Pollution

A total of 42 polluted rivers exist in West Malaysia. These rivers are not capable of sustaining fish or any other form of life. The most serious case is Kuala Juru which received industrial waste from Prai industrial estate set up in 1971. Mercury in quantities 460 times that of the safety level was found. The fishermen's income dropped from $320 (1968) to $80 (1976) in these regions.

In theory the government offered to help by passing the Environmental Quality Act in 1974 but this still exists only on paper.

Places which suffer seriously from the wastes of the oil palm & rubber factories are Sungei Kinta (Ipoh). There 100 families are affected. Around Batu Pahat river and Sungei Supang Kiri (Batu Pahat and Sungei Merbok (Sungei Patani) 300 fishermen are affected. Three other places that suffer from indiscriminate sewage disposal plus industrial waste are Batu Ferringli (Penang), Klang River (Kuala Lumpur), and Port Dickson.

Oil pollution is another grave problem. On 6-1-75, a Japanese oil tanker spilled 3400 tons of crude oil. In July 1976 a collison of a Phillipines oil tanker with 2 other ships spilled 6,000 tons of oil covering an area of 450 to 500 sq. miles.