‘Sungai Rui heavily polluted for years’
IPOH: Sungai Rui in Hulu Perak has been heavily polluted for many years, says a villager.
Kampung Baru Kuala Rui villager Yeong Lim Leng said the river had been in a bad condition for at least 10 years, and its condition worsened lately.
“The water has been murky for a long time. It even appears reddish sometimes when it rains.
“It is also heavily silted as the soil from the riverbank is washed into it,” he said yesterday.
Yeong, who is also Gerik district councillor, said several fruit farmers who used the river water for their produce claimed their fruits ended up shrivelled and died.
When asked about villagers who had developed skin cancer, which is said to be related to the river water, Yeong said he had heard about it but he does not have information on it.
“Folks here have not dared to play in the water for years,” he said, adding that the villagers also had access topipedwater.
Yeong believes tin mining operations upstream are polluting the river.
“There are some operators who don’t follow regulations. I hope authorities will take action,” he said.
Perak Environment Committee chairman Dr Abdul Aziz Bari said a “low amount” of arsenic had been found in the river.
He also said there had been reports from the state Health Department that some villagers living near the river developed skin cancer, believed to be caused by the water.
“We suspect it is related, due to the presence of heavy metals. But how they got the cancer, we are not sure.
“I have no further information on this and will leave this to the Health Department to find out more,” he said.
However, Dr Abdul Aziz said the amount of arsenic was not considered chronic.
He said it was suspected that the presence of arsenic likely occurred from an imbalance in the natural eco-system due to nearby tin mining activities.
“There’s no need for panic. We are working to rectify the situation,” he said.
He said the Perak Water Board, Minerals and Geoscience Department, Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) and the Department of Environment (DoE) were monitoring the situation closely.
However, Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye disputed Dr Abdul Aziz’s statement that people living near Sungai Rui were getting skin cancer.
He said there had been no such reports despite acknowledging that drinking water laced with arsenic in the long run could cause the ailment.
He said checks on water quality in the area found that the water there contained arsenic that was fairly more than the permissible level.
“Arsenic is normally found in underground water in small amount. Its level could go up near areas with mining activities,” he said.
Dr Lee recommended that the Ayer Ganda treatment plant in Hulu Perak be upgraded to remove arsenic from its water source.