On the 16th of April 2019, 15 Xylem Malaysia employees embarked on a River Cleaning & Seedling Planting project at Kampung Kuantan Firefly Park, Kuala Selangor. The team were equipped with life jackets and a net to fish out the rubbish as they embarked on the boats, which were manned by volunteers from the Malaysia Nature Society (MNS). The boats were steered along the river banks as well as the river bed where most of the rubbish was accumulated at. The task was a very collaborative effort as there were some big items which required effort of more than one person to fish it out from the river. Amongst the items fished out from the river were Styrofoam boxes, glass bottles, plastic bottles, rubber slippers, plastic toys and even smaller items such as plastic lighters, glass bulbs and plastic bags. Overall, the team “fished out” approximately 201kg of rubbish.
After the clean-up, the team visited the park’s nursery where educated on the surrounding habitat and then briefed on how to plant a ‘Sonneratia caseolaris’ or, berembangan tree. This species of tree houses the thousands of fireflies which can be found at the Kampung Kuantan Firefly Park. A total of 30 seedlings were planted by the Xylem Malaysia team.
Overall the activity at Kuala Selangor taught the volunteers the importance of a clean river and also the need to recycle their items instead of just throwing them away after one use. These actions will help ensure that our environment is kept clean and preserved for the next generation to enjoy.