ISKANDAR PUTERI: Pengurusan Aset Air Bhd (PAAB) concluded its corporate social responsibility programme for the year, "A Wave of Change" beach and mangrove cleaning, in Kampung Sungai Melayu here on Wednesday.
The programme showcased PAAB's commitment to preserving environmental sustainability, with a focus on conservation and sustainable initiatives.
It also raised awareness by involving students, villages, local communities and volunteers from corporations in the CSR programmes.
PAAB chief executive officer Zulkiflee Omar said the three-instalment CSR programme kicked off in Nibong Tebal in Pulau Pinang,
followed by Tanjung Karang, Selangor, and concluded in Johor this year.
Besides cleaning beaches and mangroves, the programme included the planting of 1,000 mangrove trees, with 400 saplings in Kampung Sungai Melayu and 300 each in Nibong Tebal and Tanjung Karang.
Zulkiflee said the mangrove trees played a crucial role in preserving the ecosystem by maintaining an ecological balance and acting as a protective barrier against erosion caused by strong waves.
More than 100 volunteers participated in the mangrove cleaning initiative in Kampung Sungai Melayu, which included students from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan, volunteers from Ranhill-Syarikat Air Johor (SAJ), villagers and PAAB staff.
Through PAAB's dedicated efforts in environmental preservation, a total of 1,289kg of trash was collected, with 661kg of it gathered in Kampung Sungai Melayu.
Zulkiflee said the programme saw volunteers collecting litter discarded into the river using more than 30 boats operated by the villagers.
Apart from the beach and mangrove cleaning programmes, PAAB undertook other CSR initiatives, such as sustainable schools and green mosques.
"The sustainable schools CSR programme was implemented in nine secondary and primary schools.
"It involved the replacement of old water pipes, and students were engaged on methods to conserve water and encouraged to play their respective parts in environmental conservation.
"In the green mosques programme, a collaboration with the Malaysian Green Technology Corporation involved energy-saving measures, such as replacing traditional light bulbs with LED and upgrading regular taps with efficient water taps, enabling water conservation."
The CSR programme in Kampung Sungai Melayu also saw the voluntary participation of Kota Iskandar assemblyman Datuk Pandak Ahmad, Ranhill-SAJ chief project officer Mohd Riza Mohd Yusof and UTM deputy registrar Mohd Fauzi Abd Rahman.