IPOH: Sungai Perak remains safe for recreational activities despite localised discolouration, state authorities confirmed.
Responding to social media images showing stretches of the river turning a greenish-blue hue, Perak environment committee chairman Teh Kok Lim said water samples classify the river under Class II of the Water Quality Index.
“Analysis across more than 30 water quality parameters confirms the river is safe for fishing and recreational use,” Teh said in a statement yesterday.
“It is also suitable as a raw water source requiring conventional treatment. The state, through the Environment Department, will maintain strict enforcement against premises subject to the Environmental Quality Act.”
Teh explained that the discolouration stems from high-volume surface runoff in mineral-rich Hulu Perak, where heavy rainfall washed deposits of copper, iron, aluminium and silica into the river system.
“Surface runoff was nearly double the seasonal average, washing fine mineral particles into the river basin,” he said.
“When these accumulated particles interact with light under specific flow conditions, they produce a distinct blue hue.”
Teh said the state Environment Department monitors the river basin through eight manual stations, which conduct testing six times a year, alongside an automated station connected to the Environmental Quality Monitoring Programme System.
He said to safeguard the river long-term, several proposed measures would be considered.
These, he said, include conducting a Total Maximum Daily Load study on Sungai Perak and Sungai Rui to determine acceptable pollution limits, establishing a state-level task force for inter-agency enforcement, expanding real-time online water monitoring locations, and developing stricter mining guidelines based on international best practices.
