Looking smart in white T-shirts and blue caps, 52 teachers were up early at Berapit, Bukit Mertajam. Carrying files, buckets, test kits and nets, they were eager to start their day.
The teachers, participants of a River Ranger Trainers Training Workshop, were on a field assignment to begin river mapping near a river source at Berapit Hill.
Also joining them were representatives from non-government organisations and Drainage and Irrigation Department (JPS) officers. Global Environment Centre (GEC) River Care Programme Co-ordinator Dr K. Kalithasan led the participants to three places.
The first stop was at the foothills of Berapit Hill where the river is near its source.
Next was Sungai Rambai, where the river passes through Bukit Mer-tajam, and finally, at Sungai Juru.
The participants were taught how to use three methods to check the river – visual observations, chemical monitoring and biological monitoring.
Through visual observations, participants looked for clues to the health of the stream.
“Healthy streams have lush riparian buffers, clear water and plenty of wildlife.
“Chemical testing is extremely useful in determining sources of pollution as well as specific pollutants,” he said.
He said the water’s pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), turbidity, phosphate, nitrate and temperature were tested with findings jotted down in river report cards and sent to GEC and JPS.
The last method, biological monitoring, had participants wading in the stream and catch aquatic life.
Here they learnt a healthy river would have an abundant aquatic life. The captured species were released back to the river after observation.
At the second site, participants did not wade into Sungai Rambai as pollution was evident in the water. Instead, they used a bucket to collect water samples from the river.
“We can see that the river is quite polluted as it has passed through Bukit Mertajam. House-hold waste, detergent, plastic bags, Styrofoam boxes and bottles are thrown into the drains,” said Dr Kalithasan.
At the final spot at Kampung Tok Keramat tidal control gate near the Prai Industrial Area, there was industrial waste.
The colour of the river water was a mixture of brown and orange.
“The water here will go to Sungai Juru and then into the sea. Tests conducted shows it is a dead river,” said Dr Kalithasan.
After the workshop, participants returned to their schools to train the students selected to be river rangers.
Under the river ranger programme, students all over the country will be roped in to be the eyes and ears of the JPS in its bid to combat river pollution and promote awareness on the importance of maintaining cleanliness of rivers.
The river rangers, who will be under their schools’ Environment Club, will submit a quarterly re-ports on their observations to GEC and JPS.