PETALING JAYA, June 6 — Youth are being empowered as river conservation advocates through Belia On Sungai (BOS), which aims to raise public awareness on the importance of protecting the environment and water resources.
Damansara MP Gobind Singh Deo said the initiative provides participants with first-hand exposure to challenges related to river pollution while encouraging greater community involvement in environmental conservation efforts.
“The condition of several rivers facing pollution issues requires the attention of all parties and cannot be left to certain agencies alone. Therefore, every citizen has a responsibility to ensure the environment remains clean and safe.
“We will continue to expand programmes like this in collaboration with assemblymen, local authorities and various stakeholders to ensure the river conservation agenda can be sustained,” he told reporters after the BOS event at the Sungai Kayu Ara retention pond here today, alongside state executive councillor for public health and environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin.
Gobind also commended the commitment and enthusiasm displayed by participants, especially youth, during the event.
He said the active involvement of young people reflects their high level of awareness about the importance of environmental sustainability and their willingness to be agents of change to protect rivers and surrounding ecosystems.
BOS was organised by Penggerak Belia Selangor (PeBS) Bandar Utama and focused on youth volunteerism, including the participation of students from three institutions of higher learning — INTI International College, UCSI University and Brickfields Asia College.
A total of 528.9kg of waste was collected during the clean-up around the river and retention pond.
Meanwhile, Jamaliah said the programme goes beyond river cleaning and serves as an educational outdoor platform for the younger generation.
She said the programme successfully gathered 100 participants from three higher learning institutions, reflecting strong youth commitment towards river conservation efforts.
“Through this programme, participants have the opportunity to directly learn about river care in the field and gain real-life experience that cannot be obtained through theoretical learning alone.
“We hope programmes like this can be held every year with cooperation from all quarters so more rivers can be restored and public awareness on the importance of protecting the environment can be enhanced,” Jamaliah said.
