THE Selangor government is prepared to consider the proposal for more interceptors to be placed in rivers to trap waste, especially plastic.

Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said there is only one interceptor in the Klang River, in operation there since last August.

“There are a few other rivers in Selangor that are polluted, especially with plastic, and among the worst, besides Klang River, is in Kuala Langat.

“However, we will get the advice of Lembaga Urus Air Selangor to determine the suitable location to place the interceptors,” he told a media conference after attending a briefing on the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG) and The Ocean Cleanup in Shah Alam today with Dutch Ambassador to Malaysia Aart Jacobi, The Ocean Cleanup founder Boyan Slat and Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin.

Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd is a subsidiary of the state government responsible for the SMG project and which is involved in a joint venture with The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organisation from the Netherlands.

Interceptor, which is part of the initiative of The Ocean Cleanup, is a tool to trap up to 100 tonnes of waste in rivers a day, with the cost of building the gadget an estimated RM3.25 million.

Currently, there are two such units operating in Southeast Asia, one in the Klang River and the other in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Meanwhile, Syaiful said the company had been involved in cleaning the Klang River since 2016.

“Previously, we collected 1,200 to 1,500 tonnes of waste a month, but now, with the efficiency of the interceptor, the amount of waste collected has reduced by about 800 tonnes a month.

“The quality of the water in the Klang River also improves, from class five before, to class three now,” he added.

Meanwhile, Slat said the Klang River was chosen because based on the organisation’s finding, it is among the rivers that emitted the most plastic into the ocean.

“Our organisation’s goal is to clean the ocean. We don’t get any money doing this, we just want to help the citizens of the world to clean the ocean,” he said.

He said The Ocean Cleanup is now operating four interceptors, with the other two in Vietnam and the Dominican Republic.

“Next year, we aim to have 10 more interceptors. Thailand and Los Angeles County have shown interest,” he added. – Bernama, November 4, 2019.