MIRI, Sept 9: Some 100 volunteers collected 2,384.1kg of garbage during a river clean-up programme at Kampung Piasau Utara here yesterday.
Leading the programme at the village’s fish market was Sarawak Rivers Board (SRB) chairman Dr Murni Suhaili, and the volunteers were personnel from SRB, Miri City Council (Miri Local Agenda 21), Bomba Miri and Kampung Piasau Utara residents.
In his opening speech, Dr Murni stressed the importance of keeping rivers clean to protect the ecosystem.
“We should all play our part to keep our rivers clean. The government, through various agencies, has invested a lot but its initiatives also require the support of the people, especially those living along riverbanks, to ensure that no rubbish is thrown into rivers,” he said.
As part of the programme, the participants were also briefed by SRB’s head of River Cleanliness and Conservation, Angga Maga, on the importance river cleaning.
The river-cleaning exercise was organised by SRB in collaboration with Miri City Council in conjunction with its 25th anniversary this Oct 1. The initiative also forms a part of SRB’s outreach programme.
At the end of the programme, Dr Murni presented life jackets to 20 fishermen from Kampung Piasau Utara.
Also present were SRB controller Richard Tajan and SRB (Northern Region) assistant controller Leonard Luhat Laing. — DayakDaily
