Public awareness on keeping rivers clean still low - Johor Exco

ISKANDAR PUTERI, Feb 21 (Bernama) -- Public awareness on keeping rivers in the state clean is still low, says Johor State Tourism, Environment, Heritage and Culture Committee K. Raven Kumar.

The Tenggaroh assemblyman said this could be seen by the worrisome amount of waste material collected by the authorities in Sungai Tebrau and Sungai Skudai, which could reach between 80 to 100 tonnes per month

"This includes items such as televisions and beds and this worries us.

"So to make the ‘Greater Johor’ agenda a success, the public has to play an important role. Even if we are collecting it (waste), if it doesn't decrease it's not good," he said during a press conference after launching the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Day of Tanjung Pelepas Port (PTP) here, today.

PTP chief executive officer Marco Neelsen was also present.

Raven Kumar said all the government's efforts to protect the environment will not be effective if the community does not have awareness.

"We can talk about the environment and sustainability, but if we ourselves do not change even if there are policies and so on, it will not be effective. So people have to play a role," he said.

Earlier, PTP signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with SWM Environment Sdn Bhd and the Johor National Park Corporation (JNPC).

Through the MoU with JNPC, PTP will plant 160,000 mangrove trees in Tanjung Piai near Pontian, within five years to protect the plant's biodiversity, while with SWM Environment, PTP will establish a community recycling centre with the objective of increasing the public’s awareness of environmental issues.

-- BERNAMA