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ENVIRONMENT
@ Forest | November-December , 2021
River Care Award 2021
Fitting tribute to Malaysia ’ s river care champions
GEC , National River Care Fund award eight winning teams cash prizes totalling RM13,500
THE GLOBAL Environment Centre ( GEC ) and National River Care Fund ( NRCF ) recently paid tribute to eight groups for their outstanding achievements in river conservation efforts , which earned them the coveted River Care Award 2021 .
Along with the recognition , the winning teams collectively received a total of RM13,500 . The winning teams comprised three educational-based groups and five local communities – all of whom actively contributed to the care and sustainability of river basin management .
The Champion for the Overall Category : Local Communities , Kelab Kebun Rumah Pangsa AU2 , impressed the four-member jury with their ongoing and sustained river and water conservation efforts within and around their urban community garden near the Klang River .
Their notable initiatives included periodical river clean-up and river monitoring activities , a rainwater harvesting project , and tree planting on the river bank .
The community garden has also become a platform to bring people closer to the river and as a hub for environmental education and is a catalyst to promote tourism and biodiversity conservation .
The winners were announced during the Virtual Award Presentation Ceremony of River Care Award 2021 , officiated by Department of Irrigation and Drainage ( DID ) Malaysia Director-General Dato ’ Ir Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali hosted at GEC headquarters in Petaling Jaya .
“ GEC promotes smart partnership and multi-stakeholder engagement and in particular the involvement of local communities and interest groups such as these in sustainable river basin management ,” said GEC Director , Faizal Parish , adding this year ’ s award was held in conjunction with World Rivers Day , celebrated on Sept 26 .
“ This has been a key enabler for GEC ’ s
Winners for River Care Award 2021
Main Category : LOCAL COMMUNITY
Champion ( RM5.000 ) Kelab Kebun Rumah Pangsa AU2 Representative : Mohamad Halim Mohamad Said
First Runner-up ( RM3,000 ) Friends of Sungai Klang Taman Melawati River Three Representative : Kennedy Michael
Second runner-up ( RM1,000 ) KRT Buntong 3 & 4 Representative : Jayagopi Subramaniam
Fourth Place ( RM500 ) Inspirasi Kawa Representative : Masbudi Abdul Malek
Fifth Place ( RM500 ) Persatuan Penduduk SS20 Zon Sentral Representative : Wong Yin Choo
Special Category : EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS
First Place ( RM2,000 ) Water Warriors , Universiti Malaya Representative : Affan Nasaruddin
Second Place ( RM1,000 ) Friends of Sungai Pusu , Universiti Islam Antarabangsa , Malaysia Representative : Atiah Abdullah Sidek
Third Place ( RM500 ) KL KRASH PAD , Yayasan Chow Kit Representative : Mathavi Nadarajah river care programme since its inception in 1998 .”
This year ’ s award theme Recognising River Care Community Champions aimed to raise awareness among members of the public and encourage all Malaysians to implement localised , community-based action plans or initiatives , which are sustainable and able to protect and mitigate river-related issues .
The River Care Award 2021 was a recognition of river care champions from amongst 29 communities in Federal Territory , Johor , Kelantan , Perak and Selangor .
They were nominated for their efforts in driving sustainable projects under NRCF ’ s Cycle 1 to Cycle 6 grant programme , as well as other GECrelated community-based river care projects .
NRCF , a small grants programme initiated by GEC , provided RM470,000 in grants and training since 2015 to support more than 45 community groups carrying out river care activities .
Kelab Kebun Rumah Pangsa AU2 was a NRCF Cycle 2 grantee .
Meanwhile , under the Special Category : Educational Institution , Universiti Malaya ( UM )’ s Water Warriors – an on-campus environmental project team - won the top spot , earning a cash prize of RM2,000 .
They are entrusted with protecting and conserving water bodies within the university campus and are primarily responsible for restoring Tasik Varsiti under their Project ReViVaL initiative .
They have also embarked on environmental education initiatives such as providing case studies for environmental-related courses in UM while conducting environmental education programmes for school students .
All the eight winning teams also received a trophy and a certificate .
The virtual award ceremony saw the participation of more than 60 guests via Zoom and Facebook Live .
In his official address , Nor Hisham expressed delight over the heightened levels of creativity among the various nominees of the award , as well as the manifold results these have yielded : from the river adoption and monitoring , selling community garden produce , pollution reduction , river trail and recycling used cooking oil for pollution reduction and as a source of alternative livelihoods for the local community .
He assured : “ DID will continue to provide the necessary support to all non-governmental organisations , community-based organisations , Friends of River Basin groups , local authorities , local communities and the private sector in their efforts to spearhead and drive initiatives for the conservation of the nation ’ s greatest asset – our rivers .”
Meanwhile , NRCF Advisory Committee Chair and GEC Council member Dato ’ Ir Lim Chow Hock also said NRCF remained committed to supporting all levels of society . It connects them with the environment , especially the rivers , and instills a deep sense of appreciation for the entire river ecosystem .
“ GEC set up NRCF with the sole purpose of encouraging civil society in Malaysia to care for the rivers and to support the setting up community-based establishments committed towards the conservation and preservation of all water resources in Malaysia ,” he added . — @ Forest