Klang River rubbish removal declines, water quality improves in Malaysia

A decline in the amount of rubbish removed from the Klang River in Malaysia has been observed since 2016, with the water quality also showing marked improvement, according to Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad. The minister revealed that the water quality, which was previously categorised as Class Four and Five, has improved to Class Two and even reached Class One during the rainy season. Furthermore, odour issues have become less frequent.

“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, the minister witnessed a signing of a collaboration between LLSB and the United Nations for Malaysia and Brunei network. In a statement, LLSB reported that under the Selangor Maritime Gateway initiative, 86,021 metric tonnes of floating rubbish, equivalent to 470 Boeing 747 aircraft, was 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.