Alor Setar river too dirty for use in water supply

The Alor Setar river has been grade at Class 3 and is unusable for water supply. (Facebook pic)

ALOR SETAR: Immediate and intensive treatment is needed for Alor Setar river which is so polluted that it can no longer be used for water supply to residents, an executive councillor said today.

He said the quality of the river had been graded at Class Three because of pollution caused by residents continually throwing rubbish into the river.

The government also planned to appoint 1,500 residents to become water partnership volunteers to act as the eyes and ears of the government to report on river pollution activities near their homes.

Zamri Yusuf, who is chairman of the state Public Works, Water Supply and Water and Energy Resources Committee, said: rivers were graded from Class 1 to 5.

“Class Three is considered to be dirty and unsuitable for daily activity while Class Two is still usable. We can transform our river from Class Three to Class Two by keeping the river clean, but what’s troubling when Grade Two turns to Grade Three and this is what we need to pay attention to,” he told reporters

State executive councillor Zamri Yusuf.

Zamri made his remarks after the signing of an agreement between University Kebangsaan Malaysia and state government to carry out research in Padang Terap, Pendang, Kubang Pasu and Alor Setar districts.

Zamri said that through the UKM study, various data will be collected and analysed to serve as the basis for the writing of the Sungai Kedah Sustainability Action Plan 2020-2030 which will serve as the core in the strengthening of Kedah’s governance and management aspects of Sungai Kedah.

“UKM research together with the state government will detail up to the smallest elements of pollution in the river to determine which rivers are in which class which also involved the collaboration of residents and traders near the river, schoolchildren and local authorities,” he said. - FMT