Dead fish float on the once pristine Sungai Dura

June 16, 2009
Star
By R.S.N. MURALI

KUALA TERENGGANU: Sungai Dura, a source of water for 800 villagers from Kampung Pueh, was contaminated by palm oil effluent a few days ago and is in danger of dying.

Dead fish and prawns are floating on the once crystal-clear waters now covered with a coat of sticky substance.

A sickening stench is pervasive.

Terengganu’s Department of Environment (DOE) director Rusli Che Husin said the river was polluted after a direct flow of effluent from the palm oil plant’s pipeline into the river in Hulu Terengganu, about 87km from here.

“We have sent a team of officers to monitor the water quality daily and send back the reports to the department here,” he said when contacted by The Star, Tuesday.

He said the situation was not critical but the water quality could deteriorate if the river was not urgently rehabilitated.

“We are doing our best to save the river as the leakage was considered unintentional as the plant was undergoing restoration work when the incident occurred a few days ago,” he said.

The department had questioned the mill’s owner and was investigating to see if punitive action needed to be taken against the polluter.

Kampung Pueh villager Azman Che Jusoh, 33, from said villagers had no choice but to turn to artesian wells for water.

“We hope the authorities do something about reviving the river before it is totally dead, he said.

Deplorable Sungai Pinang

Have you taken a peep at our river lately? Well, never mind, I will show you then. I will start from Botanic Gardens until the river mouth of Sungai Pinang. Then you tell me whether we need to do something about it.....or just make don't know.

I will include google map to pinpoint the location of each picture (click on the link to see the map).

Sungai Air Terjun is one of the tributeries of Sungai Pinang. This photo-essay will only based on Sungai Air Terjun joining to Sungai Pinang until the estuary.

The first picture just outside the perimeter of Botanic Gardens taken at the Coronation camp (now a Bamboo garden).

In front of Moon Gate. Some rubbish appearing on the bank.

Background is Penang Natukottai Chettiar Waterfall Temple beside the exit of Youth Park. The river is a dumping ground.

As you enter from Jalan Utama into Youth Park, there is a well kept landscape on your left beside the Sungai Air Terjun. Yes, the small garden-cum-landscape is excellent. However, whatever rubbish, twigs and trimmings can be found beside the river bank. Who is the culprit?


Just when you think that rubbish are the product of squatters and the illiterate, I found that the rich also contribute to the problem. One of the house at Jesselton Road. Do you know that there are two pumps drawing water from the river into the race course? Is it legal?



This picture taken near the Race Course, not far from Georgetown Public Library (near Kompleks Penyayang). Bungalows (Skipton Pavilion) were built very near the river. Is it legal? Some plastic bags seen floating on the river curteousy of the foreign construction workers.


Behind the Georgetown Public Library. Ok this section was quite clean. But....see the next picture.....


A rubbish trap just before the river enters Governor's Residence. Rubbish! So I can assume that rubbish has been thrown from houses from Waterfall Road till Jesselton Road to this rubbish trap.


Clean water with no rubbish as it exit the Governor's Residence. The spotted whites in the picture were leaves. A contractor (to water street plants) was seen pumping water to his mini lorry at this vicinity.


Between Jalan Ross and Jalan York, a guy was seen catching fish. A bungalow being built right to the edge of the river. Is there no law on building bungalow on river banks?


Rubbish all over the river - near the Naduthurai Sri Devi Karumariamman Temple (off Air Itam Road / York Road). Just upstream, a local was seen washing clothes.


So far you have seen the Sungai Air Terjun with clear water. But rubbish continued to be thrown into the river from the squatters (who have been living there for years) around. I don't see any rubbish dump and that could be the reason why they disposed into the river.


The confluence of Sungai Pinang and Sungai Air Terjun at the famous location called dobi. Sungai Air Terjun disappears into dark polluted water. Bottom right is Sungai Air Terjun.

Somewhere between Jalan Langkawi and Jalan Gopeng off Jalan Air Itam.


Squatters discharging rubbish near city stadium.

Lorong Kulit.

Jalan Perak opposite Masjid Rawana. Kitchen waste flows into Sungai Pinang.

Squatter along the river at Kampung Sungai Pinang. On the day of my survey, a new squatter hut was being built and yet nothing to stop it.

Behind Japanese School. Probably caretaker for the school. Shame isn't it with the amount of rubbish?

Kampung Rawa - where rubbish is the decorative?

Rubbish trap at Kampung Rawa. We are actually not solving the problem by trapping rubbish at down stream. We should nip them at the source!!!

Another view of the rubbish trap at Kampung Rawa. The money to hire contractors to collect rubbish from the traps should be instead be used to collect rubbish from rubbish bins (by providing rubbish bins to all household/squatters) Nip the problem at the SOURCE!

The heavily polluted drain beside Sungai Pinang Tamil School that flows into Sungai Pinang.

Rubbish trap at the polluted drain.

Rubbish below the bridge of Jelutong expressway. Look at the water - as black as charcoal. No fish can survive here.

It was high tide at the estuary. The sea brought in clear sea water. Rubbish can be seen. If you observe the google map, the esplanade has not been built yet.


What we should do to save our river:-

1. No squatter and building along river reserves - action by JPS.

2. Fine the squatter and building owners that has rubbish near their houses - action by JPS and MPPP.

3. All kitchen wastes should be treated before discharging into the river - action MPPP.

4. Demolish all newly built squatters and houses along river reserves - action JPS.

5. Appoint River Rangers (community leader from the locality) to monitor and upkeep the river banks and cleanliness - action JPS/MPPP.

and YOU to help
PLEASE HELP SAVE OUR RIVER!
WATER IS LIFE!

Hunger Ghost Festival

Phor Thor or Hunger Ghost Festival was celebrated throughout the 7th month of the Chinese Lunar calendar. For 2007, the festival started from Oct 13 and ended at Sept 10, 2007. Chinese believed that the Gates of Hell would be opened during this month where hungry ghosts were given the freedom to roam the earth.

One peculiar culture of Chinese was to seek the death to inquire about their well being during this seventh month. Mediums were consulted as the middle spoke person between the death and the living.

At one particular “consultation” somewhere in Penang Hill, I overheard the following conversations:

Ghost Seeker : Mr Moniot, you were such a lucky man. In 1989, our Penang Government honored you and named the Moniot Road as a heritage trail. You will be remembered for a long, long time. So how was life for the past years along Moniot Road?

Moniot : Terrible. I used to go about freely before living humans declared my road as a heritage trail. Now, even the signboards explaining my deeds were torn down.

Ghost Seeker : What do you meant?

Moniot : I am now treated like outcaste. Part of my heritage road was bulldozed recently to make way for a double lane road to Brothers’ Bungalow.

Ghost Seeker : I thought heritage trail should be left alone.

Moniot : Oh…this is Bolehland…and just because my name was Moniot which was some kind of alien, I was left to rot. Nobody take care of me anymore.

The mini "waterfall" where Mr Moniot can have picnic with his ghostly friends.

Ghost Seeker : Think positive ok. Now, you can have picnic at Moniot Road at the small waterfall. And in case you forget, there is also a small river running along your road!! Can swim-swim and mandi-mandi, he he he…

The "river" that Mr Moniot can "swim-swim" during the month of Hunger Ghost.

Expanding Mengkuang Dam - Is it environmentally wise? (Part I)

Another project is on the pipeline. Expanding a dam 4 times the size of the present Mengkuang Dam. Will it be another white elephant?

If you look down from a plane over Bukit Mertajam, you will notice that the hills around Mengkuang Dam are relatively low. Could they provide enough water to fill up the extra large dam?


The picture below was taken on 4th April 2007. It was quite full because for the past few months, it has been raining heavily around the dam. But until early 2007, the dam had been very low.
To prove that there are not enough water to feed the dam, I organised a hike on 12 May 07. These were my findings:

1. There are 12 streams - several are seasonal.
2. Fishing, rubbish and camping at Mengkuang Dam.
3. Illegal immigrants and occupants in catchment area.
4. Illegal trees cutting and harvesting of bamboo.
5. Farmers staying in catchment area.
6. Rich in fauna and flora.

In this report, I will show the 12 streams below:

All the streams were numbered from anti-clockwise.1st Stream - this stream could be flowing from a house above the slope. It flows under the road to the dam.

2nd Stream. This is the only sensible large stream - not even capable of naming it as river.

3rd Stream. This could be a seasonal stream.

4th Stream. Durians and other fruiting trees were found in the catchment area. Fertilizer could be flowing into the dam.

5th Stream. Found on the motorized path. Difinately a seasonal stream.


6th Stream. Barren and hardly any water under a wooden bridge. Rain water just rush down.

7th Stream. Tickling water during this raining days. No water during drought.

8th Stream. The illegal immigrants' huts were near this small stream. Pipe was seen diverting the water to the huts.

9th Stream. This stream flows direct into the dam from huge boulder.

10th Stream. This was the sensible clean stream that flow the whole year. Even the kayak rowers knew about this stream and they frequent this stream to bathe.

11th Stream. This stream was tapped upstream to supply water to another second group of illegal immigrants. (1.5km away from the first group)

12th Stream. It was dry on our visit. I believe it is only flowing when it rains.

Conclusion:

With little water to feed the dam, enlarging the dam doesn't make any sense. But according to the CM, water from Muda River will be pumped to fill Mengkuang Dam. Water from Muda River is filled with silt and eventually, the large Mengkuang Dam will get shallower and the carrying capacity will be back to square one.

There is no point acquiring land for catchment and dam building if farmers and illegals are free to occupy them.

There are some big trees and interesting fauna found in the catchment area. We saw a group of butterflies and interesting bird life in the area too.

In my next issue, I will show case some interesting findings worth protecting.

So, do you think enlarging this dam is neccessary? BTW, in Calcutta, the Indians store their water in huge water tanks as large as several football fields. No silting, no evaporation and no loss of water through the ground. Can we follow them to build tanks?