SungaiJuru.com

PENANG is confident of rehabilitating its former dead rivers — Sungai Pinang and Sungai Juru — from Class 5 to Class 2 by 2015.

Class 5 has been classified as the most polluted with no marine life while Class 2 is clean enough for people to swim in it.

State Drainage and Irrigation Department director (DID) Hanapi Mohamad Noor said both rivers had been under rehabilitation for the last 10 years. They were under Class 5 and are now at Class Three, a stage allowing fish to survive in the rivers.

“Apart from increasing enforcement against polluters as well as public awareness, the department spends about RM100,000 annually to clean up each river,” he said at an environment awareness programme opening at the Sungai Juru water catchment area in Butterworth recently.

(From left) Bukit Tengah asssemblyman Ong Chin Wen, Penang DOE director Dr Kamarul Najuib Che Ibrahim and Hanapi taking a look at Sungai Juru.

Hanapi said the department was presently preparing a master plan to rehabilitate Sungai Juru at the cost of RM300mil.

He said, although Sungai Pinang’s RM450mil rehabilitation master plan was ready this year, it could not be implemented due to problems in relocating some 200 squatter houses in the area.

“We hope the state government will help settle the squatter problems soon so that we can go ahead with the Sungai Pinang rehabilitation master plan under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.

“The Sungai Juru master plan affects a smaller number of squatters and we hope to carry it out under the 10th Malaysia Plan,” he said.

He noted the Class 2 status for both rivers could be achieved by 2015, if all recommendations in both master plans, which included the provision of recreational facilities near the riverside, could be fulfilled.

Hanapi also said the department would spend about RM1mil in the next two years to add 100 log booms to trap rubbish in major monsoon drains leading to Sungai Pinang, Sungai Juru and Sungai Prai.

Presently, he said, there were 150 log booms placed at major river mouths throughout the state.

source The Star online 10.11.2008
Remarks : Friends of Sungai Juru welcomes the statements by Penang DID director to continue rehabilitating Sungai Juru and improving its water quality to Class 2 by 2015. However, there are several concerns that we hope the relevant authorities can address it ..

a) Under the 9th Malaysia Plan, Sungai Juru has been allocated RM18 million rehabilitation fund. We would like to know how the fund is being utilised ? It was reported in the press that MRCB environment has been given letter of award to rehabilitate Sungai Juru.

b) Enforcement - General reactions and feedback from public is that enforcement is still lacking. We urge the DOE to come out with more effective enforcement measures. There are culprits who release toxic waste directly into drains which later flows into the river during night time, Have many culprits have been nabbed and charged in court ?

c) Guidelines and supervisions of food courts and workshops by local council of MPSP ie. The MPSP should be strict when comes to license issuance to these outlets and conduct regular checks to ensure that their outlets equipped with FOG / grease trap. As it is, many of these outlets are not complying with these guidelines. Waste with oil pollutants are being released into the drains.

d) IWK sewerage system. It is common knowledge that sewerage waters are leaking into the drain system and still a major source of river pollution in the country.

written by tan \\ tags: Penang rivers pollution

Councillor Johari Kassim said many of the small and medium scale (SME) factories had been operating up to 10 years without licences and certificates of fitness (CF).

“Our objective is not to close down these factories. We just want to legalise their operations and get them to settle their dues to the council,” he said in an interview.

He said the Central Seberang Prai (SPT) district had 90 illegal factories, followed by North Seberang Prai (SPU) with 51 factories and South Seberang Prai (SPS) with nine.

Johari showing photos of illegal factories.

Johari said many factories had also failed to get necessary clearance from the Department of Environment (DOE) as well as the state Fire and Rescue Services Department before applying for CFs for their buildings.

“In SPT, many factories are involved in the processing of rubber, plastic, chemical and wooden products.

“In SPU, there are curry powder producers, coffee bean makers, brick processors and bakeries besides many rice mills, sawmills and feed mills,” he said.

In SPS, he said the illegal factories included a sardine-processing factory, a cloth-dyeing factory and a charcoal-processing factory.

Johari said there was also a foreign chemical factory in Bukit Minyak, Juru, which had been operating illegally since 1997.

“The loss of assessment revenue from these factories is quite substantial,” he said, citing a feedmil which did not pay RM17,000 in assessment over the past 10 years.

Johari said that after he and fellow councillors raised the issue of illegal factories with council president Farizan Darus, an Illegal and Unlicensed Factories Monitoring Ad-hoc Committee was set up in September.

He said the council would inspect the illegal premises in stages, starting with those located in Prai and Bukit Minyak.

The committee, he said, had so far met the owners of nine illegal factories who were given till the end of next month to get their documents.

“We will get the relevant authorities to inspect these premises to ensure they complied with the council’s requirements.

“We will expedite the processing of their CF applications to ensure they are legalised in the shortest time possible,” he said.

Johari said that the council would not hesitate to issue them stop work orders if they failed to meet the deadline.

By DERRICK VINESH
source : The Star online 10.11.2008

Hence, the council as the local government bears the responsibility to regulate and check on these illegal factories to ensure that it will not cause environmental damage and health hazard to the nearby residential areas.

written by tan \\ tags: illegal factories, Seberang Perai

The problem of river pollution is a serious one in Malaysia, where the tendency is to treat rivers like drains. A lot of education is needed to inculcate respect for the rivers and regard them as a national treasure.

The solution is to create a buffer between the river and housing estates. No house should be built along river banks and there should be a river reserve of adequate distance between the houses and the river. There should be heavy penalties for infringements.

The question of illegal sewerage should not arise if housing projects are required to provide proper sewerage systems before a project is approved. Road drainage should be properly connected to a proper system that prevents untreated water being

channelled into rivers. Ideally, deep sewerage is the answer but it depends on its availability.

River management is a complex task and planning is needed to ensure that rivers are kept free of pollution at its source. A good example is Singapore, which succeeded in cleaning up its rivers years ago after careful planning and enforcement so that they are now natural assets and provide recreation for tourists and locals.

Keeping a river clean involves stopping all the sources of pollution. Rivers provide an eco-system for wildlife. There is no

need to destroy their aesthetic quality by concretising them as in parts of Kuala Lumpur until they look like drains. Illegal squatters should be housed away from river banks.

It will not hurt to start a trust fund to protect and regenerate all the rivers that run through the cities because they should be part of any modern city’s landscape. When the public treat their rivers like drains and rubbish disposal channels, it is no wonder they are polluted and germ-ridden.

The once-beautiful sandy beach along Gurney Drive in Penang is now a mud flat. What a shame to still see open drains finishing into the sea and adding to the pollution. If people are serious about conserving their environment, they have to take immediate steps to clean up their act.

Both state and federal governments need to get involved and provide the funding for cleaning up the rivers. It has been a neglected priority.

Polluted rivers and seas are a physical curse to any place and anyone who has visited a place with a polluted and stinking river meandering through it will know what I mean.

Cleaning up the rivers is a worthwhile pursuit for the public. The Government should take the lead or be prepared to fund the NGO doing the job. The sooner the better.

By STEVE OH, Kajang (The Star 6/11/2008).

written by tan \\ tags: illegal factories, Seberang Perai

BUKIT MERTAJAM: New development areas prone to flooding will be identified for mitigation plans to check such woes.

Seberang Prai Municipal Council president Farizan Darus said both the council and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) would undertake the task to determine the need for retention ponds to address the problem.

He said the ponds were highly effective as they delayed the flow of rainwater into the drainage system, thus reducing flash floods.

“We are now using the guidelines under the Environment Friendly Manual (Masma) to get housing developers in Seberang Prai to build such retention ponds within their projects.

“But, this would be based on the type and size of the development project concerned,” he told reporters after handing over the RM660,000 Parit Lima pump house in Juru to the state DID here yesterday.

Farizan said the use of retention ponds had averted flooding at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) Engineering campus in Transkrian, Nibong Tebal, and the Taman Desa Palma housing scheme here.

He, however, said there was nothing much the council could do at the old housing and commercial schemes that did not have such retention ponds due to space constraints.

“But, if the new schemes around the old ones have such ponds, then the chances of them getting flooded will be very slim,” he said.

He said that in line with the Masma requirement, developers were supposed to contribute RM10,000 per acre of development space towards a special drainage contribution sinking fund.

“The fund will be used to pay for related drainage projects, such as to build pump houses and repair drains,” he said, noting that the Parit Lima pump house was built using the fund.

Bukit Tengah assemblyman Ng Siew Lai said the new pump house would complement the existing ones in Taman Mangga and Taman Sentul Jaya that were built in 2002.

“The new pump house will be able to draw water from Sungai Juru directly into the sea.

“Previously, during downpours and high tide, flashfloods often hit Taman Mangga, Taman Sentul, Taman Sentul Jaya and Taman Pinang mainly because of a backflow of water at the nearby drains and rivers,” she said.

The Star Metro Thursday December 20, 2007

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By DERRICK VINESH

SHRIEKS of excitement filled the air when some students caught a small snakehead fish (haruan), a baby shrimp, some fish fry and tadpoles in a stream at the Bukit Mertajam Forestry Park in Cherok Tok Kun.

They showed their catch to their teammates who murmured before jotting down the species under the biological monitoring section in their river report cards.

They were among 80 Form Four students from 20 secondary schools who participated in a River Rangers’ activity that was carried out during a three-day Environment Awareness Camp at the park recently.

The Penang Department of Environment (DOE) organised the camp with the help of the state Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), state Forestry Department and state Education Department.

The River Rangers all excited over their haruan find.

The students later filled up the physical monitoring section in the card with details such as the colour and smell of the stream, as well as human activities, besides the vegetation, insects and animals found in its surroundings.

The ‘little researchers’ also used basic water sampling test kits to test the water’s pH, levels of dissolved oxygen, turbidity, phosphate, nitrate and temperature.

They finally concluded that the stream was healthy as there was aquatic life and the water was clear with minimum pollution.

State DOE assistant director Mashita Kassim said the camp was aimed at enhancing envi-ronmental awareness among the students.

She said several environment-related activities, including one that required the students to wear blindfolds and walk in the jungle and across the stream were organised.

Apart from going jungle trekking and identifying the sounds in the park, the students also played a game where they assumed the roles of environmentalists and polluters.

“We organised four camps last year and six in 2006 for various groups such as teachers, students, non-governmental organisations, government departments and agencies,” she said.

SMKA (L) Al-Mashoor student Mohammad Lutfi Mohd Anor, 16, said this was his first outdoor activity with others from various schools.

“It is such an eye-opener when we go to the ground as a group to learn about nature and the different forms of pollution,” he said.

Tan Qiao Mei, 17, from SMK Bagan Jaya said she did not realise that there were serious threats to the environment until she attended the camp.

“I am now convinced that we badly need to take care of our environment, especially for the benefit of the future generation,” she said.

SMK Tun Hussein Onn student Prakashwaran, 16, said he would share his camp experience with members of his school’s Environment Club.

The Star Metro Saturday May 17, 2008

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Featured article by Oriental Daily, 22/4/2008

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By ZULKIFLY MOHAMAD

FRIENDS of Sungai Juru have questioned the condition of the river that has not seen any changes, especially its level of contamination, despite an RM18mil allocation by the federal government to rehabilitate it.

Friends of Sungai Juru co-ordinator Tan Chai Liang said the allocation was announced during Parliament session on Sept 7 in 2006 by the then Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment parliamentary secretary Sazmi Miah.

“However, until now, I have not seen any changes to the condition of the river that has been listed as one of the dirtiest rivers in the country.

“In fact, I pass by the river every day when I go back to my house in Taman Juru from Prai but sad to say there is no activity to clean up or beautify the river,” he said.

Tan said the RM18mil was part of the RM107mil approved by the Government to rehabilitate rivers in Penang under the 9th Malaysia Plan.

He said he had written to Local Government, Traffic Management and Environment committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow enquiring about the allocation and details of the contract if it had been awarded to anyone.

“I have also invited Chow to visit the Sungai Juru dam and see for himself the condition of the river and pollution,” he said.

Tan who is a strong campaigner on environment preservation had taken his own initiative to set up a special website on Sungai Juru.

The website can be accessed at www.sungaijuru.com

Sungai Juru is located about 12km south-east of Butterworth, some-where between the Penang Bridge and the site of the ongoing second link project.

The river has been classified by the Department of Environment as the most polluted river in the country while the World Health Organisation in its report had listed Sungai Juru as the dirtiest in South East Asia.

WHO in its report said the water in Sungai Juru was so toxic that it was unsafe for drinking even after it was boiled.

State Drainage and Irrigation De-partment director Hanapi Mohamad Nor said the department had been given approval to appoint a contractor for the Sungai Juru rehabilitation project.

He said the appointed contractor would be asked to design and build the project, adding that it would be implemented this year.

“We have identified the contractor and are waiting for his design,” he said.

source the star metro page M7
Wednesday April 16, 2008

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MRCB Environment Sdn Bhd’s core activity as an environmental solutions provider has enabled the company to be very involved with the local community and its surroundings.

The company, established in 2003, has undertaken several projects to conserve the environment. It specialises in the rehabilitation and conservation of beaches and rivers in the country.

The idea to set up MRCB Environment, which is a 55% owned subsidiary of Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB), first surfaced in 2000, said its director Dr Shaharizuan Shafiei.

MRCB is traditionally well known in the “brick-and-mortar” businesses such as construction of roads, buildings, highways and power generation plant.

Dr Shaharizuan Shafiei showing the Kuala Sungai Pahang river mouth area where MRCB Environment will build a breakwater system.

Shaharizuan, who is also vice-president and infrastructure and environment division head of MRCB, said there was concern that certain businesses of MRCB might be on the decline at the beginning of 2000.

“We decided to go into an area that, while we generated income, we would also be doing something for the public which makes us feel good. So, what is better than working on projects related to the environment?”

At the same time, environmental awareness among Malaysians was just picking up, but no one really spoke about beach conservation and restoration, river rehabilitation and maintenance of the water quality.

In a way, MRCB saw the potential in its environmental activities not only as a business venture but also something in line with its corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to promote eco-friendly environments and encourage domestic tourism.

MRCB Environment’s pilot project was the Teluk Cempedak beach rehabilitation in Pahang, which was awarded by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) in 2003. The beach was suffering from erosion due to loss of sand.

Shaharizuan said the company employed the pressure equalisation module (PEM) system, combined with sand nourishment, to rehabilitate the coastline of Teluk Cempedak.

“The water table will be reduced, hence making the sand on the beach drier. Erosion at beaches happens because the sand is wet and saturated,” he explained.

PEM pipes were installed under the seabed to assist the pressure from the ground water level and stimulate sand sedimentation. The beach was sand nourished to achieve a wider beach profile, after which additional PEM pipes were installed under the new beach to reduce erosion.

The project was completed in 2004 and the sand nourishment had increased the beachfront of Teluk Cempedak by 80m to 100m.

Shaharizuan said after that, the company was given a small contract by DID to maintain the beach for three years.

MRCB Environment also deployed a similar solution when it received an interim award from DID in 2005 to conserve 3km of beach at Teluk Tekek, Tioman Island.

The project involved construction of a sea wall, which together with the PEM system, was expected to minimise erosion and enhance its recreational value for tourism-related activities.

Besides that, a study was initiated to look into the pollution in various rivers in Teluk Tekek, drainage problems and mooring facilities.

The company also carried out an awareness programme to protect the rivers from further pollution, said Shaharizuan.

“Besides completing the project, the key thing is to create awareness among the village folk to not discharge kitchen effluents directly into the river. It ought to be treated first.

“DID introduced the grease trap, also known as simpack, at selected villages, and they were installed in food outlets on the island,” he explained.

Shaharizuan said the education provided was not only on the installation of the grease trap but proper maintenance.

“We continue to visit the owners of food outlets and explain to them that the Government has spent millions to restore the beach and they can play their role by using the grease traps provided by the local authority,” he added.

Another project undertaken by MRCB Environment, which also gave it the opportunity to improve the lives of a local community, was the protection of Kuala Sungai Pahang river mouth.

The company received an interim award worth about RM60mil in mid-2006 to improve the river mouth on a design and build basis.

The interim works included immediate dredging and design of breakwater at the river mouth.

Once completed, the project will provide safer navigation channels for fishermen surrounding the area, especially during the monsoon season, and mitigate flooding in the area.

Shaharizuan said that with the implementation of the breakwater system as well as dike retention pond and pump in the towns such as Pekan located further up the river, losses due to flood could be reduced by 30%.

MRCB Environment has received an interim letter of award to rehabilitate Sungai Prai, Penang, and a letter of intent to rehabilitate Sungai Kuantan, Pahang. It had also submitted proposals for work on three rivers in Johor and Sungai Juru, Penang.

The company worked with various parties, including foreign universities and local consultants, on some of its projects.

Shaharizuan lamented the lack of environmental engineers in the country.

On plans to enlarge the pool of talent, he said: “It is quite difficult, but our key strength is our people. We source them from everywhere; we take in ex-DID staff and employ civil engineer who are keen on this area and train them. We hope to churn out very good environmental engineers in the future.”

MRCB Environment’s revenue contribution to MRCB is not significant at present, but the potential in this area of work is enormous. Shaharizuan said there was a lot of work to be done in Malaysia.

“If we concentrate here alone, it should be more than enough to sustain us for many years,” he added.

On the possibility of seeking out projects abroad, Shaharizuan said: “We are an expert in Malaysia but there are a lot of companies already doing this overseas. If we go to other countries, we have to be competitive in terms of pricing.”

The company also plans to venture into other projects related to the environment such as garbage disposal, mangrove restoration and erosion control.

Source The Star 8.2.2008
By CHAN CHING THUT
Saturday February 9, 2008

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