KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment is not surprised by the improved river water quality recorded last year. Rivers nationwide have been steadily getting cleaner over the past seven or eight years, says Environment Department director-general Datuk Rosnani Ibarahim.

“ We have been noticing this trend in the detailed readings of many rivers over the years,” she told the New Sunday Times.

“ This didn’t happen over a one-year period.” Many rivers now listed in the “slightly polluted” category are, in fact, only mariginally polluted.

These could easily slip into the “clean” category with a little more effort she explained. Rosnani credited rising public awareness and long-term river rahabilitation work by the Department of Irrigation and Drainage for the improved river water quality.

She said tougher enforcement were finally starting to show results. But Rosnani was quick to add that there was one factor that made last year slightly different- a higher rainfall.

“ We received a lot of rain last year. That meant higher flows. “It would have diluted pollutants in the rivers.”

The rivers that fell from Class I status in 2005 to Calss II last year could have been affected by development work in nearby areas.

Rosnani cautioned that the country needed to sustian its efforts to keep river clean. “It may take quite a while before the majority of rivers are clean but Malaysia could look forward to further improvement in river water quality.”