1) Provide examples of water contamination issues in Malaysia.

-Sungai Pinang:

Sungai Pinang is one of seven most contaminated river basins in Malaysia according to the Department
of Environment (DOE). Based on National Water Quality Standards for Malaysia (NWQS), the water
quality of Sungai Pinang was classified under IV which is very polluted in year 1999. One of the resident
said that various types of rubbish flowed into the Sungai Pinang behind her house, including school bags,
plastic packages, banana trees and dead animals. Additionally, another resident also said that the waste
was normally from roadside stalls and residential flats in the area.

- Sungai Klang:

According to an article from The Star 2016, every second, someone is dumping rubbish into Malaysian
waterways and an average of 2,200 tonnes of rubbish is being collected every month from traps built
across rivers in the country. In just the upper part of Sungai Klang, which includes Sungai Gombak and
Sungai Batu, a total of 21 tonnes of rubbish is collected monthly. The rubbish is collected from 11 trash
screens built across rivers, and from 500 gross pollutant traps built in drains to prevent rubbish from
flowing into rivers. “This means that every day, people along the upper areas of Sungai Klang are
throwing 700kg of rubbish into drains and rivers,” said Malaysian Water Partnership (MyWP) vice-
chairman Datuk Hanapi Mohamad Noor.

2) Then, in your opinion, how can a similar situation be avoided in the future?

Firstly, to prevent water from getting polluted, we are required to prevent soil erosion. If there is soil
conservation, we can stop water pollution up to some extent. We will have to plant more trees to stop
soil erosion. We must adopt such methods which can cultivate the soil and improve the health of the
environment. Besides that, personal consciousness is one of the most important recommendations to
protect water from pollution. Therefore, an individual should not throw and use any products that are
harmful to the environment. Garbage should be classified and thrown into the designated dustbins only
while the biodegradable garbage can be used as compost in the fields to help in the production of the
crops. Next, raise awareness where possible. Awareness campaign changes public attitudes, behaviours
and expectations. The public should be aware about the effects of water pollution and spread the word
about water pollution to friends and colleagues. Spreading information can really help to get people
enthused and keep them informed about what they can do to keep the water clean.