Concern over dying rivers
Tuesday, 13 Aug 2019
The toxic chemical pollution in Sungai Kim Kim in April resulted in several thousands of people needing medical treatment after breathing in noxious gases. — Bernama
JOHOR BARU: The state government has been urged to take swift action to restore dead or dying rivers in the state to help ensure sustainable long-term water resources.
Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar warned that Johoreans may end up having to pay a heavy price in the future if the state government failed to do the necessary.
“The tell-tale signs are already here including contamination affecting our rivers which are the main sources of our raw water supply,” he said.
Sivakumar said many of the rivers were polluted, mostly due to uncontrolled economic activities, or were drying up.
He said a comprehensive study was needed to identify these rivers and steps taken to rejuvenate and rehabilitate them.
“It is disturbing to see the condition of rivers in the state and if no immediate action is taken, Johor will face a major water crisis like what is happening in the Klang Valley,” added Sivakumar.
A river is considered dead once it is incapable of sustaining life such as fish and aquatic plants, and this is usually caused by pollution depleting the oxygen in the water.
“Deforestation in the catchment areas is the chief cause failing water levels at dams in Johor,” he told StarMetro.
In April, the National Water Services Commission (Span) said the water level at three dams – the Lebam dam, Upper Layang dam and Pulai 2 dam, were below the critical level, while several rivers also recorded falling water levels.
Sivakumar said among the rivers which needed immediate attention were those in Kluang, namely Sungai Mengkibol, Sungai Kahang, Sungai Sembrong Kiri and Sungai Sembrong Kecil, as well as Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi.
When contacted, Johor Consumers Movement Association chairman Md Salleh Sadijo said it was convenient to blame the weather for the rivers drying up.
“We are also to blame for cutting down trees indiscriminately, treating our rivers as dumpsites as well as lack of enforcement by the relevant agencies,” he said.
Salleh said scheduled water rationing would not be needed and unscheduled water disruptions a thing of the past if the state could manage water resources better.
He said large-scale oil palm plantations and other agricultural activities should not be allowed near water catchment areas or close to dams.
“The state government needs to start gazetting more areas as forest reserves, begin replanting trees and put a stop to any encroaching activities,” said Salleh.
Johor has been hit by several cases of river pollution this year, the worst being the toxic dumping at Sungai Kim Kim in March, which affected several thousand people in Pasir Gudang.
There have also been cases of ammonia pollution in Sungai Sayong which disrupted water supply in Kulai district in April following the shutdown of two water treatment plants.
Illegal discharges from oil palm plantations and poultry farms into Sungai Johor have also caused the Johor River Waterworks plant to shut down on several occasions this year.
Green Earth Society Johor president P. Sivakumar warned that Johoreans may end up having to pay a heavy price in the future if the state government failed to do the necessary.
Sivakumar said many of the rivers were polluted, mostly due to uncontrolled economic activities, or were drying up.
He said a comprehensive study was needed to identify these rivers and steps taken to rejuvenate and rehabilitate them.
“It is disturbing to see the condition of rivers in the state and if no immediate action is taken, Johor will face a major water crisis like what is happening in the Klang Valley,” added Sivakumar.
A river is considered dead once it is incapable of sustaining life such as fish and aquatic plants, and this is usually caused by pollution depleting the oxygen in the water.
“Deforestation in the catchment areas is the chief cause failing water levels at dams in Johor,” he told StarMetro.
In April, the National Water Services Commission (Span) said the water level at three dams – the Lebam dam, Upper Layang dam and Pulai 2 dam, were below the critical level, while several rivers also recorded falling water levels.
Sivakumar said among the rivers which needed immediate attention were those in Kluang, namely Sungai Mengkibol, Sungai Kahang, Sungai Sembrong Kiri and Sungai Sembrong Kecil, as well as Sungai Johor in Kota Tinggi.
When contacted, Johor Consumers Movement Association chairman Md Salleh Sadijo said it was convenient to blame the weather for the rivers drying up.
“We are also to blame for cutting down trees indiscriminately, treating our rivers as dumpsites as well as lack of enforcement by the relevant agencies,” he said.
Salleh said scheduled water rationing would not be needed and unscheduled water disruptions a thing of the past if the state could manage water resources better.
He said large-scale oil palm plantations and other agricultural activities should not be allowed near water catchment areas or close to dams.
“The state government needs to start gazetting more areas as forest reserves, begin replanting trees and put a stop to any encroaching activities,” said Salleh.
Johor has been hit by several cases of river pollution this year, the worst being the toxic dumping at Sungai Kim Kim in March, which affected several thousand people in Pasir Gudang.
There have also been cases of ammonia pollution in Sungai Sayong which disrupted water supply in Kulai district in April following the shutdown of two water treatment plants.
Illegal discharges from oil palm plantations and poultry farms into Sungai Johor have also caused the Johor River Waterworks plant to shut down on several occasions this year.
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