PETALING JAYA, 26 Jun 2022 – After a long hiatus, Salcon, a leading water and wastewater engineering company, resumed its Salcon Smart Water Programme (SSWP) at Sungai Penchala in Bukit Kiara Park, reiterating its commitment on water conservation awareness and education during this year’s World Environment Day. The programme is conducted in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and non-governmental organisation, Water Watch Penang (WWP).
During the half-day interactive SSWP programme, 40 students aged between 13 to 17 from SMK Damansara Damai 1 had the opportunity to conduct hands-on practical river water quality monitoring through physical, chemical and biological testing using water monitoring test kits.
Prof. Dr. Chan Ngai Weng, USM water expert, who is also the President of WWP is happy to see this outdoor programme being resumed after more than 2 years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have been in collaboration with Salcon since 2010 and are glad to be able to continue and sustain this initiative with Salcon’s support in order to educate the students on global issues on water pollution, water scarcity, identification of Sungai Penchala’s health condition and water conservation.” says Prof. Dr. Chan.
While having science-based learning on water facts, the students have pre and post programme survey to gauge their water knowledge improvement.
“it is indeed a privilege to be invited to participate in the SSWP especially after the COVID-19 pandemic. The kids are excited to join hands-on experiments and outdoor learning, and this fun & interactive approach has a greater impact on their learning, compared to theoritical teaching in the classroom. Some of my students shared with me that this programme has changed their perspective and behaviour in water usage.” says Pn. Arma bt Mohd Yusof, teacher of SMK Damansara Damai 1.
Ms Chern Meng Gaik, General Manager – Corporate of Salcon Berhad said, “Water is a global issue which needs urgent attention. Whilst Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of water, around the world, in 2020, 2 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) data.
Through SSWP, we aim to improve awareness amongst our younger generation and the community in line with the UN SDG 6 on Clean Water & Sanitation, Target 6.b – Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management.”
Salcon has a long history of engaging in corporate responsibility to advocate water conversation education and awareness. The SSWP is in its 12th year running and it has outreached to more than 50 primary and secondary schools and 3,000 students since its inception in 2010. The SSWP shows an average of 25% improvement among students in terms of river water conservation knowledge.