GUA MUSANG: The Orang Asli community in several villages here have prohibited their children from playing in the polluted Sungai Belatop.
Villager Tahir Bahrom said the prohibition was imposed five years ago to prevent children from suffering from itchiness and skin diseases.
"When I was a teenager, we used to swim and catch fish at Sungai Belatop as it is near our homes.
"When the water in Sungai Belatop turned into `teh tarik' in 2010, we stopped catching fish at the river.
"Orang Asli children sometimes play in the river. But when some of them experienced itchiness and caught skin diseases, their parents decided not to allow them to go into the water," said the 32-year-old odd-job worker.
However, he said, the skin diseases were not alarming.
Tahir, who lives in Kampung Pos Brooke Lama here, said the villagers believed that water from the river was not safe for consumption anymore.
"It really upsets me to see such a nice and beautiful river that we previously depended on turned into this colour because of pollution."
He said besides Kampung Pos Brooke Lama, other nearby villages included Kampung Liyak and Kampung Sepek.
State health director Datuk Dr Zaini Hussin said skin diseases were not only caused by a polluted river.
"There are a few other factors that cause skin diseases, such as cleanliness," he said.
Dr Zaini said other common causes were allergic reactions to food, insect bites, pollen and medicines.