Actions Taken

1. Creating Awareness & Future Prevention Through Education.

• We chose a school which is located in the kampong we chose i.e. Sekolah Ugama Pengiran Di Gadong Pengiran Haji Mohd Salleh.
• We made an agreement with the school to promote proper usage of rubbish facilities as well as introducing recycling system.

The agreement and the handing over of the Poster.

 

• We made a poster to promote proper usage of rubbish bins.

 

2. Private Sector Support for Rubbish Facilities.

• We made an agreement with a private company which is specialized in providing free recycling rubbish bins as well as providing rubbish collection services.
• This step however is pending for approval because of an unavoidable matter.
• However negotiations has been made.

3. The Unintended Earth Day Campaign

• In the beginning before we did our actual actions, we interviewed the Penghulu who was in charge of the Villages we chose. During the interview we had a normal discussion and the Penghulu actually agreed on supporting our project. He did this verbally during the interview in which he promise to organise a cleaning campaign to reduce the rubbish in the river at the present as well as promoting certain strategies to prevent rubbish pollution in sungai Brunei in the future.
• This event occurred on Tuesday  (21st April 2009). The event had a great support from the public especially the villagers as well as the private sectors and the government.

4. Creating Public Awareness Through Photography

• Realizing that education is a very important approach in creating awareness as well as preventing rubbish pollution from occurring in the future, a river cruise were conducted by a club which is under our management i.e. El Legua de Retratista Fotografia.

Bandar Seri Begawan From Sg. Brunei (Copyrighted)

• The trip were targetted to create awareness to the public on the importance of maintaining a clean and sustainable environment.
• Among the places and things being highlighted during the trip were rubbish pollutions in Sungai Brunei, The endangered Proboscis monkey, the historical places such as Jong Batu, Lumut Lunting and so on.

Istana Nurul Iman (copyrighted)

• From this river cruise we believe that it could at least help to make people realise how rubbish pollution could affect various aspects especially economic aspect seuch as tourism and environmentally such as the almost extinction of the proboscis monkey.

The ELDRF – Creating Awareness Through Photography (Copyrighted)

Our Visions

 

In the long term i.e. after five years time we would like to see Sungai Brunei to change in every aspects i.e. economical, environmental, infrastructure and social. In terms of infrastructure we would want to see a better sewer system to be installed and at least one or two rubbish bins in each house and other buildings of Kampong Ayer including walkways and jetties. We expect to see some laws to be enforced against those who pollute the river in any manner. This is accompanied by the creation of signs and notice boards to remind the people the laws being implemented. Other infrastructure in which we expect to see are patrol post for patrolling officers to monitor and prevent irresponsible dumping from taking place.

In the social aspect, we would want to see more participation of the government, the private sectors, NGO, as well as the local people of the area to maintain the infrastructure made for the prevention of pollution from occurring. We would also want to see hygiene and health matters to be part of a school education subject. At this time i.e. after five years, we want to see the people of kampong Ayer to be well acknowledged of the threats that rubbish dumping into the river could have on the Brunei River.

In terms of the economy, we expect the authorities would at some stage give a reasonable subsidy for the installation of better sewer systems on every house of kampong Ayer as well as on the rubbish collection fee. Beside the authorities contribution we also want to see other sectors of the economy to grow such as patrol and security agency, waste management, recycling, construction, piping, maintenance and repair companies and so on. With this more jobs are created and hence the opportunity to improve the economy of the people also increases.

In the environmental aspect, we want to see that the Brunei river become less polluted or not at all. We expect to see less or perhaps no floating or sunk rubbish in the river. We expect to see the mangrove forest, where the proboscis monkey and other animals living and depending on it to survive and increases in number and are away from the threat of extinction. We would want to see a better and cleaner water quality of the river so that it could be a suitable place for fishes to live in and less acidic than it is now.

In the short term or a month time, we expect to see a new or perhaps a revise government policy on the usage of the river as well as laws regarding the polluting attempts on the river to be imposed. We also want to see a greater amount of rubbish bins provided in every building in and around Sungai Brunei.

Socially, we expect to see the awareness as well as actions to prevent the pollution from happening from the people to occur. This could be through campaign, volunteer work, school education, etc. Though prevention is better than curing, we believe to some extent that in a month time more and more works should take place to clean the rubbish in the river that involves all level of the society.

Economically, we would want to see the authorities to support the attempts of any society through appropriate financial aids for them to operate. The integration between the government and the private sectors should also increase. This could be done through sponsorship, donation and other medium of supports.

Environmentally, we expect to see some actions which preserve the wildlife of the river especially the proboscis monkey. The restriction from development of the habitat of the proboscis especially those close to human settlements in the upper stream of the river should be imposed. With this the mangrove forest are preserved and hence guarantee a sustainable amount for them to feed on, for their shelter and so on.

Photographed by: Safwan Mohiddin (copyrighted)

Of all the vision we have stated earlier, we believe that each and every changes are as important as the others. This is because in order for us to protect and prevent the Brunei River from pollutions, the changes must take place in stages in which every changes and stages are interrelated to each other. However, if we really need to at least choose one, perhaps the implementation and enforcement of law is the strongest followed by the change through education system.

Few Examples of Solutions from Outside & The Other Possible Solutions

Pollution such as rubbish and waste materials of the Brunei River, Brunei Darussalam, is still occurring and so far, actions done by the relevant authorities and the people especially the Kampong Ayer people seem to have few positive effects as could be seen on the Brunei River especially during the low tide at the area of Kampong Ayer. In this written report, first of all, in the second part, we would like to take three examples of case study of the three solutions from the three countries as our references. One of it is in Europe, which is Venice, Italy. Then, in Southeast Asia, which is Citarum, Indonesia and after that, in Asia, which is at Ganges, India. And from there onwards, we would like to proceed to the third part of our written report, which are our proposed solutions for the problems of the river pollution for the Brunei River. And after that, we would like to finish this written report in the fourth part of this written report with a conclusion of our proposed solutions for the pollution of the Brunei River.

1- Solution from Venice, Italy

We take Venice, Italy, as our first reference for the problems of the pollution of the Brunei River since Kampong Ayer is called by Antonia Pigafetta as ‘Venice of the East’, which means Kampong Ayer resembles Venice in Brunei, which is located in the eastern part of the world in the Southeast Asia region. We take the Forum for the Venice Lagoon’s example of their solutions in dealing with the river pollution at Venice which would be explained in the next four paragraphs.

The Forum for the Venice Lagoon plans to meet with representatives of the scientific institutions with specialized knowledge related to the problems of the Venice lagoon and learn from its successful citizen-based projects. They also plan to seek support for joint projects that deal with, among other things, sustainable development for the unique conditions characteristics of the lagoon, re-settlement and revival of the economy on the smaller abandoned islands, job creation for young residents and re-naturalization of the previously reclaimed areas.

The forum, on the other hand, was founded about eighteen years ago in 1991, The Forum for the Venice Lagoon has supported and participated in many environmental information and participation initiatives with financing from the local authorities, the Italian’s Ministry of the Environment and the European Union, and therefore, this forum has many supports and assistances from the relevant authorities.

The group, in addition, is also a member of the European Network of Urban Forums for the Sustainable Development and has the European Union support to start a network for the environmental education and job creation in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea countries, and therefore, making the forum to be well-recognized.

Four of the efforts done in order to solve the problems at the Venice River were harvesting macro-algae, constructing septic tanks in the city of Venice, and developing phyto-purification systems in the river estuaries. Then, cooperation with the private sectors such as reducing production, building river embankment, and so on and so forth. On the other hand, Brunei could apply the forum’s four efforts of dealing with the problems of the river pollution at Venice and adapt it according to Brunei River’s conditions.

2- Solution from Citarum, Indonesia

Sources: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/7835/7835sci1.html

We take Citarum, Indonesia, as our second reference since it is one of the worst cases of river pollution in the world. The people who search for rubbish said that they could recover and trade the rubbish such as the plastic bottles, the broken chair legs, the rubber gloves and so on and so forth. And in addition, they even risk diseases for one or two pounds a week when they are lucky enough to get someone who are willing to buy or trade their selling or trading goods which were from the Citarum river. And therefore, the people who are collecting the rubbish, in someway or another, are doing at least an effort to reduce the vast amount of rubbish at the Citarum River. And therefore, we need to make effective and efficient actions in order to have a long-lasting cleanliness and the right maintenance of the Brunei River or it would end up something like the Citarum River in Indonesia.

Sources: http://pubs.acs.org/cen/coverstory/7835/7835sci1.html

3- Solution from Ganges, India

We take Ganges, India, as our third reference since, just like Citarum in Indonesia, it also has one of the worst cases of the river pollution in the world. The solution from India was by using a pipeline to clean the water. However, the problem with this solution is the fact that the pipeline used the electric-powered pumps to pump the water through to clean it. When the power goes out, the town regained all the polluted water back, and the polluted water was even more than there was before it was pumped. And therefore, Brunei could apply this solution and adapt it according to Brunei River’s conditions since one of the reasons is Brunei rarely has a case of the power or the electricity to go out and therefore, Brunei would be less likely to have this problem if they adapted the solution from India.

Our Proposed Solutions for the Pollution of the Brunei River, Brunei Darussalam

1- Four Prevention Strategies in Preventing the Problems of the Pollution of the Brunei River from Increasing and Getting Worse

The first of the fourth prevention strategies is to implement the enforcement of laws, regulations, policies and procedures such as the continuous progress and patrolling of the Brunei River by the relevant authorities, and so on and so forth. The second prevention strategy is the monitoring system, both in term of human and in term of technology. The third prevention strategy is to increase more and more awareness through education including the students in schools, the inhabitants living in Kampong Ayer, the villagers, the Penghulu-Penghulu, the Ketua Kampong-Ketua Kampong (village head) and Bruneians as a whole. And the last or the fourth prevention strategy is to improve more infrastructures and add more of it at Kampong Ayer such as more rubbish bins at the appropriate places such as along the pathways and jetties at Kampong Ayer.

2- Seven Curing Strategies for the Problems of the Pollution of the Brunei River

The first of the seventh curing strategies is to do a cleaning campaign such as the effort toward implementing a cleaning campaign done by Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) last year on October 2008 in conjunction with the Convocation Festival 2008 or the Pesta Konvo 2008 in Malay. However, unfortunately, too few people volunteered to do the cleaning campaign and therefore, the cleaning campaign was cancelled. The second curing strategy is in the building of high-tech infrastructures and equipments which could be learned from the other countries and it could be adapted according to Brunei’s situation. The third curing strategy is the creation of new employment opportunities both in the informal sector and the formal sector. The fourth curing strategy is the application of the foreign solutions and also, to adapt it according to Brunei’s situation. The fifth curing strategy is to attract influential people to support the campaign, to help and support the cause for curing the problems of the pollution of the Brunei River. The sixth curing strategy is to implement the ongoing and the consistent cooperations between the government, the private sector, the people especially the people of Kampong Ayer. The last or the seventh curing strategy is to implement ‘pick a rubbish per day’ campaign. There are about 40,000 people living in Kampong Ayer, and when all those 40.000 people do pick one rubbish per day, the level of pollution of the Brunei River could be greatly reduced. This ‘pick a rubbish per day’ campaign is based from a cleaning campaign some years ago in Kelantan, Malaysia, by its Menteri Besar, Nik Aziz Nik Mat in order to make Kelantan a cleaner country.

3- Seven Most Important Points of What We Are Lacking of in Solving the Problems of the Pollution of the Brunei River

We noticed that there are many important aspects that we are lacking of in order to solve or reduce the level of the pollution of the Brunei River. However, we also noticed that out of all those important aspects, there are seven most important aspects that we are lacking of here in Brunei. The first of the seventh areas that we are lacking of is in the research and development (R&D) aspect. Secondly, in the area of finance, financial assistance from both the public sector and the private sector are still not enough. The third point is in the area of support and assistance, again, the support from both of these sectors are still not enough. The fourth point is in the area of cooperation between the private sector, the people especially the Kampong Ayer people, and the public sector. The fifth point is in the area of maintenance. The sixth point is in the area of enforcement of laws, regulations and procedures. And the last or the seventh point is in the mindset or attitude of the Bruneians itself. All of these seven points mentioned before need more support and more assistance from both sectors of the government and the non-government organizations (NGOs), and even from the people itself especially the people of Kampong Ayer.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Brunei could apply the various solutions for the problems of the river pollution which were taken by Italy, Indonesia and India in the past, and adapt it according to Brunei River’s condition. In our proposed solutions for the problems of the river pollution in the Brunei River, we proposed four prevention strategies that could be used in preventing the problems from getting worse. Then, after that, we proposed seven curing strategies and finally, we mentioned the seven most important points of what we are lacking of in solving the problems of the Brunei River’s pollution. In the end, we hope that the problems of the river pollution for the Brunei River would be dealt effectively and efficiently. We also hope that the cleanliness of the Brunei River would be long-lasting with proper maintenance of the relevant authorities and the people especially the people of Kampong Ayer.

The Problems of Rubbish Pollution in Sungai Brunei & Its Impact.

Environmental Impact

According to an article cited in the Brunei Times (2007), the effort to keep the Brunei River clean has become a very difficult task for the local government. According to the author, the pollution is worst in Kampung Ayer, a water village of more than 40,000 inhabitants whose houses in quite a large number has a direct drainage system into the river. In addition to that, there is also a significant amount of pollution caused by increased wastes coming directly from the capital city of the country. Solid wastes are the most visible form of pollution that can be observed and seen in Kampung Ayer. These mainly comprises of kitchen garbage and trashes, cans, bottles, plastic bags and discarded household goods that range from furniture, freezers, television sets, to washing machines. This gives a bad image to peoples not residing in the area and worse, to the non-Bruneians or the tourists which would affect the revenue and many others from the tourism industry.

The excessive pollution of the river also creates some other problems as it does not only give a bad image to the country, but also affecting the fish resources and the biodiversity of the surrounding environment. The Brunei River flows its way up to the Brunei Bay before it reaches to the South China Sea. The Brunei Bay is where a concentration of unique mangrove forests is found in the country. ASEAN Regional Centre for Biodiversity Conservation (ARCBC) has warned that mangroves in the area are slowly destroyed by the untreated domestic sewage and urban waste run-off.

It has been estimated that the mangrove swamps initiate a food chain by depositing sufficient plant material to allow each hectare to support up to 90 kilograms of prawns each year. Some six to 7,000 tonnes of prawns and finfish are produced in the Brunei Bay yearly by some 10,000 full-time and part-time inshore fishermen. Thus, the destruction of the river mangroves and Brunei Bay means the death of fishing resources and poses ecological threats. Finfish, prawns, and green mussels which provide food for local markets will eventually vanish. The mangroves, used for firewood and for the production of charcoal and tannin as well as in recent years for piling material to resist waterlogged soils, once removed will make Brunei susceptible to tsunami and it will no longer be able to provide breeding grounds for fish and prawns in the country.

In an article of the Brunei Times (2007), a local Bruneian who were happened to be with a tourist witnessed the workers of the municipal department who were suppose to clean the area of the capital city, threw the rubbish they have collected into the Brunei River. This is an evidence of how awareness of this problem should be taken into serious account as it could harm the administrative institution of the country. Such behaviour from the employee could be seen by foreigners to be a normal “ethics” of Bruneians when in fact, it is not.

In another case, a research have found out that about 80 percent of interviewed tourists found that unsightly rubbish in Kampung Ayer would discourage them from visiting again and they would not recommend it to their families and friends. However, this does not mean actions should not be done and the existences of the rubbish are not a question. The tourists were not able to see this rubbish because most tours are carried out during the high tides which hide the rubbish from the eyes of the tourists, Brudirect (2007).

From the same article, it was mentioned that the amount of rubbish in Kampung Ayer could require anywhere from five millions to 50 millions black sacks or garbage bags. Using a 24 inch by 35 inch black plastic rubbish sack, they had estimated that a single sack could contain a manageable amount of one square metre of "flat" rubbish, or the top layer of rubbish and not including waste that had already sunk deep into the muddy river bed. Mukim Saba and Mukim Peramu, which cover an area of 36 hectares, would require 100,000 to 200,000 of these bags. With Kampung Ayer spanning about 1,616 hectares, they calculated that rubbish over the whole area of the water village could require anywhere from five millions to 50 millions black sacks.

The research had also conducted a survey where they interviewed 206 tourists of their experiences after having visited the water village or Kampung Ayer. From the survey, a majority of the tourists found the water village itself to be clean but it was the river that was full of rubbish. In the article, it is said that apart from symbolising the nation's historical origins, the water village plays a major role in Brunei's tourism image. The author further said that since the country is concentrating on diversifying its economy through areas such as the tourism industry, efforts to maintain Kampung Ayer as an attraction to tourists are highly important, he stressed.

Administrational Impact

Administrational impact which could occur from the pollution of the Brunei River includes the violation of the agreement between Brunei and its neighbouring country i.e. Malaysia. Brunei and Malaysia especially from the two neighbouring states, which are Sabah and Sarawak, has been working hand-in-hand in maintaining as well as controlling the water condition of the Brunei Bay as well as the quality and quantity of the pristine mangrove forests. Other importance of the area includes its inclusion of the regional project to conserve the Green Heart of Borneo as well as preserving the existence of the world’s largest monkey, which is the proboscis monkey. Other administrational impact would include bad impression of the public towards the local government in handling environmental issues such as the case put forward previously in this writing.

Social Impact

In terms of social impact, the pollution of the river could harm the health of the population of Kampung Ayer. The ongoing careless waste dumping could affect the image and culture of Kampung Ayer. The younger generation might think that throwing rubbish into the river is right when actually it is not. This could also harm the identity of Bruneians especially the dwellers of Kampung Ayer. Tourists would think that the people in the area are less hygienic. As cited in the Brunei Times, an article which is written by a foreigner said that “as Many Bruneians, with all their money, are known to buy almost everything they fancy but are failing with regards to being environmentally-conscious and responsible, which explains the many number of people who dispose of their wastes mindlessly.”

Economic Impact

Apart from the environmental, social and administrational impacts that the Brunei River have caused, it also poses several other problems in several other aspects of our life. The pollution of Brunei River affects us economically and destroys the image of our culture as well as embarrassing our society. The economic impact that it could do is, first of all, which is mentioned previously, that is the depletion of the marine and the fishing resources which contribute to the overall fishery and tourism resources.

There have been a lot of initiatives taken by the government in solving the problems of the high intensity of waste dumping in the Brunei River. The government has subsidized the fee for house-to-house rubbish collections in Kampung. Ayer, but the problems still persisted until now.

Under the National Development Plan (NDP) or the Rancangan Kemajuan Negara (RKN) 2007-2012, a total budget of B$182,500,800 million (1.9%) is allocated for the Public Facilities and Environment sector, which is quite a lot of money. The main issue and challenge under this is the lack of comprehensive legislation and enforcements of the laws and regulations. It is thus necessary for the government to formulate legislations and laws which can protect the environment in-line with the international or global standards. Efforts to collect and dispose solid wastes nationwide are still inadequate particularly for Kampung Ayer. And thus, measures are needed to be improved to ensure a systematic and effective solid waste management particularly for Kampung Ayer. This is in-line with the country’s long-term goal of sustainable environment.

Introduction

Brunei Darussalam being one of the richest country in the world as well as one of the best in preserving its rainforest seems not to differ from other countries in some parts of the world.

Brunei Darussalam is famous for its unique culture as well as its glamorous interesting places. These places of interest has become the tourists attractions and thus became part of the country’s economic assets.

Among the most visited places of interest in Brunei is Kampong Ayer or also known as the Venice of The East. This is located in Sungai Brunei, an important river which connects the capital of the country, it is also where other cultural and historical places of the country is located such as the Jong Batu, Makam di Luba, Damuan Recreational Park, Istana Nurul Iman, Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin Mosque and Lumut Lunting.

Jong Batu (Photographed by: Safwan Mohiddin)

The profile of Sungai Brunei includes the provision of habitat for the various Flora and Fauna. This includes the Proboscis Monkeys, Egrets and Herron birds, The undiscovered aquatic plants and animals, Mangroves and perhaps a lot more.

Herron (Photographed by: Safwan Mohiddin)

This publication however discover the contemporary problems being faced and still is by the important river. In the previous findings done on this river portrays the evidence of rubbish pollution in the river.

Thus this blog shows our approach of trying to identify the problems which causes such a tragedy to occur. In this blog we included the problems, solutions, our vision, our action plans as well as what has been done in our attempt to at least reduce the problem.