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Tue 07 Jun 2005

US$263 Million to clean up Johor's rivers

Category : malaysia

Report Says Malaysia's Johor State Needs $263 Million to Clean Up Its Rivers." Associated Press, 07 Jun 2005.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Ñ Malaysia's southern Johor state will spend 1 billion ringgit (US$263 million; euro214 million) to clean up three of its most polluted rivers, choked with sewage and garbage, a news report said Monday.

The Tebrau, Skudai and Segget rivers carry pollutants and waste into the Johor Straits, which separates peninsular Malaysia from the island republic of Singapore, the New Straits Times reported.

State officials have allocated the large sum because all three rivers end at important parts of the city of Johor Bahru and at tourist destinations, state tourism and environment committee chairman Freddie Long was quoted as saying.

"It is not going to be a cheap project," Long said. "However, if we don't proceed with it now, it will become even more expensive."

The state will install two sewage treatment plants to clean up waste before it is discharged in to the rivers. The government hopes the project will avoid future ecological damage at the river mouths, the report said.

Posted at 4:30PM UTC by N. Sivasothi | permalink | email |