Johor JAKOA assists 25 Orang Asli fishermen in seeking compensation after sand-washing pond burst severely polluted Sungai Johor.
KOTA TINGGI: The Johor branch of the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA) will assist 25 Orang Asli fishermen in Kampung Sungai Sayong to seek compensation from those responsible for causing pollution in Sungai Johor.
Johor JAKOA director Faisal Long said the pollution had severely affected the fishermen, who depended entirely on the river for their livelihood.
“The river’s ecosystem and fish resources will take a long time to recover, at least three years, due to the serious impact of the pollution on fish fry and habitats.”
“To fully recover, it won’t be one or two months — at least six months for initial restoration — but overall, it may take up to three years.”
He said this after attending a Food Basket Handover Ceremony by Tenggara Member of Parliament Manndzri Nasib to the affected fishermen.
Faisal added that Johor JAKOA would assist affected fishermen through a cage fish farming project, in addition to collaborating with other government agencies such as the Department of Agriculture to identify suitable crops for the community.
Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communication Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh was reported as saying that a sand-washing pond at a land sand-mining site in the Kota Tinggi district had burst.
Mohamad Fazli said the incident occurred due to soil movement that caused the sixth sand-washing pond belonging to a local company to rupture, thereby polluting Sungai Johor.
As a result, the turbidity level of raw water in the Johor River Basin recorded an extraordinary increase to 37,400 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU), compared to the normal level of around 400 NTU.
Manndzri said among the proposed measures were providing special assistance to the affected fishermen and implementing fish and prawn fry release programmes in the river to help restore the damaged aquatic ecosystem.
“The river ecosystem has been badly affected. Etok, jelawat, baung and giant freshwater prawns have all died, and it won’t recover within a year — it may take two to three years.”
He added that the company had deployed 10 machines to repair the breached embankment, while prompt action by local authorities to release water from the Linggiu Dam also helped reduce silt accumulation in the affected areas.
He expressed sadness over the incident, especially as Johor is preparing for Visit Johor Year 2026, with rivers and natural ecosystems among its tourist attractions.
“This is not just a local issue but also affects Sungai Johor, which supplies 50 to 60 per cent of the state’s water.” – Bernama
