The condition of Sungai Johor after the bunds burst at a sand-washing pond in Kota Tinggi. — Photos: THOMAS YONG/The Star and courtesy pics
THE government needs to step up efforts to gazette Sungai Johor as a protected water source in view of its importance to both Malaysia and Singapore, say experts.
They point out that the Sungai Johor basin, which covers about 2,636sq km and flows through four major districts, is under stress because demand has significantly exceeded natural supply.
Research shows that a “highly stressed” river may not be able to supply adequate water in the future.
At least 10 water treatment plants, including those belonging to Public Utilities Board (PUB) Singapore, draw huge amounts of water along the 122.7km-long river, which supplies two million people in four districts: Johor Baru, Kota Tinggi, Kulai and Pontian.
The river does not just supply water domestically; 946 million litres of raw water go to Singapore daily.
Don’t allow sand mining
Sivakumar: Sand mining should not be allowed on Sungai Johor.Johor Green Earth Society president P. Sivakumar said the state government should work on gazetting the river as soon as possible, as it was slowly dying.
“We cannot allow any sand mining upriver, whether legal or illegal,” he said.
Sivakumar said that the Oct 31 pollution of Sungai Johor due to sand mining activities, which affected more than a million people, was a major wake-up call.
“The state government should form a special secretariat to empower non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and village heads as river rangers, who could alert the authorities before disaster strikes.
“Besides stricter enforcement, we also need people to provide tip-offs to avert such cases, which cause a lot of hardship to the public,” Sivakumar said after visiting local fishermen in Kampung Orang Asli Sayong Pinang, Kota Tinggi.
He added that the sand mining incident had raised questions like whether an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done and if the company adhered to the recommendations.
Sivakumar questioned whether measures such as sediment basins, erosion and sediment control measures were implemented.
Kampung Orang Asli Sayong Pinang village chief Majid Jantan (left) and fellow villagers showing the effects of pollution in their village.
“If the sand mining was done on a small scale and did not require an EIA report, then these companies need to be regulated and asked to show audit reports about their activities.”
He added that real-time monitoring systems should also be installed on all “possible polluters” along the river.
Poh: Community can be the eyes and ears of enforcement agencies.Safe Johor River founder Poh Pai Yik also stressed the need for the river to be gazetted.
“Efforts to gazette the river or impose stricter enforcement will not be easy, as Sungai Johor is not a small river,” he said.
Poh added that the local community should also be involved in protecting Sungai Johor, by getting them to serve as the “eyes and ears” of enforcement agencies.
“In the past, companies that polluted the river, such as chicken farms, faced heavy fines and even closure.
“We need to be consistent with enforcement operations.
“Besides sand mining, there are also oil palm plantations along Sungai Johor,” he said.
Poh cited another major pollution case along Sungai Johor – the 2016 oil spill from an illegal factory in Kulai that was burning tyres.
That, too, affected tens of thousands of people who faced sudden water disruptions.
Johor Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) adviser Vincent Chow said gazetting the river should have been done a long time ago.
“Why did the authorities allow sand dredging and mining to be carried out in the first place, when they knew it was a source of water for treatment plants?
“Such activities should be stopped immediately, and the river must be gazetted as a protected area.
“That is the only solution. Otherwise, we will see pollution and disruptions happening again and again,” he added.
Chow, who is also MNS immediate past president, urged the government to determine what policies were needed to improve the situation.
He said the affected area was badly eroded, with very few trees left, while the river was murky and dozens of dead fish had also been found in it.
Chow also urged the government to work closely with environmental NGOs, as they could provide valuable insights and recommendations to address such issues.
Experts say real-time monitoring of sand mining activities along the river is needed.
Danger signs
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security researcher Dr Zulfaqar Sa’adi supported the move for Sungai Johor to be gazetted.
“A highly stressed river is one where water demand significantly exceeds available natural supply and the river could no longer be relied upon for expansion,” he warned.
Zulfaqar: We need to have strict enforcement and maintenance of bunds.Zulfaqar said gazetting the river upstream would help its role as a water catchment area.
“If you look at the Sungai Johor basin, more than 60% is dominated by agriculture, primarily oil palm and rubber, followed by about 20% forest,” he said, adding that other parts included human settlements, water bodies and mangrove.
Zulfaqar said sand mining activities were concentrated along river channels in the lower and middle parts of the basin.
These could cause riverbank erosion, alter channel morphology as well as increase the risk of floods and degradation of aquatic habitat.
Zulfaqar described the Oct 31 pollution, where a sand-washing pond burst, as unfortunate and expressed concern that similar incidents could occur during the monsoon season.
“We need to have strict enforcement and maintenance of these bunds,” he said.
“They should be structurally safe to avoid such incidents.”
Orang Asli fisherman Azman Izam is also hoping the state government will gazette Sungai Johor, not just to protect their livelihoods but also the river’s marine ecosystem.
Sungai Johor became choked with mud during the Oct 31 pollution incident in Kota Tinggi.
He added that the river was an important source of income, sustaining communities from at least three villages around Sayong Pinang in Kota Tinggi.
The father of three school-going children said it would take a long time for the river to “come back to life”.
“We were the worst hit during the October incident, as we are located next to the sand mining operations.
“The water was so murky and the sludge covered all parts of the river.
“We found dead fish everywhere and the stench was unbearable for many days,” said Azman, adding that he could not go out to fish for more than 10 days after the incident.
He recalled a similar incident that happened some years ago due to ammonia discharge from a factory located along Sungai Johor.
Fisherman Azizan Mohsin said the pollution happened at the worst time as it was spawning season.
“Besides this mining operation, there are at least four more along Sungai Johor,” he said, adding that the state government should ensure there was no form of water pollution in the area.
