SHAH ALAM: The Ministry of Environment and Water aims to develop the National River Trails project by building 10,000 kilometres of river trail routes across the country by 2030.
Its secretary-general Datuk Seri Ir Dr Zaini Ujang said the project under the supervision of the Irrigation and Drainage Department (JPS) was a government effort to beautify and preserve the rivers and as a start, a 1,000 km river trail route would be built within the next three years.
“To realise the effort, we are working with Management and Science University (MSU) through the pilot project of National River Trails in Sungai Damansara which will be carried out as a corporate social responsibility initiative.
Zaini (second right) and Mohd Shukri shake hands after witnessing the signing of a MoU between JPS and MSU. — Bernama photo
“The construction of river trails is the best way to overcome the pollution problems through pollution control methods at the source,” he told a press conference after witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between JPS and MSU here yesterday.
The MoU was signed by JPS director-general Datuk Nor Hisham Mohd Ghazali and MSU senior vice president of Endowment and Communication Datuk Rosli Yusof.
Also present was MSU president Prof Tan Sri Dr Mohd Shukri Ab Yajid.
The MoU would enable cooperation in research, development and innovation, hydrology and water resources, river management programmes as well as river corridors for environmental sustainability.
Meanwhile, Mohd Shukri said the pilot programme, which is the initial construction of the one-kilometre ‘Sungai Damansara River Trail’ near the MSU campus, will involve every faculty. — Bernama