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Under the Environmental

Quality Act (EQA) 1974

environment means the

physical factors of the

surroundings of human beings

including land, water, atmosphere,

climate, sound, odour, taste, the

biological factors of animals and

plants and the social factor of

aesthetics.

To date, various water pollution

prevention and abatement

regulations had been formulated to

prevent and control the discharge of

effluent from polluting point sources.

In combating water pollution andenhancing the quality of our inland

waters, besides the enforcement

activities carried out in accordance

with the requirement of those

pollution prevention regulations, the

Department of Environment (DOE)

also monitors the quality of the river

water. The river water monitoring

programme was initiated in 1978,

with the initial aim of establishing

water quality baselines, and

subsequently to detect water qualitychanges and to identify the causes

of pollution. Out of the 189 rivers in

the country 120 river systems were

chosen to be included in this

programme based on their beneficial

uses and economic importance. A

total of 926 river water quality

monitoring stations were established

within these 120 river basins. The

appraisal of the water quality in each

river basin is based on the Water

Quality Index (WQI) consisting of

parameters such as dissolved oxygen

(DO), biochemical oxygen demand

(BOD), chemical oxygen demand

(COD), ammoniacal nitrogen (NH3N),

suspended solids (SS) and pH.

River Water Quality Status

The trend of water quality (1990

2003) for the 120 river basins is as

shown in Figure 1. The number of

polluted rivers was observed to be

increasing from seven in 1990 to 13 in

1999 while the number of clean rivers

had decreased from 48 in 1990 to 35 in

1999. Results of the analysis showed

that the deterioration of river water

quality in the country was due mainly

to discharges of sewage and domestic

waste water; animal farming; land

clearing and earthworks; agricultural

and manufacturing activities. Domesticwaste water; surface runoff from urban

areas; discharges from restaurant, wet

markets and food courts; pollution from

agricultural and land clearing activities;

suspended solids and silts from

earthwork and sand mining are the

main non-point polluting sources

(NPS).

This deteriorating trend of river

water quality had prompted DOE to

look into more effective means of

improving them in a holistic manner

so as to sustain their beneficial uses.

Programmes to speed up the

improvement of water quality for

polluted rivers were then initiated.

Systematic and progressive measures

need to be done in order to enhance

the river water quality to a clean

status or to achieve at least the Class

II level.

Pollution Prevention and

River Water QualityImprovement Programme

A programme known as the

Pollution Prevention and River Water

Quality Improvement Programme was

initiated with a view to rehabilitate

rivers with serious pollution problems

to ultimately meet its beneficial uses.

By Hajah Rosnani Ibarahim, Director General of Environment,

Lee Choong Min, Director, River Division, DOE

Pollution Prevention AndRiver Water QualityImprovement Programme

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B U L E T I N I N G E N I E U R 7

enhancement of water quality and the

river system for beneficial uses such

as water supply, recreational and

tourism products are to be formulated.

Thirdly, the accepted action plans will

then be presented to various

responsible agencies for funding

application and allocation for

implementation and finally the

operational and maintenance plans to

ensure conservation andsustainability of the achieved water

quality.

Findings of the studies carried out

on Sungai Segget, Sungai Tebrau, and

Sungai Langat Basins clearly

identified that sewage remains as the

main single source of pollution in

term of organic pollution loads. Non-

point pollution sources and industries

are other major contributors to

pollution of Sungai Langat. These

findings led to the assumption that asimilar trend may occur for many

other river basins of similar land use

within their catchment areas.

The action plans for pollution

prevention and river water quality

improvement of Sungai Langat,

Sungai Segget and Sungai Tebrau

have been completed in the year 2002.

Among the measures proposed in the

Action Plans included: industrial

pollution control measures;

upgrading of existing large sewage

treatment plants; building new

modern mechanical treatment plants

to cater for the increasing number of

population; in-stream measures

include gross pollutant traps (GPTs)

placed at strategic locations to arrest

floating solid waste prior to discharge

into rivers; legal and institutional

measures; as well as environmental

awareness campaigns.

Conclusion

The effectiveness of the River

Pollution Prevention and Water

Quality Improvement Programme inall the selected river basins through

intensification of enforcement

activities, particularly on sewage

treatment facilities and industrial

sources, to ensure compliance with

the stipulated discharge standards

supported by public awareness

campaigns has resulted in the

increase in the number of clean rivers

since the implementation of the

programme in the year 2001 as

shown in Figure 1. With further closeco-operation and concerted efforts

among the implementing agencies

and the general public, we can

prevent river pollution and improve

its water quality and provide a

significant contribution towards

protecting one of our vital natural

resources. The industries also need

to play their roles in carrying out

efficient management and put in

place appropriate measures to

prevent and minimize pollution of

the rivers. This integrated effort is

of vital importance for water can act

as a limiting factor in the pursuit of

sustainable development if it is not

properly managed.

Among the key objectives of this

Programme are:

(i) To identify all the point sources

and non-point sources of

pollution in the subject river

basin and to determine thepollution loads and their impact

on water quality of that river;

(ii) To prepare and to implement

plans of action for the

rehabilitation and improvement

of river water quality from the

polluted/slightly polluted

category to clean category

according to the water quality

classification for purposes of

potable water supply, recreational

activities and tourism; and(iii) To conserve and continuously

maintain the clean status of river

water quality after the

rehabilitation and quality

improvement works have been

completed.

A total of 26 river basins as shown

in Figure 2were identified; six rivers

were initially selected for detailed

feasibility studies in the rehabilitation

programme.

The six river basins are SungaiLangat, Sungai Segget, Sungai

Tebrau, Sungai Melaka, Batang

Rajang and river systems in Cameron

Highlands. Studies for the Sungai

Langat, Sungai Segget and Sungai

Tebrau Basins have been completed

in 2003. The study on Sungai Melaka

commenced in 2003 and will be

completed in 2004. while studies on

rivers in Cameron Highlands and

Batang Rajang Basins began in early

2004 and will be completed in 2005.For the other remaining 20 river

basins, DOE continues to embark on

its enforcement and awareness

programmes.

Formulation of Action Plans

The Pollution Prevention and

River Water Quality Improvement

Programme has four stages of

activities. Firstly is the detail study

of the river basin in terms of pollution

sources and impact on the quality of

the water in the basin. Secondly,

based on the findings of the study

action plans to reduce, prevent and

abate pollution; action plans for

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