IN conjunction with World Water Day, a group of concerned teachers and students led by Azhar Muhammad of Sri KDU Secondary School decided to participate in a river clean-up project.

Besides being an on-site educational activity, the project was aimed at increasing awareness among the students that much of the solid waste in the rivers which flow through our towns and cities are human-made waste — the result of careless and irresponsible habits of people.

The point was brought home when among the inorganic items found in the rivers were clothing, an umbrella, a stump of oil palm fruit, wheels, tyres and even a bicycle!

Working in collaboration with Global Environment Centre Malaysia, the volunteers cleared the stretch of Sungai Penchala at Taman Bukit Kiara and the stretch of Sungai Way at Desa Mentari.

Principal A.K. Chan explained that the school wanted to encourage public awareness and care towards the environment.

“In our continuous educational and awareness programmes to educate the students on the importance of rivers and the environment in our lives we highlight the critical state of pollution faced by our rivers,” she said.

The volunteers who are Sri KDU River Rangers conducted chemical and biological water monitoring tests and river mapping activities to assess the health of the rivers at the two sites before the clean-up.

Using sight and smell to identify the physical attributes of the river, their findings were recorded in the “River Report Card” as data to be analysed.

They also noted how the trap gate across Sungai Way functions as a trap for solid waste.

With much effort a large oil palm stump stuck under the trap gate was dislodged and removed.

Several bags of solid waste were collected and it is hoped that corporations with the means will come forward to manage the liquid waste.

At the end of the day’s work, all the volunteers agreed that it was a day well spent and were glad to have been a part of this community project.