IWK volunteers and youngsters planting trees at Khazanah Rimba in Pantai Eco Park, Pantai Dalam, in conjunction with World Environment Day.
In conjunction with World Environment Day, the national sewerage company and a non-governmental organisation (NGO) collaborated with a group of youngsters from a charity home and the local community to reinforce the importance of urban forests.
Through its “Adopt a Tree” campaign, Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Sdn Bhd and Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) recommenced tree planting activities following a pick up in public participation.
Tree planting had to be halted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The social collaboration also reinforces the potential of IWK’s by-products reuse in preserving the environment, particularly in the use of biosolids as fertilisers for these forest trees.
As part of its IWK Cares initiative, the company invited 40 students from Rumah Anak-Anak Yatim dan Asnaf Qaseh Ibu, Ampang and local communities surrounding Pantai Dalam to plant forest trees in Khazanah Rimba, Pantai Eco Park, Kuala Lumpur.
Participants were also briefed by IWK and MNS on the importance of protecting the environment.
Approximately 200 forest trees were donated by an IT solutions company, CTC Global Sdn Bhd (CTCG), as well as IWK’s staff themselves, in which some saplings were cultivated from the Indah Water Research Centre laboratory.
Since the “Adopt a Tree” campaign started in 2020, 400 forest trees have been planted in Khazanah Rimba, with an additional 100 trees targeted to be planted in the area by year end.
Together with MNS, IWK seeks to reinvigorate the surrounding greens of the area; increasing green coverage of the park with urban fauna species and transforming it into a park for communities and environmental educational purposes.
“We are very happy to see this initiative bring together like-minded partners, from industry, NGOs and local communities, to preserve our environmental heritage for future generations.
“Our shared vision in building a sustainable future will kindle various socio-economic development opportunities such as strong social networks and educational activities for the betterment of our communities and environment,” said IWK chief executive officer Narendran Maniam.
More importantly, Narendran said, the tree-planting exercise would promote the usage of one of IWK’s by-products – the biosolid – as a soil conditioner or fertiliser to improve soil conditions and enhance plant growth for non-food crops and ornamental plants.
These biosolids are produced at the highest quality post-wastewater treatment from IWK’s sewage treatment plants.
In line with the World Environment Day theme for 2022, “Only One Earth”, IWK and MNS, through its campaign, will continue to call for collective and transformative action that businesses, organisations and individuals can take to celebrate, protect and restore the planet.
In 2020, IWK partnered with MNS to expand the urban forest project Khazanah Rimba in IWK Eco Park and subsequently introduced the “Adopt a Tree” donation campaign.
The campaign is open to all and RM140 will be collected as a donation of a tree.
For details on donating a tree, visit https://bit.ly/2Fps4ep.
