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PUTATAN: Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Yahya Hussin wants a special committee to monitor Sungai Petagas to ensure that it is clean.
He said it will also help to increase public awareness on the importance of their role in keeping the river clean at all times.
“I have suggested it to the District Officer to form a committee to monitor Sungai Petagas and other rivers in the district.
“Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has already given their commitment to help us improve Sungai Petagas as well as other rivers in Sabah,” he said.
Yahya was speaking to reporters after officiating at the Tiger Prawn Improvement and Rehabilitation Programme which also aimed to create public awareness on the importance of Sungai Petagas, held at the Kampung Petagas community hall here yesterday.
Those present were the director of the Borneo Marine Research Institute for UMS, Prof. Dr. Saleem Mustafa, Sungao Petagas Community Project Leader, Prof. Datin Seri Panglima Dr.Ann Anton, Putatan District Officer, Ag. Abd. Ghani Pg. Yusoff, Director of the Fisheries Department, Rayner S. Galid and local residents of Kampung Petagas.
Yahya who is also the Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry as well as the assemblyman for Petagas, noted that the level of public awareness on river protection is still low.
“We see the river is still dirty and there are rubbish and wastes strewn all over the riverbanks. Some irresponsible quarters even dispose industrial waste into Sungai Petagas. It appears as though the river has become a convenient dumping ground for villagers and even the factories.
“We get information that at night and early morning, lorries carrying garbage and industrial waste come to dispose the items into the river and this has badly polluted the river,” he said.
Putatan which now has a population of more than 50,000 is rapidly growing and that growth has affected the function and condition of Sungai Petagas.
Yahya recalled that some 40 years ago, the river was a source of livelihood for fishermen and its clean water was a main supply to the residents.
However, the Department of Environment found that the quality of water in Sungai Petagas was deteriorating due to domestic waste such as plastic bags and bottles which caused adverse effects to the aquatic life in the river.
“I hope that the programme to improve and rehabilitate aquatic resource in the river between the district office and UMS will transform and enhance the socio-economy of the local community while improving the quality of the river water,” said Yahya.
He believed that once the river has been rehabilitated, it will have the potential to be developed as an area for eco-tourism.
The programme is the second phase of an initiative to improve the fish stock in the river after the first one was implemented last 23 April.
Yahya also distributed prawn and fish fries to 10 villages in the Petagas constituency.
Source: New Sabah Times
Yahya recalled that some 40 years ago, the river was a source of livelihood for fishermen and its clean water was a main supply to the residents.
However, the Department of Environment found that the quality of water in Sungai Petagas was deteriorating due to domestic waste such as plastic bags and bottles which caused adverse effects to the aquatic life in the river.
“I hope that the programme to improve and rehabilitate aquatic resource in the river between the district office and UMS will transform and enhance the socio-economy of the local community while improving the quality of the river water,” said Yahya.
He believed that once the river has been rehabilitated, it will have the potential to be developed as an area for eco-tourism.
The programme is the second phase of an initiative to improve the fish stock in the river after the first one was implemented last 23 April.
Yahya also distributed prawn and fish fries to 10 villages in the Petagas constituency.
Source: New Sabah Times
25 comments:
we hope all parties will give their cooperation in protecting the river from any kind of pollution.
Rasanya sistem Tagal yang diperkenalkan juga salah satu cara untuk dapat memastikan sungai tidak tercemar.
kebersihan sungai harus dijaga
elakan pencemaran sungai
The State government is in the process of formulating a more focused and clear environmental policy for Sabah.
It will be a standard operating procedure by the State government to manage the impact of human on the environment with a view to prevent, reduce or mitigate harmful effects on the environment and natural resources, said Tourism, Culture & Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun.
Many would not understand for the need to formulate an environmental policy since there are several existing legislation pertaining to the protection of the environment such as Environment Protection Enactment 2002, Wildlife Enactment 1997, Sabah Parks Enactment 1994, Sabah Water Resources Enactment 1998, Sabah Biodiversity Enactment 2000 and Sabah Forestry Enactment 1968, among others.
Apart from that, the state government have environmental related policies and plans such as Sabah Tourism Master Plan, Sabah Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plan, Sabah Agriculture Policy, Sabah Forestry Policy, Sabah Environmental Education Policy, Sabah Wildlife Policy and Action Plan and Sabah Development Corridor Blueprint.
There no denial that the major problem with the existing legal framework was in its sectoral approach in managing the environment.
This sectoral approach has resulted in the passing of a number of environmental related legislation with its own provision on the environment.
It was also noted that policies and plans are specific and sectoral where environmental issues are incorporated in a fragmented manner.
Hence, despite these legislation, policies and plans, the environmental degradation continues.
The Environmental Policy for Sabah is therefore crucial to serve as a framework and guideline for decision making towards modernisation and industrialisation.
It serves as a living and reference document for all economic sectors and any other form of development that touches the environmental and natural resources, where monitoring, review and revision of this document are envisaged.
It will look into the integration of all related aspects such as water and air so that any problems are not dealt with in a fragmented manner as the situation arises.
This policy will also highlight the use of different types of instruments such as economic incentives and fiscal-based instruments such as tax-exemptions, tradable permits and fees, whichever relevant and practical to ensure that the policy is effectively implemented and complied with.
Environmental charges exist in other countries in addition to pollution control regulations and are used to raise revenue as well as encourage environmentally friendly behavior.
For instance, Kota Kinabalu City hall may want to impose waste disposal charge to Kayu Madang Landfill so that the revenue collected is used for the management of the landfill.
Looking at the intrnational scene, Denmark, for example, levy taxes of 95 Danish Krona (US$34) per metric ton on waste delivered to landfills and 160 Danish Krona (US$28) per metric ton on waste delivered to incineration facilities.
These taxes raised 527.6 million Danish Krona (US$92.6 million) in 1993.
The proposed policy is also geared towards the prevention of externalities such as free rider problem, e.g. factory causing pollution to common resources such as rivers.
These are examples of externalities around us such as the recent complaint of a laundry mart in Inanam, Kota Kinabalu discharging polluted water into the Inanam River,” he said.
If the river happens to be a water intake point for Kota Kinabalu, the consumers have to pay for the cleaning of water due to the pollution caused by the factory.
Masidi urged companies operating in Sabah such as oil palm mills, rubber and other industries to commit themselves to reducing their environmental impact and create a set of environmental principles and standards and have environmental audit. In this regard, companies should move towards more efficient production process, adopt cleaner technologies and processes throughout the life cycle of the product in order to minimise waste generation and contribute to maintaining good climatic conditions, he said.
Cleaner production includes conserving raw materials and energy, eliminating toxic raw chemicals and reducing the quantity and toxicity of emissions or discharges before they leave the production processAnd going for voluntary environmental schemes such as eco-labelling, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) as well as adopting a corporate social responsibility programme.
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