SHAH ALAM: The Movement Control Order (MCO), which came into force on March 18, has led to a 43 per cent reduction in the total amount of rubbish extracted from the Klang River.
In a statement today, managing director of Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB), Syaiful Azmen Nordin, said that from March 15 to April 15, 580 metric tonnes (MT) of rubbish was collected under the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) project, compared to an average of 900 to 1,200MT per month over the last six months.
He said during the MCO period, the Klang River recorded Class III Water Quality Index (WQI) readings almost 90 per cent of the time, compared to last year until March, when, although the overall WQI stood at Class III as well, it was only for about 46 per cent of the time.
“This is a clear indication that minimising the movement of people and business operations can help the river heal, as indicated by the higher frequency of our WQI at Class III.
“(What is significant is that) international data has shown that clean water is a key factor for economic growth,” he added.
LLSB was mandated by the Selangor state government to revive the Klang River through cleaning, rehabilitation and rejuvenation under the SMG project. - BERNAMA