On September 14, 2023, Water Watch Penang (WWP) successfully organized a river and water education program for Prince of Wales Island International School (POWIIS) at the Penang Botanic Gardens. The program took place from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm and featured an engaging and hands-on activity aimed at educating participants about the importance of rivers and methods to assess river health through physical, chemical, and biological methods.
A total of 50 multinational students from Year 7 to Year 9, along with 8 teachers, participated in the program. The program’s lead facilitator was WWP Executive Manager Dr. Hong Chern Wern, who was assisted by trained facilitators: Ms. Naaga Lechume, Ms. Divya Sree, Ms. Tan Ying Sing, Ms. Nurul Farhanah Binti Ahmad Fauzie, and Ms. Wan Nur Alya Nayli Binti Wan Muhd Mazli.
This was the third time POWIIS has engaged WWP to conduct river education programme with the first one, a tailor-made geography field work in the year 2022 and an indoor classroom water education session in partnership with Habitat Foundation on the 2nd of June 2023.
Dr. Hong Chern Wern delivered a brief introduction about Water Watch Penang’s vision and mission, followed by discussions on various global river and water issues and the functions of rivers.
Next, the students were divided into four groups, each with its own facilitator. The first session involved physical and chemical assessments, which included measuring temperature, river velocity, odor, turbidity, pH, dissolved oxygen, ammonia, phosphate, nitrate, and nitrite levels in the river water. The second session focused on biological assessments, which were used to calculate the Biological Water Quality Index using the catch and release method to obtain the number of macroinvertebrate species discovered. Notable aquatic macroinvertebrates captured included dragonfly nymphs, caseless caddisfly larvae, flattened mayfly nymphs, freshwater shrimps, and even crayfish and eels, indicating pristine water quality.
For more information, please contact WWP Executive Manager Dr. Hong Chern Wern at hong.wwp@gmail.com or reach out to WWP at +60 19-575-1253.