Klang River sees 63% decline in annual waste removal

PORT KLANG – Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad has shared that the amount of trash removed from the Klang River annually since 2016 has continued to decline while the river’s water quality has slowly improved.

He added that the water quality was previously in Class 4 and 5, but has improved to Class 2 and even reached Class 1 during the rainy season. In addition, odour issues have been less frequent as well.

“Two river-cleaning machines (dubbed the Interceptors) have been used since 2019, and they have been very instrumental in collecting rubbish, including plastic waste. This shows how the state government, Menteri Besar Incorporated, and Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) have achieved success,” he told reporters after visiting Mangrove Point recreational park here yesterday.

He had earlier witnessed the signing of a collaboration agreement between LLSB and the United Nations for Malaysia and Brunei.

Meanwhile, LLSB said in a statement that under the Selangor Maritime Gateway, 86,021 metric tonnes of floating rubbish, the equivalent of 470 Boeing 747 aircraft, were removed from the Klang River.

“The reduction of annual trash by 63% between 2016 and 2022 far exceeded the Phase 1 key performance indicators set at 40%.

“Last year, the project saw 6,117 metric tonnes of trash removed monthly, compared to a baseline in 2016 of 16,408 metric tonnes a month,” the company said. – Bernama, June 14, 2023