IPOH: Inspired by environmental stewardship, the Orang Asli community of Kampung Sungai Tonggang, near Ulu Kinta, created the Youth River Ranger to safeguard the purity of Sungai Kinta.
Tok Batin Che Wan Alang, 43, said the youth team of 20 members was founded in early 2023 through the Kinta River Basin Sustainability Monitoring Project under the Green Living Practices.
He said the three-year project was being implemented by the Global Environment Centre, in collaboration with the Perak Department of Irrigation and Drainage and funded by Yayasan Hasanah.
"Through this project, the Youth River Ranger, consisting primary and secondary schoolchildren from the Temiang tribe, are tasked with monitoring the cleanliness along about 200m of Sungai Kinta, which flows through the Kayuh D' Tonggang eco-tourism area.
"Previously, the group only knew how to keep the river clean by avoiding littering, but through this collaboration, participants are taught to assess the river's water quality using pH parameters.
"We also conduct bamboo planting activities on eroded slopes to restore the soil structure in an area of 1.09ha within the Orang Asli reserve forest," he said after receiving the Best River Community Award for the Kinta River Basin (TSK) here today.
The award, in the form of RM3,000 cash along with a trophy and certificate, was presented by the state Infrastructure, Energy, Water and Public Transport Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin.
For the record, Sungai Kinta is crucial as it provides up to 80 per cent of the water supply for the residents of Ipoh and its surrounding areas.
Che Wan, who is also the chairman of the Orang Asli Cooperative of Kampung Sungai Tonggang Bhd, said that since the group took part in the project, the number of tourists at Kayuh D' Tonggang has increased.
"We get about 200 Malaysian tourists every weekend, as well as international tourists from countries like the United Kingdom and Bangladesh.
"They are interested in how we preserve the river and want to learn from our community.
"One of the attractions is how we use less cement for construction; instead, the chalets are built using natural materials like bertam palm for roofs," he said.