KOTA KINABALU: The State Government has been urged to be more stringent in controlling all activities of discharge into rivers or water bodies.
PY Konsep Perunding Sdn Bhd director Tan Kok Jyh said this was necessary because of the indiscriminate dumping of waste, including chemical waste that cannot be treated using conventional water treatment methods, into rivers and water bodies in the State.
He said that in countries such as Australia, no one is allowed to discharge anything direct into water bodies and rivers unless they have been given a permit to do so.
In Sabah, however, people live by the river and use the river water for their needs while also dumping their sewage wastes directly into the same river, he said.
And the same goes for plantations and agriculture areas in Sabah, he said.
“Fertilisers, pesticides and chemicals are also dumped into rivers.”
He warned that while conventional water treatment plants are able to treat solid wastes, it cannot rid the water of chemicals and fertilisers.
“To treat the water of these, advance water treatment must be employed but warned that the cost of such treatment is very high,” he said.
He also warned on the likelihood of getting diseases due to the consumption of water contaminated by the chemicals.
Tan acknowledged that all parties need to play their part stating that the preservation of the water quality falls on everyone and not a one-man-show.
In the east coast of Sabah, Tan pointed towards oil palm plantations and urged them to conduct their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to ensure the communities living in their midst continued enjoying good quality water.
“They earn good returns for their venture. They should carry out their CSR,” he said.
He also urged the government to ensure there is a proper regulation to use pesticides and fertilisers by the oil palm plantations.
“The problem is they discharge into a pond which is connected directly to the river, and this is a problem,” he said.
The Segama River, where many of the plantations are located for example, is a highly polluted river at Class III or Class IV.
Similarly, he also said that clearing of vast forested area for plantations would result in high sedimentation in rivers and hence, was not a good idea.
He added that Sabah was fortunate that she still has many Class 1 Forest Reserves.
Meanwhile, in his presentation on the challenge of water resource management and development in Sabah, Tan cited that there was a growing demand and pressure on water resources in Sabah due to population increase, which stood at 0.63 million in 1970 and 3.12 million by the year 2010.
The per capita availability of water is decreasing and the practical limit of surface water resources had already been reached, he said.
Industrial development, such as SOGIP and KKIP, also require water supply, he said.
To address the water shortage in Kota Kinabalu, the Water Department had tried to increase the supply of water through the Kaiduan Dam, which takes time to build, he said.
At the same time, he also stressed the need for more human resource to manage Sabah¡¦s water resources.
“It is important for us to move forward. If we can manage well, we will be able to sustain it,” he said.