I TRAVEL widely and appreciate our great outdoors. We have a diverse landscape waiting to be explored, especially the mountains and the river ecosystems. However, what irks me is the rapid and unsustainable development at riparian zones. These are fundamental buffer zones which are part of the greater river ecosystems.
The river systems in Malaysia are an integral part of the water resources system. There are more than 100 river systems in Malaysia, contributing more than 90 per cent of the raw water supply.
Where is the enforcement to ensure that offenders don’t get away?
Time has taught us that floods are manmade disasters, caused by lackadaisical planning and inertia towards the importance of riparian zones and wetlands.
The end result is disaster as many of the floods we have witnessed, including in Kota Tinggi and Segamat in Johor, are attributed, among others, to encroachment and improper development, be it agriculture or human settlement.
What infuriates me even more is the increase in the number of contractors being hired to clear the rivers of sedimentation everywhere, including river mouths such as Sungai Johor.
Clearing the silt through dredging is definitely a short-term rehabilitative move, and very costly.
Besides, dredging changes the ecology of the area and affects marine flora and fauna, while it can also cause long-term erosion.
Sustainable communities all over the world do not practise this negative, costly approach and they always look at the root causes for action.
Environmental consciousness is the most critical element in laying the foundation of sustainable development. Let’s act before our rivers and wetlands are treated as wastelands and become a continuous flood zone.
Source NST , 2009/05/08
By HARBAN SINGH, Johor Baru,
Friends of Sungai Juru : We hope the relevant authorities will take note some of the points highlighted by this writer. When the water ways and eco system are not being adequately protected and exposed to unsustainable developments, the end result is environmental degradation and disasters ie floods, soil erosion, sedimentation are bound to occur and causing damage to natural marine flora and fauna.
