Petaling Jaya, 12 October 2022 – 40 teen student "Water Ambassadors” and 4 teachers from SMK Bukit Gading came up close and personal with Sungai Penchala at Lembah Bukit Kiara, TTDI today through the award winning river and water awareness programme, Salcon Smart Water Programme (SSWP).
Already in its 12th year of existence, the fun interactive half day event saw the teens and teachers enjoying hands-on practical learning and a fun field trip designed to instill love towards our river. The programme is a collaborative effort between Salcon, Water Watch Penang (WWP) and Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
President of WWP, Professor Dr Chan Ngai Weng said, ‘Our partnership with Salcon throughout these years truly embodies the goals of SDG 17 : Partnership for the Goals which states that a successful sustainable development agenda requires partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society. This programme is crafted to provide a better understanding about the importance of our rivers and appreciate its value. Only then will our rivers be taken care of, and our source of water be safeguarded for the future generations to come.”
Although Malaysia is bestowed with abundant of rainfall which makes for easy access to clean water, the truth is that many rivers in Malaysia, especially those flowing through urban and industrial areas are far from healthy and heavily polluted. This is a result of the lack of public awareness of the importance of this precious resource for our everyday life. The river are often an easy solution to dispose waste and trash. With this in mind, Salcon Berhad undertook the mantle to spread awareness on the importance of rivers via SSWP, an integrated water education that focuses on teaching the younger generation the importance of water conservation and grooming them to be future “Water Ambassadors”.
Salcon’s General Manager, Chern Meng Gaik said: “To date, the programme produced more than 3000 “Water Ambassadors”! We definitely see an increase in awareness through a pre and post evaluation survey. This approach creates and empowers students to be aware of water conservation and the value of precious resources.”
“We are glad our students are given the opportunities to experience this field trip and engage with the activities conducted today.”, said Ms Azura, teacher of SMK Bukit Gading.