From May 1, those who dump rubbish and toxic waste into Sungai Pinang will face the full wrath of the authorities.

The Penang island municipal council and state environment department will hand out compound fines ranging between RM2,000 and RM10,000 to those caught in the act.

Under a new initiative, the Pakatan Rakyat state government is moving to rehabilitate Sungai Pinang - deemed a ‘dead’ river. It is one of the six most polluted rivers in the country and among the dirtiest in Southeast Asia.

guan eng and phee boon poh pc 250209 phee boon poh “We have carried out a comprehensive education programme to create public awareness on the need and importance of keeping our rivers clean,” said state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh, who is in charge of the health, welfare, environment and caring society portfolios.

“Now we will step up enforcement and get tough with errant residents. We want to first stop all sources of rubbish being thrown into the river. Only after that can we embark on the beautification project.”

All elected representatives in the state have been instructed not to entertain appeals by those seeking to dodge fines.

“The authorities will not compromise. Those caught will be fined heavily,” Phee said at a press conference today.

The state government is confident of reviving the Sungai Pinang. At a time when it was a Class 2 river, Penangites would row out in sampans to explore nature, fish for fresh water marine life and to swim.

penang to rehabilitate dead rivers sungai pinang and sungai juru 270409 03 Due to contamination over the years, Sungai Pinang has been relegated to the Class 5 category. As a ‘dead’ river, it is unable to sustain any form of aquatic life.

Phee believes the state can achieve its goal if it prevents the public, especially squatters and commercial operators, from turning the river into a dump.

The main sources of waste are from small industrial plants, a veterinary slaughterhouse and auto repair workshops. However, waste from the slaughterhouse will now be diverted to underground sewage drains managed by Indah Water Konsortium.

Progress on master plan

Penang has the dubious distinction of having two ‘dead’ rivers - Sungai Pinang and Sungai Juru.

Sungai Juru was once the lifeblood of Kuala Sungai Juru on the mainland. Most of the villages there were fishermen and the area was once famous for its cockle-breeding industry.

penang to rehabilitate dead rivers sungai pinang and sungai juru 270409 01 The state plans to revive and upgrade both rivers to Class 2 status by 2015, making them fit for swimming and marine life.

The state drainage and irrigation department now spends about RM100,000 annually to clean up each river. It is preparing a master plan to rehabilitate Sungai Juru at the cost of RM300 million.

Although Sungai Pinang’s RM450 million rehabilitation master plan was ready last year, it could not be implemented due to problems in relocating some 200 squatters living on both sides of the river.

The state government has expedited efforts to resolve the squatter problem, to enable both projects to be completed under the 10th Malaysia Plan.