KOTA KINABALU, Sept 2 — With Sabah’s rivers facing severe pollution, Tourism, Culture, and Environment Minister Datuk Christina Liew announced that recommendations from a workshop of experts will be developed into a concrete action plan.

Liew expressed deep concern over the situation, highlighting pollution and timber logging as key factors contributing to what she described as a deteriorating and disheartening state of the rivers.

"There is a lot of pollution going on, and these man-made factors, combined with weather and environmental changes have adversely affected our rivers to a critical point.

"The unchecked pollution has resulted in rivers becoming shallow due to siltation and erosion, further worsening the problem, " she said during her opening address at a workshop on river management in Sabah.

She said that participants would be developing new systems and regulations to address the issue which would lead to a comprehensive roadmap for managing rivers in the state.

She said the results of the workshop would be compiled and "formalised” for the state Cabinet, and she also hoped they would be published for public consumption.

"The public must understand that rivers support all forms of life, including agriculture, aquaculture, wildlife, and humans. A polluted river impacts everyone,” she said while calling for a collective effort to prevent littering and promote river conservation.

Asked to elaborate on the effects of timber logging on river pollution, she said that there was a need for clear guidelines to mitigate the environmental impacts.

"We need to present the effects of timber logging and ensure that proper guidelines are in place to protect our rivers,” she said.