Kg Ayer rubbish woes persist amid clean-up

AS A water taxi driver, Hj Zainuddin Hj Omar's livelihood is tied to the Kampong Ayer. It's no wonder the water village's continuing problem with rubbish is a sore point with him.

The resident of Kampung Bolkiah said that there has been some improvement due to government's bid to clean up the Brunei River, but when he sends water village residents to the capital on his water taxi, he still sees floating rubbish, especially in the mornings.

He said residents continue to throw their rubbish anywhere, despite a government project to rid the water village of rubbish.

Earlier this year, the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation, under the Ministry of Development, initiated a clean-up project to clean the Brunei River and connected water systems.

The "Brunei River Clean-up Project", aimed at ridding the river system of floating rubbish, is expected to be completed in 2012.

Despite the project, Hj Zainuddin said careless disposal of rubbish continues, causing a build-up of garbage along the Kianggeh River.

"I can still notice rubbish floating about on the river, the authorities should do something about this, (they should be) enforcing stricter measures against litterbugs, which could be one of the solutions to prevent unwanted garbage dumping in the river which can cause the clogging of the drainage system," he said.

A fisherman, Mohd Shukri Hj Hassan, is also frustrated about Kampong Ayer's continuing rubbish problem.

He is particularly worried about the fish ecosystem as the rivers provide a diverse breed of fishes, such as the kerapu (grouper) and selungson (barramundi).

He said that many Bruneians visit the water village and venture to various jetties in the water village to fish, but some just do not dare anymore due to the rubbish build-up in some areas.

"It is very unpleasant to hook rubbish every time while fishing. Why do people need to dump their rubbish instead of disposing it properly? It is a nuisance," he said.

Hj Ishak Hj Ibrahim, a senior citizen, said for authorities to address the problem fully, they need to first change the mindset of Kampong Ayer residents.

"The problem of rubbish is caused by residents of the water village," he said."It will never be resolved until they can work together to dispose of rubbish properly. This will prevent unwanted problems such as the clogging of the drainage or foul smell from the rubbish."

The Brunei Times