RM94mil to clean up three rivers in Johor

THE STAR, 10 MAY 2008, JOHOR BARU : The people's bad habit of dumping solid waste into rivers will cost the State government RM94mil to clean up garbage in three rivers here.

Sungai Segget, Sungai Tebrau and Sungai Skudai have been classified as the most polluted within the Iskandar Malaysia development project area.

Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said the move was essential to prevent the rivers from being further polluted.

He said a mechanical system to trap solid garbage would be installed along the 32.5km-long Sungai Tebrau, Sungai Skudai (35km) and Sungai Segget (4km).

"We have carried out all the studies on these rivers and will go for open tender this year," he said.

Abdul Ghani said waste and sewage from construction sites, squatter areas and factories also contributed to river pollution.

"As such several plans are being drawn to counter the problem," he said.

He said among them was to relocate squatters living along the rivers.

"The relocation cannot be avoided. We cannot deny that the riverside dwellers have contributed to river pollution by dumping solid waste into it.

"The garbage trap system will not be as effective if they continue to dump rubbish into the river," he said.

Abdul Ghani said they were looking into the possibility of relocating foreign workers at designated places in view of their increased numbers in Johor, with the development of Iskandar Malaysia.

He was speaking to reporters at a gotong-royong to clean up Sungai Tebrau here yesterday.

Some 1,500 people including students, villagers and non-governmental organisations spent a day to pick up the rubbish in the river and those trapped in the mangrove areas.

Abdul Ghani said RM45mil has been allocated to carry out research at several river basins in Johor.

He said upgrading works would also be done in these river basins, which include the Sungai Muar stretch in Segamat, Sungai Batu Pahat, Sungai Kluang-Mengkibol, Sungai Pontian and Sungai Mersing.

He added 20 river rehabilitation projects have also been carried out in eight districts.