Article: Concurrent clean-ups

Saturday July 18, 2009

By JUNGLE BUM

You have to keep the rivers pristine and unpolluted if you're going to fish in them. Now, if only non-anglers thought the same way.

The day broke clear and bright, with hardly a cloud in the blue heavens. A few tourists clad in bright T-shirts and flowery shorts strolled along the sinuous Batu Ferringhi road and a stream of vehicles was already on the road, probably making for the beaches. It's Sunday, after all.

At the entrance of a dirt track to the left, a couple of locals were putting up a bunting on a rusted signboard that read: "River Clean-Up". A few yards away, a group of cheery volunteers stood about chatting and laughing, waiting for others to turn up.

A Pahang Anglers World Group contribution. - AZNIR MALEK

Yes, the day had come for the National River Clean-Up, and this pack of volunteers, mainly from the Penang Angling Association (PMPP) and the Longkang Gang — a boisterous group of local anglers — were poised to clean up Sungai Batu Ferringhi, a beautiful but little-known stream that flows down from an impoundment nestled in the hills.

For this inaugural event, five picnic rivers across the Peninsula would be cleaned up by various volunteer groups. Many were recreational fishermen who were well aware of the deteriorating state of our rivers and were determined to do their bit to help.

Led by Roslan Meah, PMPP's president, the group drove up the track to the river. From the rubbish-strewn parking lot, they ambled upstream armed with dustbin liners, latex gloves and picnic baskets. At almost the same time, other volunteers in Ulu Yam (Selangor), Sungai Lembing (Pahang), Ulu Langat and Batang Kali (Selangor) were setting up their respective "base camps" on selected rivers and preparing for the clean-up.

After settling down at the prescribed spot, a quick briefing was given by Aznir Malek, the Kelah Association of Malaysia (Kagum) president on the objectives of the event. The River Clean-Up is not just about collecting rubbish; it's about making a commitment towards conserving our precious rivers and also role-modelling oneself in the hope that the public will lean towards keeping them clean, too.

The group was then briefed on the safety aspects and divided into teams of three. A fun competition was announced — prizes would be given for teams with the heaviest haul of rubbish and for the most unique item of rubbish found. At Aznir's booming shout, they set off for the "hunt".

Whoops of joy and laughter were heard from downstream. Roslan's team had found a whole toilet bowl half buried in the silt. Later came shouts from upstream: another team had found an old rusted signage lying on the overgrown riverbank. It read: "Do not litter". How apt!

And so it went for the next two hours. This group of 25 lively souls was definitely having fun while working for a good cause. At around noon, everyone returned to base camp, tired and sweaty but happy with their "spoils of war".

They washed and bathed in the clear stream. Sunshine Sally, matriarch of the Longkang Gang, opened her Tupperware containers. The aroma of spaghetti and fried meehoon proved irresistible, so everyone clambered up for a bite.

With tummies sated, they regrouped for the debriefing. The rubbish were weighed using an electronic fishing scale — they were anglers, after all — and prizes were given out.

Roslan's team with their toilet bowl find won the Heaviest Load category hands down. Their total haul was 60kg. The signage won the Most Unique Rubbish Item.

Well, nobody really cared who won. The real reward was seeing a once-dirty picnic river return to its proper state.

The total haul of rubbish was more than 180kg. The group cheered at this news. Later, reports came in on the results at the other Clean-Up sites. One particular group collected some 250kg of garbage. But it didn't matter, to this happy bunch of Penangites, they were champs for doing what they did.

Already, they were talking of doing another clean-up at the river in Balik Pulau!

Epilogue

Almost 200 volunteers were involved in this National River Clean-Up coordinated by Kagum and organised and participated by local groups like PMPP, Longkang Gang, Pahang Anglers World, Tenaga Nasional Bhd (Tranmission Projects Dept), Scomi Oil Tools, Johnson Controls, Petronas Gas and KakiPancing.Net. Almost as many participants were individuals who learned about the event via the grapevine and write-ups in The Star.

A few organisations like Tupperware and Purefishing Sdn Bhd had come forth to sponsor in kind for the event (Thanks, guys!). But the real heroes were all these individuals who had sacrificed their Sunday for a noble cause.

The Kagum bunting posted at each site read: "If you listen carefully, you can hear the rivers crying for help". Yes, these individuals had truly listened, and done something about it.

Right now, Kagum has a string of dates booked by companies and organisations wanting to do their own river clean-ups. The river conservation cause is definitely moving forward.

Latest news

The following dates have been set for river clean-ups:

·July 18: Toyota group — Sg Tua

·July 25: Y W Loh group — Sungai Kedondong, Ulu Yam, Selangor

·Aug 9: Rotary/Rotaract Club (tentative program) — Sg Tua

Individuals are invited to join in on any of these dates. Please e-mail: mandolin_ming@yahoo.com

If you or your organisation are interested in participating in/organising a River Clean-Up, you can contact Kagum for advice or facilitation. A River Clean-Up Manual is also available via e-mail. Visit www.kagum.org or contact aznirm@tnb.com.my

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Lifestyle: Focus 18 July 2009