reported a higher than usual E. coli bacteria count. IWK, however, said that it was not at fault.
The task force was formed some five months ago after the New Straits Times exposed rampant pollution in the rivers of Batu Ferringhi, threatening to destroy the popular beach destination.
Enforcement, not awareness, lacking, says NGO
New Straits Times 7 Jun 14;
GEORGE TOWN: Environmental interest groups expressed concern about the eight heavily polluted rivers in the state.
Malaysian Nature Society Penang adviser D. Kanda Kumar said enforcement was key as many knew that polluting rivers was not right.
“There is no use educating people anymore. In this day and age of the Internet, it is common knowledge that polluting the river is wrong.
“People know it is wrong but they do it anyway.“It is all about enforcement and political will.”
Kanda acknowledged the 32 measures by the state’s waterway pollution task force, but cautioned that hasty decisions would not solve the problems.
“This is a complex issue and we cannot solve it through piecemeal solutions.
“Piecemeal solutions are just knee-jerk reactions. You must be brave enough to enforce the law.”
Kanda was sceptical over the measures, saying efforts by the authorities over the past 15 years had not yielded results.
Kanda said authorities were looking at the wrong place all these years, as most pollution of rivers occurs upstream.
He said downstream clean-up would be counter-productive, as it was a matter of time before the river became dirty again.
He added that the pollution was made worse with hillside farmers disposing waste and dirt upstream of rivers.
“There are many settlements mushrooming along riverbanks, too. The authorities have resettled some from Sungai Pinang, but there are more.”
Kanda also felt there was a lack of concerted effort to remove illegal eateries, which had been discharging waste directly into the drains.
“The waste goes into the drains. The drains flow into the rivers. How do you expect them to be clean?”
Consumers’ Association of Penang research officer S. Mageswari said the state government had failed to look at the effect of the swelling pollution earlier on.
She said Penang’s dirty waterways have been an age-old problem, despite many measures throughout the years.
“The authorities must look at non-point sources, such as sedimentation from hill-cutting. They approve new factories but fail to see the cumulative effect of the pollution.”
Meanwhile, Penang Gerakan secretary Oh Tong Keong said the state government’s motto, “Cleaner, Greener Penang” was a joke.
He said despite spending a substantial amount to keep Penang clean, the DAP-led government’s efforts had been futile.
“Such campaigns are widely publicised in the newspapers. It seems that the campaigns are mere publicity stunts.”
Oh added that the state government ought to focus on long-term river protection plans rather than short-term superficial publicity.
