By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-06-24 01:11:41 | Updated at 2026-06-24 01:48:45
38 minutes ago
JOHOR BAHRU – For years, residents living beside a polluted river near public housing in the Malaysian city of Johor Bahru have been forced to endure foul stench caused by trapped rubbish and stagnant water.
N. Bavani, aged 53 and a housewife, said the foul smell from the river Sungai Sengkuang had been affecting residents at Sri Stulang People’s Housing Project (PPR) for almost two decades.
“Back then, this was one of the smelliest areas,” she said.
Bavani said rubbish believed from upstream Sungai Tebrau often got trapped in the river, causing an unbearable stench.
“If the wind is strong, the bad smell enters our flat. Visitors who come here always complain about it.
“It is a terrible stench. I have gotten used to it, but newcomers will definitely notice it,” she said.
Bavani said that despite machines used to collect floating rubbish, the river remained dirty and foul-smelling.
“The authorities should go around, ask residents about the problem and take necessary action,” she said.
She added that she had also seen snakes near the waterway.
Resident Muhammad Ali, 54, said the river had been polluted for years.
“The smell becomes stronger after rain because rubbish gets stuck in the clogged drains and the water cannot flow out properly,” he said.
Muhammad, who has lived in the area since 2021, said residents had long endured the unpleasant environment.
“From inside the house, you can smell the stench from the river.
“There are times when the rubbish is left there for four days or longer.
“The smell becomes very bad because waste gets trapped for too long,” he said.
He noted that although some cleaning works such as grass cutting were carried out, the river itself remained largely neglected.
“So far, there has not been much done to properly clean the river,” he added.
Another resident, who wanted to be known only as Chew, said the problem had worsened over time due to rubbish floating in from other areas.
“The water gets trapped here and rubbish from elsewhere ends up floating into this river.
“The rubbish gets stuck for a long time and cannot flow out, hence the smell,” she said, adding that residents also attributed the odour problem to a faulty sewerage plant in the area.
Chew, 63, said many residents were reluctant to complain openly about the situation.
“We are living in low-cost rental flats, so many people do not want to speak up because they are worried others may get angry,” she added.
Meanwhile, caretaker state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said an integrated task force inspection carried out along Sungai Sengkuang found that several sewerage treatment plants and commercial premises failed to meet discharge standards.
Ling said the inspection found one of the sewerage treatment plants to be poorly maintained and emitting a strong septic smell.
“The sewerage treatment plants at KSL, Taman Sentosa and Southkey, and PPR Seri Iskandar were maintained, but still failed to achieve the final discharge standards set due to various issues, including the disposal of oily waste from commercial areas,” he said.
Ling said the task force involving several agencies conducted a site visit to identify the source of pollution and discussed follow-up enforcement and mitigation measures. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
