JOHOR BARU: The city collects an average of one tonne of plastic waste every single day from its rivers, thus indicating the severity of littering as a phenomenon here, says the city council.

       Johor Baru mayor Datuk Mohd Noorazam Osman expressed disappointment at this disturbing scenario, which is undoubtedly due to the attitude of irresponsible quarters who still throw garbage into drains and rivers indiscriminately.

       For example, Sungai Tebrau, a major river here, consistently yields massive amounts of rubbish, despite the city council’s (MBJB) efforts in carrying out cleaning operations and upgrading works.

       “On average, we are able to gather about 30 tonnes of plastics from the river each month,” he said after launching MBJB’s Skuad Kilat, or rapid action squad, which consists of various units under the council to deal with emergencies, especially natural disasters such as floods.

       He added that as part of MBJB preparation for floods, the council had been carrying works to make sure the drainage system and rivers under its jurisdiction were able to contain the run-off during the rainy season.

       “The attitude of throwing waste into the drainage system should change immediately as not only will this lead to pollution, but also major floods, which is what we are trying to avoid.

       “If this continues, then the 54 villages located near Sungai Tebrau could be affected badly if floods were to hit them,” he said, adding that besides Sungai Tebrau and Sungai Skudai, another river in the city area, was also a source of flooding due to its polluted state.

       He said MBJB had identified 10 areas such as Kampung Mohd Amin and Kampung Pasir that could see floods due to the monsoon season that was expected to hit the state until Jan 3.

       “From the preparations that we have done prior to the monsoon season, MBJB is well prepared to face the possibility of floods within our jurisdiction.

       “For example, through the Skuad Kilat, we have 300 MBJB personnel on standby to evacuate the public to the nearest relief centres once floods happen,” he said.