All posts by Chen Yih Wen

Banking on River Reserves to Protect Water Supply

Selangor wants to secure its water supply with more river reserves. But will the law have teeth? And what about protecting the forests that feed the rivers?

SELANGOR residents are no strangers to frequent water cuts. They have suffered water cuts due to river pollution every year in the last decade except for 2017 and 2018, according to news reports.

Pollution in the raw water intake, particularly from illegal dumping and industrial discharge into rivers, has forced Air Selangor to shut down key treatment plants. Such disruptions severely impact the water supply for residents across Klang Valley and surrounding regions.

(Feature image: Volunteers doing their best to keep a riverbank clean in Taman Melawati, Selangor. River pollution has caused major and costly water cuts in the state. |  Photo by Chen Yih Wen)

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Penduduk Pitas Memulih Bakau yang Dimusnah Kolam Udang Gagal

Penduduk Pitas Memulih Bakau yang Dimusnah Kolam Udang Gagal

Penduduk setempat di Pitas, Sabah, menderita akibat kolam udang besar yang memusnahkan hutan bakau mereka dan kemudian gulung tikar.

Foto dan laporan oleh Chen Yih Wen.

Diterbitkan: 28 November 2022

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Pitas Villagers Restoring Mangroves Destroyed by Failed Shrimp Farm

Pitas Villagers Restoring Mangroves Destroyed by Failed Shrimp Farm

Locals in Pitas, Sabah, suffer the consequences of a huge shrimp farm that destroyed their mangroves and then went out of business.

Photos and reporting by Chen Yih Wen.

Published: November 28, 2022

[Malay version]

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Locals protest sand mining in Sabah

The project is part of a RM2 billion Chinese investment favoured by the state government. But locals complain they were not sufficiently consulted and worry about the potential health impact.

Near the northern tip of Sabah is Bangau Beach, the start of a flat sandy coastline that stretches for 21 km. Dramatic sunsets draw visitors from afar, and runners ran the length of Bangau Beach in an international half marathon a few years before the COVID-19 pandemic.

But the tourist crowds haven’t returned, and they may not for a long time. A RM2 billion operation to mine sand there is threatening to destroy the charms of Bangau Beach. 

(Photo: The sandy coast of the scenic Bangau Beach in Kudat, Sabah, will look very different soon. A new sand mining facility will occupy all the space to the right of the river. | Pic by Chen Yih Wen)

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Menggunakan Parang untuk Menyambungkan Hutan

Menggunakan Parang untuk Menyambungkan Hutan

Di kawasan Hilir Kinabatangan, Sabah, sekumpulan wanita menggunakan parang, memandu bot dan menjaga anak-anak pokok, untuk menyambungkan kawasan hutan yang telah terkesan akibat aktiviti pembalakan. Inilah suara mereka.

Temuduga dan foto oleh Chen Yih Wen. Penterjemahan oleh Adibah Abdul Ghani.

[English version]

Diterbit: Disember 4, 2021 [Updated Disember 17, 2021]

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