On the 8th of September 2024, a programme on River and Water Education for the students of PBA Dharma Sunday School was conducted at the Penang Botanical Gardens. A total of 20 students and 6 teachers participated in this programme, which ran from 8:45 am to 12:00 pm. Mr. Yee Jean Chai, the WWP’s Lead Facilitator of the day, initiated the session by outlining the organization’s goals and the programme’s objectives. Subsequently, he provided an introduction to Penang’s water supply status and the functions of rivers.
The students were then guided in assessing the river water quality by the Lead Facilitator. Mr. Aiman, Ms. Fatin Azahara, Ms. Nur Atiqah and and Ms. Tew Yi Lin. were the facilitator assisted by Ms. Khor Ci Shan, Ms. Fatin Amira, and Ms. Nurul Husna, a trio of interns. A physical assessment took place later in the session, where students were guided, using instruments to measure temperature, turbidity, and river velocity, among other physical characteristics of the river water. After that, the students measured the pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, phosphate, and dissolved oxygen (DO) levels of the river water using water quality testing kits. We got a short break after finished the chemical assessment.
Following the break, the facilitators led the biological assessment session. The students practiced catching macroinvertebrates that are typically found in clearer river water, such as flattened mayfly nymphs, dragonfly nymphs, caddisfly larvae, and stonefly nymphs. At the end of the programme, Mr. Yee Jean Chai explained the process of obtaining data from the river’s macroinvertebrates, which are important indicators for evaluating water quality.
For more information, please contact WWP Executive Manager, Dr. Hong Chern Wern, at hong.wwp@gmail.com or contact WWP at +6019-5751253.