Problems with waste disposal disposal, sewage treatment

I REFER to the letter “Marine life at Pulau Perhentian under threat from trash” (The Star, June 15). For the last few months, Reef Check Malaysia has been working with the resorts and dive operators in the Perhentian islands to find ways to address some of the problems they face, with a view to protecting the local marine environment.

We have held extensive discussions with resorts and dive operators, as well as the local community, and we have identified a number of common concerns among businesses operating on the islands which include:

Waste disposal: The current system is inadequate and it results in a lot of waste ending up in the water. The rafts shown in the photo are most definitely not for tourists.They are the collection stations from which the state-appointed contractor is supposed to collect the waste.
The system is clearly not working as collection is not regular enough and waste builds up, often falling into the sea.

Sewage treatment: Individual operators have their own sewage treatment systems, which are mainly simple systems that might be releasing some pollution into the water. Individual operators do not have the resources to be able to finance their own comprehensive treatment systems. We feel that continuing development of tourism facilities such as jetties are of questionable benefit.

Many operators we have spoken to told us that they had repeatedly tried to raise these issues with the local authorities for a long time. It was not right, therefore, to put the blame squarely on the operators there. Our consultations have shown that the local authorities are partly to be blamed.

One of the steps being taken is to form an association of operators on the Perhentian Islands.
This association, which is being registered with the Registrar of Societies, will represent the business operators on the islands collectively and will address the various problems they are facing.

We would like to invite representatives of the state government to meet representatives of the association to discuss these problems, with a view to finding mutually acceptable solutions.

JULIAN HYDE, General manager, Reef Check Malaysia Bhd.