BESUT, Aug 28 — River pollution in Terengganu is still under control and the cleanliness level of 729 rivers in the state is also satisfactory, says State Infrastructure, Public Facilities, Utilities and Green Technology Committee chairman Mamad Puteh.

However, he said the situation should not be taken for granted, and called on all parties to continue protecting the rivers.

"So far we have not received any report about the rivers in the state, including those that are utilised as sources of water as being badly polluted. In fact, most are found to be clean and there are few at moderate levels.

"But sometimes, we find a small number of people who purposely throw rubbish into the river or into channels. We also find restaurant operators who flush out their sewage into rivers and this will certainly damage the quality of the river water,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after officiating the state-level World Rivers Day (WRD) programme at Sungai Dendong near here. Terengganu Irrigation and Drainage Department (DID) director Hanizan Deraman was also present.

Mamad said the WRD celebration was held to raise awareness of the importance to keep rivers clean and to foster the spirit of shared responsibility between the government and the people in ensuring the river and its environment remain sustainable He added that Terengganu had an agency known as the Terengganu Water Resources Board (LAUT) which was responsible for the protection of water resources through monitoring and enforcement.

"LAUT plays an important role in ensuring that those involved in industrial and mining activities do not discharge their waste directly into the river,” he said.

The Besut district has the largest number of rivers in the state, namely 264, spanning over 1,168.07 kilometres (km) followed by Setiu with 160 rivers (900.73km); Dungun 88 rivers (875.10km); Kuala Terengganu 85 rivers (420.43km); Hulu Terengganu 51 rivers (605km); Kemaman 48 rivers (666.5km) and Marang 34 rivers (251.06km). — Bernama