Compiled by RAHIMY RAHIM, C.ARUNO and R.ARAVINTAN
THE Teluk Gong river in Klang is considered a “dead” river as it is severely polluted, Utusan Malaysia reported.
The situation is threatening some 40,000 local residents and the ecosystem.
The results of water quality tests from four tributaries about 20km around Teluk Gong to Port Klang, conducted by an independent accredited laboratory in Selangor, found that the ammonia content in the water is very high.
The four locations are the head of the Teluk Gong river near Jalan Pusara, Jambatan Jalan Teluk Gong, Pangkalan Nelayan Sungai Udang and Pangkalan Nelayan Jalan Perajurit.
In addition, the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) levels are also higher than normal based on the National Water Quality Standards.
The high levels of BOD and COD, along with the high concentration of organic pollutants and extremely high ammonia content, have rendered the river water toxic to marine life.
These findings by the lab also indicate that the river is classified in the heavily polluted category, with only one location showing moderate quality.
Over the years, the river has been the subject of complaints by various environmental groups due to the presence of illegal industrial waste as well as plastic waste.
Klang Royal City Council mayor Datuk Abd Hamid Hussain said monitoring of illegal manufacturing plants near the river are ongoing.
> Religious and racial differences did not hinder a kind-hearted woman from Johor Baru from helping an elderly woman in Kluang, Sinar Harian reported.
Mahaletchumi Packiam Nathan, 47, fondly known as Chinnakka, has been close to the elderly Malay woman since 2021, treating her like family.
“She is just like my own grandmother. I will meet her at least two or three times a month.
“We live about 15km apart, but I do make a point of visiting her regularly.”
Chinnakka said she had given her a baju Raya as a present for the celebration as her children or family members could not be located.
“That was the least I could do.”
Chinnakka said she was also surprised that a video she uploaded about them went viral on social media.
“I am just happy to help her,” she added.
(The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a >, it denotes a separate news item.)
