Kelana Jaya lake is toxic

Tuesday 10th February 2009
By Tan Karr Wei

THE water in the Kelana Jaya lake at SS7 in Petaling Jaya is so dreadfully polluted that even touching it is not advisable.

This sorry state of affairs was confirmed by an ongoing study conducted jointly by the Global Environment Centre (GEC) and the Department of Chemistry Malaysia.

According to GEC River Care Programe officer Shafinaz Shahabudin, the first phase of the Kelana Jaya Lake rehabilitation programme began in 2002.

Cleaning it up: The Friends of Kelana Jaya Park teamed up with residents to clean up the drains in SS7/28 area.

“We’re working with residents and the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ) to resuscitate the lake. One important measure is by keeping the drains clean. If the drains are clean, the drainage water flowing into the rivers and lakes will be clean,” she said.

Shafinaz said the surrounding commercial areas were not using grease traps properly and this has resulted in the high level of pollutants in the lake.

Meanwhile, the Friends of Kelana Jaya Park (FOKJP), set up in 2005 to help in the rehabilitation of the lake, in conjunction with the My Drains Day celebration, organised a series of gotong-royong sessions to clean up the drains in the residential areas surrounding the lake.

Kelana Jaya MP Loh Gwo-Burne launched the first gotong-royong programme at the SS7/28 community hall involving residents from the surrounding houses and condominiums.

The amount of silt and rubbish being dug out from the drains in the area was shocking and alarming.

“The full participation of residents is crucial. We have been throwing stuff into the drains and we have to start by keeping our homes clean,” Loh said.

Petaling Jaya councillor Ahmad Yusof Ludin said the MBPJ would soon announce its plans to mitigate floods in the area.

Place to relax: Many Petaling Jaya residents use the park as a recreational area.

FOKJP vice-president Jack Lim said most people did not understand the strategic environmental significance of the lake.

“We want to resuscitate the lake not only for beautification purposes but also to use it as a water catchment area. It’s no use cleaning the lakes if people keep dumping rubbish into them,” Lim said.