The organisers handing out supplies to the participants of the Bukit Bintang gotong-royong event. – MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
THE 39th Bukit Bintang Central Gotong-Royong themed “Jom Bersih Bukit Bintang 18” ensured the streets within the city centre were clean, while the young were educated on recycling.
The gotong-royong, held at the main entrance of Low Yat Plaza, included secondary school and university students, as well as employees from government agencies.
They included Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Syabas), Low Yat Plaza and Kuala Lumpur Local Agenda 21 partners.
DBKL City Planning Department (Research and Development Coordination Sector) senior deputy director Rosli Nordin said it was a great joy to have the clean-up reinstated after it was postponed for two years due to the pandemic.
“This clean-up is a community effort, as we want our surroundings to be comfortable and harmonious.
“It helps to emphasise the importance of keeping our city clean, while also shaping the minds of our local community to be more tactful towards environmental issues.”
Themed Kita Prihatin (We Care), activities such as aerobics and environmental-themed talks were held for secondary school students.
University students carried out the clean-up after being divided into groups.
First-time participant, Tham Yan Xin, 16, from SMK Puteri Titiwangsa was glad she joined the event.
“The Pencinta Alam Club of my school invited all students to join this clean-up if they were interested. I’m glad I did because I had a lot of fun.
“We were taught how to recycle our ewaste and trash properly through talks by Alam Flora.”
For Previnaa Sundrarajoo from Alam Flora, it was her first clean-up since she joined the company in June this year.
“I was surprised to see how little trash needed to be picked up around the Bukit Bintang area, as my team and I completed work at our sector very quickly.
“It is a job well done by Alam Flora for keeping our city streets clean. I am very proud,” said the 28-year-old.
However, Previnaa wished the school students were involved in the clean-up as well apart from just attending the talks.
Muhammad Arif Khairy from SMK Bandar Tun Razak, 14, was of the same opinion.
“The event would have been a lot more fun if school students had joined in the clean-up.
“Sitting down for several hours in the warm weather was a bit uncomfortable. If the event had been held in a multipurpose hall, it would have been nicer,” he joked.
However, he was keen to participate in such an event again in future.
“Being here with my friends was a lot of fun, plus learning the different ways to take care of our environment is very important,” he added.
