Klang River rubbish drops 63% since 2016, water quality improves

The Klang River in Malaysia has seen a significant decline in the amount of trash collected annually since 2016, according to Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. The water quality has also improved, moving from Class Four and Five to Class Two, and even reaching Class One during the rainy season. Odour issues have become 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 and shows how the state government, Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI) and Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB) have achieved success,” Nik Nazmi told reporters after visiting Mangrove Point recreational park.

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Earlier, Nik Nazmi witnessed the signing of a collaboration between LLSB and the United Nations for Malaysia and Brunei network. LLSB reported that under the Selangor Maritime Gateway project, 86,021 metric tonnes of floating rubbish, equivalent to the weight of 470 Boeing 747 aircraft, had been removed from the Klang River.

“The reduction of annual rubbish 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.