Dredging works to improve Sungai Klang will start in two months, says Selangor infrastructure and public amenities, agriculture modernisation and agro-based industry committee chairman Izham Hashim.
The task costing between RM500 million and RM700 million is to help in flood management, eco-tourism and connectivity, he said.
“Dredging works will be done until the Kuala Lumpur border, and will be fully funded by government-linked companies (GLCs).
“We have other solutions to address flood and water supply issues, but there is a need to monetise certain projects as they would otherwise not be viable,” he said.
Izham said the implementation of a “zero discharge policy and a principle where polluters pay” by the third quarter was part of a holistic solution to ensure cleanliness and rehabilitation of state rivers.
Other solutions include placing seven log booms along 56km of Sungai Klang to collect and contain floating debris and to use two Interceptor units to remove plastic among other wastes.
The Interceptor, a watercraft built by Dutch non-profit organisation The Ocean Cleanup (TOC), plays a key role in the cleaning efforts. It uses a barrier and conveyor belt system that concentrated and extracted plastic waste from rivers.
“We are working with four local councils to instal additional log booms to trap waste before entering Sungai Klang,” said Izham, who is also Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) chairman.
“The Klang Municipal Council, Shah Alam City Council, Subang Jaya City Council and Petaling Jaya City Council will instal the log booms while LLSB will share its expertise on the matter.
“We are now finalising the details with local councils and expect the project to start within the next two to three months.”
Izham said there were also plans for eco-tourism activities such as river taxis and river cruises by working with local fishermen’s associations.
He was speaking after a ride in the Interceptor 005 at Sungai Klang with TOC founder and chief executive officer Boyan Slat, #SayNo2Plastic in Malaysia campaign founder and Selangor princess Tengku Zatashah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah and LLSB managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin.
LLSB was appointed by the Selangor government as the master developer to implement key activities in the cleaning, rehabilitation and rejuvenation of Sungai Klang under the Selangor Maritime Gateway project.
Under the project, a total of 77,389 tonnes of solid waste was removed between 2016 and 2021 from Sungai Klang.
The amount has gradually dropped from 1,500 tonnes per month in 2016 to 850 tonnes.
Also under the Selangor Maritime Gateway project, the water quality index in Sungai Klang, which used to be categorised as Class 5 (highly contaminated), is now Class 3 for 48% of days in the year.
“The target for the next two years is to achieve Class 3 or better for 70% of days in the year and to reduce the amount of waste collected to maybe 500 tonnes per month,” said Izham.
Slat hoped to make Sungai Klang Asia’s model for river care and amplify support over the next three years with a number of initiatives in the region, including in Johor and Indonesia.
The placement of Interceptor 005 near Port Klang in October last year was after the success of Interceptor 002 placed in 2019 under the SMG project.
Fully assembled in Malaysia, Interceptor 005 is the third generation Interceptor series production.
“The key to successful deployment is local partnership and ownership of the operation, which is why we need partners like LLSB to implement the initiatives,” Slat said, adding that Malaysia would see more such interceptors in the next few years.
“Klang is one of the first places we operated in and is definitely our largest operation in the world at the moment.
“Our work in Malaysia and Indonesia will serve as models for us to showcase and present our efforts in other countries,” he added.
Article Credit -
[1] The Star