Malaysia: Manage water resources better, urges Johor Regent

MOHD FARHAAN SHAH The Star 20 Aug 19;

JOHOR BARU: The Regent of Johor Tengku Mahkota Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, wants the state government to better manage its precious water resources.

This comes after Tunku Ismail, who was appointed as the Regent on Aug 11, attended a briefing on Johor’s water management at Bangunan Dato’ Jaafar Muhammad in Kota Iskandar on Sunday.

In a statement posted on Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar’s official Facebook page, Tunku Ismail said he takes a serious view of issues on pollution and mismanagement of water in the state.

He has urged the state government to start taking the necessary action to rehabilitate Johor’s waters and stamp out pollution.

Tunku Ismail also decreed that the state government should better manage its water resources and educate the public on proper water usage and awareness.

It was reported by Bernama that the state Department of Environment (DOE) would conduct a quality assessment of water samples taken from Sungai Daing following the pollution at Sungai Kopok in Pasir Gudang.

State local government, urban wellbeing and environment committee chairman Tan Chen Choon said the state government was aware of the problems faced by residents of Kampung Perigi Acheh and viewed seriously the pollution in Sungai Kopok, which is believed to have originated from its tributary, Sungai Daing.

“In addition to assessing water quality, the DOE has also been instructed to inspect all industrial premises near Sungai Daing to ensure that the operations at the premises are following the standards set under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, ” he said.

Tan said the move to assess water quality and having site inspections was decided after he went down to observe the water quality with senior officials from various agencies.

“The state government will then take further action based on the laboratory results on the samples taken, ” he said, adding that dialogue sessions would also be held with residents of Kampung Perigi Acheh to listen to their concerns and find solutions to the issues they faced.