Malaysia’s river pollution hits 4% in 2021, government tackles causes
A recent report revealed that four per cent of Malaysia’s 672 rivers were polluted in 2021, according to Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, the Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change (NRECC). The data was gathered by the Department of Environment (DOE) through monitoring the Water Quality Index (IKA) of these rivers during that period.
The primary causes of river pollution in Malaysia include chemical waste disposal, livestock farming, and mining activities. To address this issue, the DOE has implemented a range of measures at enforcement, planning, and study levels. These include enhancing enforcement for pollution causes under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127), ensuring development projects are based on environmental impact assessments (EIA), identifying complaint locations, and conducting integrated operations with enforcement agencies.
During a question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat, Nik Nazmi emphasised the DOE’s continuous efforts to monitor water quality through the environmental quality monitoring programme. There are currently 30 automatic monitoring stations and 1,353 manual monitoring stations for river water quality monitoring across the nation.
The minister also highlighted the increased use of river water quality monitoring data and information to plan and organise enforcement strategies, ensuring effective measures are taken to maintain the balance of the ecological system. Additionally, the ministry is conducting a study to introduce a new approach to controlling river pollution through the Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) method.
