Plan to revive rivers on track

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 enforcement is still lacking. We urge the DOE to come out with more effective enforcement. 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.

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Council aims to legalise factories

THE Seberang Prai Municipal Council has identified 150 illegal factories in all three districts on mainland Penang in a move to legalise them and collect assessment arrears amounting to a few million ringgit.

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

Remarks : Friends of Sungai Juru viewed the move by MPSP to legalise illegal factories in Seberang Perai with GREAT CONCERN.

The council should ensure that these illegal factories comply with enviromental guidelines and its waste disposal including water dischage meet the waste guidelines before they are allowed to be legalised. One of the major contributing factor to the pollution of Sungai Juru is industrial waste.

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

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Rivers important part of city landscape

I WAS rather bemused by the report “Houses must face rivers” (The Star, Nov 4). Since house owners don’t appreciate river views, does it matter which direction the houses face?

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).

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Pointers on saving Sg Juru (The Star Metro 12th September 2008)

FRIENDS of Sungai Juru in Penang has submitted a 10-point memorandum to the state government on ways to reduce pollution in Sungai Juru.

The organisation’s co-ordinator Tan Chai Liang said the memorandum was prepared based on data gathered on the level of pollution in the river and feedback from other non-governmental organisations.

He said it also included views from academicians, including a lecturer from University of Tokyo in Japan.

“I submitted the memorandum to state Local Government, Traffic Management and Environment Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow during his visit to the river early last month.

“We hope the state government will take a pro-active measures and implement the suggestions contained in the memorandum as the level of pollution in the river has reached a critical stage,” he said in an interview.

Tan said among the suggestions included the need to set up a monitoring station to determine the water quality index of the river on regular basis.

He said it was also important to turn the river’s reserve into a “green corridor” by planting mangroves and setting up wetland areas along the river.

“Enforcement should also be stepped up to prevent the setting up of illegal settlements along Sungai Juru and the discharge of effluents by factories, workshops and food outlets.

“The state government should also provide incentives to factory operators and workshop owners to ensure they observe the requirements on waste management,” he added.

He said the memorandum also suggested the need to study the use of micro-organism and new technology to revive the river.

Tan said the RM18mil allocation by the Federal Government should be spent now for projects aimed at improving the river which had been labelled as the dirtiest river in the country.

“This is because the allocation has been approved since 2005 and I was informed that the money has not been spent yet to improve the water quality of Sungai Juru,” he added.

Friends of Sungai Juru is a non-governmental organisation set up by Tan to create awareness among the public on the need to preserve the environment.

Tan has also set up a website on Sungai Juru which can be accessed at www.sungaijuru.com.

Link : Pointers on saving Sg Juru.

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Happenings and update on Sungai Juru and Parit Lima near Tmn Bukit Minyak on 7th September 2008

Following the heavy downpour on 6th September 2008, several areas in central Seberang Perai areas have been badly affected by floods. The weather forecast has put on Orange-stage Thunderstorms And Heavy Rain Warning alert for the northern states on 7th September 2008 !

From on site investigations carried out Sunday morning, 7th September 2008 on the waterways namely Parit Lima surrounding Taman Bukit Minyak area, here are the snapshots and water levels of Parit Lima and Sungai Juru dam :-

a)Despite the heavy rains over night, Taman Bukit Minyak / Taman Bukit Minyak Indah housing schemes are not affected by floods.

b)Water levels at Parit Lima seen rising but no overflows.

c)On site investigations revealed that one of two water pump (located near to KM145 North South Highway) which were installed last year to pump out excessive rains water from Parit Lima into Sungai Juru is functioning !

d)Massive floating rubbish were trapped near Sungai Juru Dam area.


Update view of the Parit Lima water pump house as seen from KM145 North South Highway



View of the water conditions of Sungai Juru as seen from KM145 North South Highway



View of the water level at Parit Lima



Sanpshots on activities - 2 group of scavengers

Vietnamese Girls were seen busy collecting plastic bottles near Sungai Juru Dam area. Massive floating rubbish trapped at Sungai Juru Dam area. A sad reality of our very polluted environment and rivers today but golden opportunities for the hard working Vietnamese girls.



Another local group using sampang to collect plastic bottles for recycle along Sungai Juru ..



A group of foreign construction workers nearby were seen busy catching fish at Parit Lima. (teamwork and creativity leads to good harvest and it is FREE !)



Close up view on type of fish netted - "Ikan Puyu" and "Ikan Telapia"

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Penang State Exco YB Chow Kon Yeow visits Sungai Juru on 7th August 2008.

Friends of Sungai Juru and residents representative from Taman Bukit Minyak area welcome the visit of Penang State Exco in charge of local government, traffic management and environment, YB Chow Kon Yeow to see for himself the heavily polluted Juru river on 7th August 2008.

YB Chow and his entourage comprising local council - MPSP, Penang DOE and DID officials inspected two areas ie 1) Sungai Juru Dam area near Taman Bukit Minyak dan 2) Sungai Juru - Tok Keramat area near Phase 4 Perai Industrial Area. Friends of Sungai Juru coordinator Tan Chai Liang briefed YB Chow, the officials and media reporters on the four major problems faced by this tidal river, ranging from illegal settlement on river reserves, encroachment on wetlands and mangrove areas along the river banks, serious water pollution from organic and industrial discharge and affluent, sedimentation and silting resulting from land clearing and developments activities at the upstream areas.

Friends of Sungai Juru has also taken the opportunity to hand over of a copy of Memorandum to Penang State Government outlining the problems, recommendations and suggestions on improving Sungai Juru to the Penang State Government.

Our acknowledgement and thanks to Dr Edlic Sathiamurthy, a hydrologist from University Malaysia Terengganu for his views and recommendations on improving Sungai Juru and research paper by Al-Shami S. and others – Effects of pollutionon the diversity and abundance of Benthic Macroinvertebrates in Juru river basin.

Here are the snapshots of the visit by YB Chow...

At Sungai Juru Dam Area





At Tok Keramat tidal gate area near phase 4 Perai Ind Area



Close up view of the affluents flowing into Sungai Juru..

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Water Health Check at Sungai Juru Dam conducted on 5/7/2008(New)

Location of Waterway:
a) Sungai Juru Dam area near Tmn Bkt Minyak
b) Parit 4, Bukit Tengah Industrial Area in front of Sky Resources and Petronas

Date 5/7/2008
Time 10.00 am - 11.00 am
Weather : bright sunny day. no rain for past 24 hours.

Conducted By Friends of Sungai Juru
Contact 012-4285453
Crew Size : 2 persons

Here are the results of the water testing ;

Sungai Juru Dam area near Tmn Bkt Minyak
Physical monitoring
Colour and appearance – slightly murky
Smell – smelly
Vegetation – bushes / field grass
Animals – Nil
Activities – human settlement area, housing / construction going on nearby

Chemical monitoring
Variables
PH - 7
Dissolved oxygen (DO) – 8 ppm
Turbidity – 40 JTU
Phosphate – 4 ppm
Nitrate – 5 ppm
Temperature – 28 C
Coliform bacteria - positive

Photograph showing the water testing site.
(to the back is the construction site of the new DID district office)





Parit 4, Bukit Tengah Industrial Area in front of Sky Resources and Petronas

Physical monitoring
Colour and appearance – murky with oilly patches on water surface
Smell – strong smell of grease and oil
Vegetation – bushes / field grass
Animals – Nil
Activities – factories area and eateries and workshops at upstream

Chemical monitoring
Variables
PH - 7
Dissolved oxygen (DO) – 0 ppm
Turbidity – 100 JTU
Phosphate – 4 ppm
Nitrate – 5 ppm
Temperature – 28 C
Coliform bacteria - positive

Photographs showing the location of Parit 4, near Sky Resources factory and Petronas in Bukit Tengah Industrial Area.



Close up view of the oilly water surface...

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Friends of Sungai Juru welcomes academic research on pollution and aquatic diversity in Juru River

Friends of Sungai Juru welcomes the visitation of Professor of Entomology Arshad Ali from University of Florida, IFAS and Salman PhD student(USM) and Encik Shukri, lab technician of USM on 29th May 2008. During the one hour meeting at Seberang Jaya office, Friends of Sungai Juru, Tan Chai Liang briefed them on the background and current situation of Sungai Juru and provided some information on Sungai Juru for them to conduct research on the pollution and aquatic diversity in Juru River in six specific source stations namely Cerok Tok Kun, Sg Pasir, Sg Kelang Ubi, Sg Ara, Sg Permatang Rawa and Juru river near Autocity. They have obliged to provide their research findings to Friends of Sungai Juru's website.

Professor Arshad is a currently a Visiting Professor at USM Penang and specialized in aquatic entomology field. Read more on his profile and publications and technical bulletins.

Professor Arshad Ali from University of Florida, IFAS (centre), Salman PhD Student(USM) at Friends of Sungai Juru Tan Chai Liang's office

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Sungai Juru is still as dirty (updated on 2.5.2008)

More info about the latest condition of Sungai Juru at Dam area near Tmn Bukit Minyak Read The Star's report on Sungai Juru.



Location Map of Sungai Juru Dam area and its surrounding developments



The close up view of Sungai Juru, with many visible floating debris from upstream area..



Close up view of the riverbank area, improvement works to create 5 acre river front recreational area by DID Penang is still ongoing since Oct 2007.. The old chalet structures have been demolished whilst bushes and trees have been trimmed...



The waterways along the Sungai Juru and close to Tmn Bukit Minyak residential area, water condition looks murky and smelly at times. NO improvement !!!!

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Environmental Awareness Camp at Taman Rimba Cerok Tekun, Bukit Mertajam

The program was organized by Penang State Department of Environment together with the co-ordination of Penang State DID. A total of 80 students from various secondary schools of Penang State have been selected to participate in this Environment program held at Taman Rimba Cerok Tekun, Bukit Mertajam from 14th to 16th April 2008.

A river ranger training program for the students was included as part of the actitivies whereby DID Penang also roped in 8 river ranger trainers to conduct the briefing and training the students. The program aims to enhance the awareness level of the students towards environment.. Read more related storey at Star's Eye-opening eco-camp at park.

Here the some snapshots of the programme ;-

Participants attending to the briefing on river ranger program at Taman rimba Cerok Tekun, Jalan Kulim, Bukit Mertajam.



DID Penang officer giving briefing and slide presentation to the students



Click Read More for more photos .....

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