Abang Wahap (fifth right), with Wee on his left, observes a worker scale a drain that has grease build-up at Carpenter Street.
SMK St Mary girls sweep and collect rubbish along Carpenter Street.
KUCHING: Kitchen sinks at eateries here should be fitted with effective trappers or strainers to prevent food waste, including grease, from entering and eventually blocking drains, sewer lines and waterways.
“Grease, oil and fat as well as food residues can build up and harden over time. It will block the entire pipeline and drainage, leading to leakages of water, odour and contamination,” he told reporters during a community clean-up programme at Harmony Gateway near Carpenter Street here yesterday.
The activity involved some 20 students of SMK St Mary who were accompanied by their teachers.
“It is on arduous task for our men to constantly clean all the drains in this city,” he said.
Abang Wahap pointed out that Kuching City North Commission (DBKU) was working hard to raise greater awareness of the importance of keeping the surroundings of this city clean, but a change in civic mindset was the key to achieving this.
“If people lack discipline and just discard rubbish into drains, there is no way to tackle this problem. We have been trying to educate the people, especially food service operators, on installing grease traps to filter and prevent food waste from going into drains.”
Abang Wahap pointed out that it was necessary to manage waste disposal properly and this should begin at home, where members of households should strive to prevent waste from going into the drain during cleaning activities like dishwashing, which could in turn pollute the city’s waterways.
On cleanliness around Carpenter Street, Abang Wahap said he was less satisfied by the standard, stressing that he hoped to see active participation by members of the community in taking good care of the place.
On another development, he disclosed that the project to upgrade and improve the sidewalks and footpaths around Carpenter Street could only be done with the consent of all parties.
“We have planned on implementing the initiative similar to the one done on Lebuh India (India Street).
“We need to look into the specifications as well as meet Carpenter Street community in identifying appropriate solutions for the redesign of safe and attractive footpaths for users.
“In fact, we have the intention to redesign the footpaths along Carperter Street similar to the ones done in Lebuh India, but we want to seek the approval from all parties before implementation.”
Members of the community occupying Lebuh India, he observed, were united despite coming from different backgrounds.
They should serve as the best role models for other communities, he highlighted.
“We thus encourage and welcome everybody to give ideas, input and suggestions to help DBKU provide better services for and meet the needs of the people.”
Abang Wahap was accompanied by DBKU member Dato Wee Hong Seng, Kuching District Officer Ibrahim Kipli and local community leader Temenggong Lu Kim Yong at the programme.
SMK St Mary students and their teachers with the Datuk Bandar and DBKU officials.