EVERY year in the middle of March, the International Day of Action for Rivers is celebrated to raise public awareness of river management and conservation.
It brings people from all over the world together to discuss river-related issues, including pollution, conservation and the role of rivers in natural disasters such as floods.
Malaysians have been taught the value of protecting rivers since their school days up to university.
Nonetheless, river-related issues continue to be a challenge at national and international levels.
According to Ismail Serageldin, chairman of the World Water Commission, in the 21st century more than half the world's rivers are contaminated to the point of endangering human health and life.
Every day, around two million tonnes of sewage, and industrial and agricultural waste are believed to be discharged into rivers.
We should be more concerned because massive floods strike our country regularly, resulting in the loss of property and life.
Although floods are an inescapable natural occurrence, we contribute to them through unplanned urbanisation, unsystematic farming practices, deforestation and illegal logging. These change the structure of river basins and produce more sediments, resulting in catastrophic flooding.
River floods, flash floods and coastal floods are the three main types of floods. Fluvial floods occur when river water overflows into low-lying areas.
Heavy rains in December last year, for instance, had caused Sungai Langat to overflow into residential areas.
The physical condition of the river channel system, which is blocked owing to the dumping of domestic and industrial trash, worsens the intensity of flash floods.
One of the causes of the flood in Kampung Pasir near Johor Baru was found to be the village waste collection site near a river. People had thrown garbage into the waterway, clogging it.
Other factors included unsustainable and illegal logging. Logs and debris collecting beneath a bridge near the village inhibited water flow and caused the river to overflow into surrounding areas.
Trees that are felled for logging and agriculture will weaken the natural flood mitigating system of that area.
Plants not only provide oxygen for humans and support the ecological system, but they also absorb significant amounts of rainwater and reduce the flow of water into rivers.
Floods will become common as a result of the rivers' inability to cope with a large volume of water after heavy rain, as seen in Sungai Telemong in Terengganu and Sungai Linggi in Negri Sembilan.
During heavy rains late last year, the river banks of Sungai Temelok in Perak had also collapsed, causing water to overflow and inundate nearby areas.
The increase in construction activities along river banks is another factor that disrupts the natural system.
Soil erosion and sedimentation have occurred from the opening up of new agricultural, logging, housing and industrial land.
While the government has traditionally been tasked with river management, the roles of communities, non-governmental organisations, industry players, farmers and others must be coordinated.
The government can provide financial resources and essential technical knowledge, as well as construct mitigation structures to regulate the river flow.
However, other stakeholders, particularly citizens, must play a role to reduce the impact of future floods.
To get man-made disasters under control, sustainable development must be elevated to the maximum level. All development projects impacting the riverbed must consider the opinion of and impact on local communities.
River maintenance, such as deepening of the riverbed, must be done regularly rather than after floods occur.
Local governments must improve the local Agenda 21 Programme (an action plan of the United Nations with regard to sustainable development), so that all stakeholders may work together to ensure that the rivers are clean.
The dumping of waste should be regarded as a repugnant act, and stiff measures to penalise the offenders have to be carried out.
At the absolute least, people should be encouraged to contribute words of wisdom, personal stories or advice about river conservation on social media to help bring the International Day of Action for Rivers to life, this year and beyond.
The writer is a lecturer in public policy at the Faculty of Administrative Science and Policy Studies, UiTM Pahang Branch, Raub Campus