The impact of waste disposal management on the water quality of rivers in Malaysia: Lessons from Pajam waste disposal sites, Negeri Sembilan

One chronic environmental issue in contemporary urban Malaysia is how to systematically and efficiently manage ever increasing generations of waste in a scenario of ever decreasing and restricting areas for disposal and dumping sites. This paper takes a close look at the impact of waste management at the Pajam waste disposal site on the water quality of the Pajam river in the Peninsular central state of Negeri Sembilan. It was found that due to ineffective waste management the water quality of the Pajam river had become polluted to the extent that the river was reduced to Class III depicting pollution scores of less than 60 percent and with parametres such as SS, COD and heavy metals exceeding standard limits of water contaminants. Several waste management methods were examined in terms of their abilities to overcome the problem of contaminated water seepage into the Pajam river from the existing waste disposal sites, namely, landfill, drainage, incineration, environmental laws that prohibit irresponsible dumping, recyling, and environmental awareness campaigns involving the active role of mass media, schools and institutions of higher learnings, and local environmentally concerned NGOs. The paper ends with an urgent note on the imperative of practising environmentally sensitive management of waste disposal in Malaysia.