2007/10/24 Tan throws Sungai Juru a much-needed lifeline

Tan Chai Liang checking the water content at Sungai Juru.

GEORGE TOWN: Sungai Juru, one of the dirtiest rivers in Southeast Asia, has found a friend in Tan Chai Liang.

Tan, a property consultant, recently established a web-based information site on Sungai Juru, the first of its kind in the country to highlight the nature of rivers."I stay near Sungai Juru and it hurts to see it branded as one of the dirtiest rivers in the region. It is my wish to see this river cleaned up and rehabilitated," he said, adding that his website would encourage people to jointly help care for the river.The website, www.sungaijuru.com, he added, would help raise public awareness on environment and river pollution faced by Sungai Juru.Tan, who lives in Taman Bukit Minyak, near the river, has also formed a community known as Friends of Sungai Juru.

"We gather regularly to help disseminate information to the public to be more sensitive about water pollution and the importance of preserving Sungai Juru."We also actively participate in environmental campaigns, activities and initiatives that help to protect the ecosystem of our river," said Tan, who is also the Taman Bukit Minyak Rukun Tetangga chairman.Sungai Juru is a Class V river, the worst category, for "septic rivers".It was once famous for its cockle-breeding industry, but that changed when industrial and housing development, as well as human settlements arose along the banks of Sungai Juru in the 1970s.The World Health Organisation recently tagged Sungai Juru as the dirtiest river in Southeast Asia.Tan said information gathered and on-site investigations revealed that Sungai Juru pollution was caused by industrial waste from the nearby industrial areas, wet-market waste, household waste and sewage from the residential and settlement areas.He has been working closely with the state Department of Environment and the council to distribute about 5,000 flyers to promote the website.Tan said the Friends of Sungai Juru had been acting as a watch group to monitor rehabilitation measures by the relevant government agencies to revive Sungai Juru."This includes new and existing development projects along the riverbanks." "We want to ensure that the Sungai Juru reserve area will continue to be maintained in order to preserve its flora and fauna."