Official Website of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM)

Working to Heal the Planet: Cleaning up Malaysian Rivers

We do not realise the colossal imprint of man; how we are hurting the globe. It is ironic that although life is good for many of us, Mankind’s treatment of its environment means that we are fast depleting our resources; there is not enough land, not enough wood, not enough fish.

Chartered Environmentalist, Zaki Zainudin, from the Faculty of Chemical Engineering provides us with a glimpse of the fragile state of the environment specifically through his nationwide surveys to measure the water quality of Malaysian rivers.

Zaki’s research makes it clear that pristine water quality is pivotal to support a wide variety of ecological species as evidenced in the Similajau and Semba rivers (Sg. Similajau and Sg. Semba) located north-east of Bintulu, Sarawak.The rivers are home to rare aquatic species such as the Irrawaddy dolphin, the leatherback turtle and the saltwater crocodile particularly near the estuarine region. The crocodiles feast on prawns which are also found in abundance here. A study conducted by UiTM in 2008 showed the dissolved oxygen (DO) levels to be hovering between 6.8 – 7.5 mg/l, whereas the organic levels (BOD5) was at 1 mg/l for majority of the areas monitored. Prawns are also a source of economic richness for local villagers who live within the vicinity such as Kg. Kuala Nyalau. By some estimates, it takes only a few hours to catch five (5) baskets full of the crustacean.