Look what they done to my river.

http://reducefootprints.blogspot.com/

A Facebook friend Lucy Stew posted a photo of a river choked with rubbish. It reminded me of Oct 2010, I posted the photos for the World blog day. When you see these photos, you will be singing and crying with me: Look what they done to my river Ma." http://youtu.be/Cqg3kcwAgso
The photos are not mine. But I am sure they are genuine.

I went back in July this yearm no soubt the timber debri is gone, people don't drink the water now.

This Friday is World Blog Action Day and the topic is water. I have done my draft on the river I grew up in even before I read a flurry of emails and photos and blogs. This Rejang River is 350 miles long in Sarawak, Borneo. The river I swam in, the water whose water I drank.

Please go on to this link of Sarawakiana who has videos.
http://sarawakianaii.blogspot.com/2010/10/debris-of-logs-and-branches-floating.html
http://sarawakianaii.blogspot.com/2010/10/more-videos-on-rajangs-log-clogged-flow.html


http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/state-minister-says-rajang-logjam-an-ecological-disaster/

State minister says Rajang logjam an ecological disaster
By Melissa Chi
October 08, 2010

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 8 — Sarawak Land Development Minister Datuk Seri Dr James Masing blamed loggers today for the Rajang river clog-up, in what he said was the worst logjam he had seen in the state’s history.

Masing said he had just gone to Kapit, one of the affected towns along the river, before speaking to The Malaysian Insider today.

“Although there is less debris in the water, it is still dangerous to travel along the river,” the state land development minister said.

However, he was optimistic that the river would clear up by tomorrow and that the busy Rajang river would see regular transporting activities.

“I want the relevant authorities to find out who the culprits are and once they find them, take them to task (otherwise) it will happen again,” he said.

He said there was a lot of logging activities near Balleh river, one of the main tributaries of the Rajang river, and Masing suspected that the logs and debris came from that location.

“There must be some erosion up there that caused the debris to float down the river.

“This is because some of the logging operators do not follow the rules of the game,” he said.

He said the Natural Resources And Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak and the Forestry Department of Sarawak should look into this matter.

He said the towns affected are Kapit, Song, Kanowit and Sibu.

Calling it an ecological disaster, Masing said he had noticed a massive number of dead fish which literally “drowned”.

He explained that the debris had clogged up their gills.

In addition to transportation activities which had to be stopped, fishermen were also affected by the logjam.

The estimated cost of the disaster is still unknown.