IPOH: More than 80% of rivers in Perak are categorised as clean, says the state Environment Department (DOE).
Director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said a total of 150 water quality monitoring stations had been set up along 68 rivers in the state.
“The 2023 Water Quality Index (WQI) classified 56 out of the 68 rivers as either Class One or Class Two. This indicates that as much as 82.4% of the rivers in the state are classified as clean,” he said yesterday.
Mohammad Ezanni said there were 12 rivers that were slightly polluted.
In 2022, Sungai Raja Hitam in Ayer Tawar, Manjung, was declared the most polluted river in the country.
However, Perak science, environment and green technology committee chairman Teh Kok Lim had said that the pollution level in Sungai Raja Hitam was now at Class Three under the WQI, compared with Class Five in 2022.
He said that the water could not be used to supply the community, so immediate, intensive treatment was still required.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Ezanni said the department is always striving to preserve the environment in areas under its jurisdiction.
“Measures taken include ensuring effluent releases are below permissible parameter limits and establishing that industrial effluent control systems function optimally and practically,” he said.
Mohammad Ezanni said the department is always prepared to face any potential pollution threats, adding that it often conducts patrols, including on public holidays, weekends, and during the night.
“Enforcement officers are also on standby in case of emergency complaints,” he added.
Mohammad Ezanni urged anyone with information about the discharge of pollutants into inland waters to call the DOE’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-2727.
