Tag Archives: river

To Rehabilitate Rivers, Community Action Matters More than Money

Money actually does not solve problems in river rehabilitation. Instead, continuity, consistency and persistence matter, writes ecosystem restoration activist Kennedy Michael.

RIVER degradation is a persistent challenge in rapidly urbanising Malaysia. Governance fragmentation, public disengagement, and infrastructural bias keep undermining ecosystem health. But long-term, community-driven, volunteer-led river ecosystem restoration and sustainability education provide a solution.

For over 390 consecutive weeks since 2018, the Taman Melawati, Kuala Lumpur, communities have looked after the 5km stretch of Klang River in their area.

(Feature pic:  Community power matters more than money in river rehabilitation | ART!)

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Protecting Selangor’s Rivers and Water

Recording a show on Selangor rivers at BFM89.9. From left: Kennedy Michael, Law Yao Hua, and Chen Yih Wen.
Recording a show on Selangor rivers at BFM89.9. From left: Kennedy Michael, Law Yao Hua, and Chen Yih Wen. Credit: Juliet Jacobs.

11 Dec 2024: In this Earth Matters segment on BFM89.9FM Radio, we discuss the links between Selangor’s costly water cuts and the  health of its rivers. The state government’s aims to protect all its river banks as reserves — could that work?

The show featured journalists Chen Yih Wen and Law Yao Hua, and Kennedy Michael, co-founder of Alliance of River Three (ART!). Produced by Juliet Jacobs on ‘Earth Matters’, 89.9FM Radio.

Based on our story Banking on River Reserves to Protect Water Supply.

[The story is supported by a grant from YELL.]

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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