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@ Forest | November-December , 2021

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