IN conjunction with the World Rivers Day 2010, an educational event was held at Sungai Pencala in Taman Rimba Kiara, Kuala Lumur, on Saturday.

Organised by Global Environment Centre (GEC) together with Malaysian Country Water Partnership (MyCWP), the event was supported by the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and Novozymes Sdn Bhd.

About 150 schoolchildren and residents engaged in various river activities as part of the Pencala River Habitat Creation and Education programme.

Big group: Participants planting wetland grass near Sungai Pencala in Taman Rimba Kiara, Kuala Lumpur.

The event involved various points of Sungai Pencala as an open classroom to educate the participants on rivers and its importance for biodiversity.

The programme took off with River Care Programme coordinator Dr K. Kalithasan giving a briefing on Sungai Pencala before the participants were involved in various activities like river habitat creation and clean-up, river mapping and river education walk.

The activities were organised to improve the river’s health and biodiversity and maintain the integrity of the environment.

While some were planting wetland plants near the river, others were identifying sources of pollution and marking them on a map of the area.

Getting info: Participants carrying out river mapping to learn about the water source.

The schoolchildren were taken to the source of the Pencala River for a walk and taught how to monitor a river’s health by using a River Report Card and water-testing kit.

River Care Programme officer Azli Abu Bakar, who was in charge of habitat creation, said they planted wetland plants on the river bank to serve as a natural retaining wall.

He said the plants also helped absorb harmful chemicals in the river, thus keeping it clean.

“You can built a concrete wall along the river but it will take away the beauty and make it look like a drain.

“Plants created habitats for fishes and birds,” he said.

The group planted about 60 plants like the Cat Tail, Keladi Air and wetland grass.

Kalithasan said it was important for children, as well as residents, to know their local river and the issues related to the waterway.