The Malaysian Insight

A PUTRID stench assaults the nose as you approach Sungai Kreh in Kg Tok Pedu, a river that has watered padi fields which have in turn fed families in Tasek Gelugor, Penang.

The river was also where fishermen could catch and sell several kilogrammes of prawns per day for locals, but these days they would be lucky if they caught one.

This river, which once nourished the farming and fishing community, is today black and dead because of factories and pig farms further upstream dumping waste into the waterway.

When it rains villagers say, the stench from the river even wafts into their homes.

Rice farmers, who once made between RM2,000 to RM3,000 a month from growing padi say that today, their plots are only filled with weeds and flowers.

It is estimated that about 350 farmers and their families in Kg Tok Pedu, Kg Melintas Air Kecil and Kg Melintas Air Besar have lost their incomes as a result of the pollution in Sungai Kreh said a local group.

“The padi plants are still green but there are no grains in them. The effluents from the pig farms cause the river to be filled with nitrogen and this is not good for the fields,” said Kg Tok Pedu Farmers Unit head Ahmad Sulaiman.

“There are two sources of pollution: the pig farms and factories. We don’t know if the factories are licenced or not,” he said on a recent visit by The Malaysian Insight.

Farmers claimed the river started to become gradually polluted 10 years ago.

They protested to the state authorities and held a demonstration in April, but their complaints have fallen on deaf ears said Ahmad, 70.

“We held a demonstration this year but there has been no follow up action.

“The Environment Department, and the Irrigation and Drainage Department have come to check on the water but there has been no change,” said Ahmad.

“Many have given up on their lands. There’s no point in coming to their fields as they can’t grow anything,” said Ahmad.

Ismail Saad of Kg Melintas Air Besar, said five years ago, farmers could make an equivalent of RM2,000 to RM3,000 a month from their fields.

“Now, even making RM1,000 is hard. We’re spending our capital on fertiliser, harvesting machines and tools but we’re not making enough to even cover our costs.”

Ismail believes the pig farmers are not following the rules when it comes to running their operations or processing their waste.

“According to their licences, they should only rear 100 pigs but in reality they rear 1,000, so the ponds collecting the waste overflow, then it goes into the river,” said the 65-year-old.

“When it rains, the stench from the river is so bad we can’t even stay in our homes,” said Ismail.

Throwing money into the river

Baharuddin Abdullah has been buying prawns from local fishermen in Sungai Kreh and its tributaries for his prawn mee shop in Kubang Semang. He has seen firsthand how the catches have plunged.

“In the past I could buy at least 10kg of prawns from the fishermen on a daily basis but now getting even 1kg is impossible.

“It is so polluted that the fishermen no longer go to the river.”

In July, the Fisheries Department had tried releasing fish and prawn into the river to repopulate it but Baharuddin believes none of their attempts worked.

“On July 3, the department released about 100,000 fish of different species.

“Then on August 18, they released 50,000 fish and 90,000 prawns to help the local fishermen.

“But did they monitor the situation? It’s like they were just wasting their money.”

The Malaysian Insight is still trying to contact Tasek Gelugor MP Shahbudin Yahya and Seberang Prai municipal council chairman Rozali Mahmud for comments on the issue.

Penang executive councillor for environment Phee Boon Poh acknowledged the problem and blamed it on pig farms in Kg Selamat, the waste treatment methods of which were unsustainable.

Phee said the state government had already ordered all the farms to make changes to their operations and to switch to closed-rearing methods by December 31.

“If they don’t do so, we will not hesitate to take action and shut down their farms,” Phee told The Malaysian Insight.

“We understand that the demands from the non-Muslim community when it comes to pork but it’s not an excuse for these farms to pollute the environment.” – September 22, 2019.