Campaign kicks off to clean Sungai Moyog

KOTA KINABALU: A movement made up of concerned individuals has kicked off an initiative to clean the Sungai Moyog river in Penampang district in the hope of restoring the waterway to its original glory.

For a start, the movement has roped in seven villages that have agreed to keep banks at their part of the river clean, and the settlement that does the best job will be named winner in six months.

The villages are Tagad, Kuai-Kandazon, Mahandoi, Terawi, Suok, Digot and Kodundungan.

This initiative by Community-Led Environmental Awareness for Our River (CLEAR).

CLEAR was born out of concern that the Moyog is now a dumping ground for household waste and livestock, and an end point for drains built to support housing and industrial development.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Assistant Minister Datuk Ellron Angin who launched the Sungai Moyog Cleaning and Restoration Programme recently, said every person had a responsibility to keep rivers clean.

Angin who arrived at the launch site at the Monsopiad Cultural Village after a half an-hour boat ride from Kampung Kodundungan, said he saw potential for tourism activities at the river.

“Unfortunately, I also saw rubbish floating in the river, and all sorts of waste on the banks. This is all done by us, and that is why we need to make ourselves aware that the responsibility of keeping rivers clean lies in ourown hands.”

“Once we become aware, we need to influence our neighbours to do the same.

“Keeping our rivers and surroundings clean should become a habit. We have to change our own attitude”, he said.

Angin, who commended CLEAR for the initiative promised to speak to agencies under his Ministry in supporting efforts of communities that have pledged to support the restoration programme.

The launch was timed to celebrate the International Day of Action for Rivers that fell on March 14. It is a day for people to unite in facing threats on rivers from pollution and construction of dams.

The Moyog river that flows from its headwaters in Kampung Tulung in the upper reaches of this district to the Petagas coast is also plagued with bamboo and fallen tree debris that trap waste at some points.

CLEAR chairperson Winnie Jimis said if the river is not cleaned on a continuous basis, the campaign to restore the Moyog will not work.

“We know that this is all easier said than done, and this is why CLEAR has asked village heads to support our efforts. We will also need to keep ongoing from house to house to speak about what locals can do to ensure that they do not keep polluting the river.

“We are also concerned about rubbish traps at large drains that are no longer functioning. Photos of rubbish trapped at this river are now even shared in social network sites like Facebook”, Jimis said.

Until the 1960s, the Moyog river was a source for drinking water, and was also used for transport to the Kasigui and Putatan settlements. Villagers also caught fish and prawns, and used water from this river to irrigate their paddy fields.

Jimis said apart from tourism potential through river cruises and bamboo rafting, the other programme the river could support once restored is the tagal system (community based fisheries resource method).