MIRI: The government will improve pollution control and strengthen the enforcement of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 pertaining to the release of industrial effluents and discharge of sewage.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dato Sri Douglas Uggah Embas yesterday said his ministry would review the allowable discharge of effluents into rivers; revise the current Water Quality Index; develop the National Marine Water Quality Index; and further enhance public awareness.
Speaking during a tree planting ceremony to mark the completion of ‘Project Care’ here yesterday, he said, “Efforts to address river pollution have always been, and will continue to be given due emphasis. We will review the allowable discharge of pollution into rivers, revise the current Water Quality Index, develop the National Marine Water Quality Index, and we will work to further enhance public awareness.”
During the Tenth Malaysia Plan period, the ministry will act on several fronts in developing a long-term strategy for water resource management to achieve water security.
“Malaysia is fast emerging into a developed country. However, rapid development has resulted in the scarcity of water resources due to increasing demand, worsening impact of floods, increased pollution to rivers and diminishing life and aquatic biodiversity, both in the river and along its banks. Water demand in some states has exceeded the capacity of their resources,” said Uggah.
Thus, many rivers including rivers in Sarawak are undergoing stress, and have suffered pollution and degradation of their eco-systems, he added.
Based on a study by Department of Environment (DOE) in 2009 on the water quality of 577 rivers throughout the country, 306 rivers (or 53 per cent) are categorised as clean, 217 rivers (or 38 per cent) are moderately polluted and 54 rivers (or nine per cent) are said to be polluted.
The government has been implementing numerous programmes such as the ‘1State 1River Programme’ under five-year development plans to clean and rehabilitate the country’s rivers.
The government’s ultimate vision is 1River, 1Plan and 1Management to achieve the objective of clean, living and vibrant rivers.
“This is important because more than 90 per cent of Malaysia’s water supply comes from rivers and streams. In view of this, under the 10th Malaysia Plan, the government’s strategy for ensuring sustainable water supply will have two main areas of focus,” he said.
The minister admitted that cleaning up rivers is not an easy task.
“It is an expensive endeavor and requires expertise from a wide range of professions such as engineers and environmentalists. In addition, there is wildlife to consider as well as vegetation along giver banks. While the government is committed to cleaning up the rivers, we need the support and involvement of all including businesses and industries,” he said.
He was happy to note that besides planting trees, Project Care also included Lutong River remediation, which, he believed, is the first such project undertaken by the corporate sector on voluntary basis.
Shell and Petronas embarked on this project to clean up the industrial impact especially that of the petroleum industry which had affected the quality of the river, he said.
“This has been a success with the clean-up targets fully achieved. The improved quality of the river water and its surroundings may have also benefitted the Kampung Api Api and aquatic wildlife. We can actually get good-sized crabs now!”
The river remediation and tree planting projects undertaken by Shell and Petronas should serve as an example of industries’ support and involvement for the betterment of the nation’s environment, said Uggah, who commended both Shell and Petronas for their commitment to environmental care and responsible operatorship.
The minister hoped that many more corporations would come on board to improve the quality of the environment as part of their corporate responsibility programmes.
In fact, the response and participation of the corporate sector has been extremely encouraging.
The minister noted that a significant number of corporations representing a diverse range of sectors, from communications to cement production, and from publications to palm oil production, have already started reducing their green house gas emissions toward achieving their individual voluntary emissions reduction pledges.
“I congratulate them for their achievements thus far and challenge them to explore novel and innovative methods to further shrink their carbon footprints. I am delighted to inform you that both Shell and Petronas are already among the corporations that have decided to walk the talk,” said Uggah.
At the same time, Uggah hoped that both Shell and Petronas would adopt more rivers for remediation and expand their tree planting programmes.
Assistant Minister of Communication Datuk Lee Kim Shin, chairman of Shell Malaysia Annuar Taib and general manager of Petronas Carigali Mohamed Amin Abdullah were among those present at the ceremony.