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Pollution woes on Miri River

Friday July 2, 2010: SQUATTERS living along Miri River have to be resettled before rehabilitation work is carried out to reverse the river’s pollution.

Miri mayor Lawrence Lai admitted that the river was badly polluted and blamed it on the irresponsible disposal of garbage by the squatters.

“Our council has no power to resettle the squatters. There are about 2,000 squatter families living along Miri River and its tributaries,” he said when interviewed by StarMetro on the Miri City Council’s plan to rehabilitate the river.

Highly polluted: Rubbish strewn around a squatter colony at the rivermouth of the 45km Miri River.

He said that Miri had the highest number of squatters in Sarawak with about 4,000 families, and half of them settled along the rivers.

Though the council provided rubbish bins in the areas, the settlers did not use them fully, he added.

The Drainage and Irrigation Department has classified the 45km Miri River as having Class IV water quality – among the most-polluted in Sarawak.

Miri River’s tributaries are Sungai Takau, Sungai Baluboh, Sungai Buluh Kedi, Sungau Lusut 1 and 2, Sungai Dalam, Canada Hill, Marina Parit, Liku, Sungai Baong, Sungai Krakop, Sungai Piasau, Sungai Adong, and Sungai Ulu Miri.

The pollution is due to a high level of bacteria in the river and floating debris deposited on the river banks.

The dissolved oxygen level is low, indicating a high level of organic decomposition, which is not suitable for most fish species.

The pollution level is high because of the city’s built up areas, particularly the commercial and industrial areas.

The department attributed the pollution to construction activities and squatter areas along the river.

Raw sewage and solid waste still end up in the river.

There has been encroachment of squatters in the river-reserve area and it floods regularly as a result of these problems.

Lai said it was a pity that Miri River was not clean as it could be a tourist attraction.

“We are trying our best to maintain Miri’s image as a resort city. We hope the department responsible for resettling squatter colonies will act fast on the matter,” he added.

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