COMMUNITY BASED RIVER CONSERVATION PROGRAMME: SG KAYU ARA RIVER PROTECTION PROJECT
To address the river pollution and need of the river conservation, GEC working together with OSK Foundation to initiate Sg Kayu Ara river protection project. The project will address following components: environmental education, river basin care, pollution management at source, support community engagement and involvement of Atria Shopping Mall as connecting centre for environmental actions. The main approach is by outreaching and empowering stakeholders especially local communities, schools, business players and general public around the surrounding area as well as to implement pollution mitigation action plan at the selected premises to reduce impact on nearby river, Sg Kayu Ara.
To protect Sg Kayu Ara through community-based river conservation program.
November 2024 - October 2026 (2 years)
- To assess Sg Kayu Ara catchment through rapid assessment;.
- To create awareness through consultations, talks, training, workshops, and materials for targeted stakeholders;
- To support key river initiatives for trained stakeholders
Sungai Kayu Ara catchment area is located within the district of Damansara, Kuala Lumpur. The main river of the catchment is Sungai Kayu Ara, which spans 9.8km in length while the catchment area is 22.33km². Sungai Kayu Ara originates from forested hills (Bukit Lanjan and Bukit Kiara) and flows southwest towards the suburban area of Desa Sakti, Kampung Sungai Penchala and Taman Tun Dr. Ismail until the confluence of Sungai Damansara. Sungai Damansara is one of the key tributaries of Klang River Basin.
River conditions within Sg Kayu Ara Catchment (pre-project):
Improper waste management in PPR Flat Lembah Subang 1
Solid waste dumping in tributary feeding Sg Kayu Ara
Improper waste management in PPR Flat Lembah Subang 1
- Project and stakeholder consultation.
- Rapid Environmental Assessment
- Outreach events in Atria shopping mall
- Training/Capacity Building
- Implementation of key river care initiatives focusing on PPR Flat Lembah Subang 1, Schools and pollution control initiatives
- Development of visibility and awareness materials
- Organize public event
Rapid Environmental Assessment was conducted from 4th to 7th March 2025 for water quality assessment and from 21st to 22nd May 2025 for biodiversity study
Sampling Points for Rapid Environmental Assessment
Water Quality Assessment
Biodiversity Study
Events at Atria Mall:
One event was held at Atria Shopping Gallery on 29th June 2025 in conjunction with World Environment Day which participated by a total of 25 participants. The event featured an educational talk and three interactive workshops Art of Recycling, DIY Composting, and Upcycling which designed to promote environmental awareness and sustainable living.
Training/Capacity Building:
RIVER Ranger 2.0 was conducted on 23rd February 2025 at Block C hall, PPR Lembah Subang 1 which involved 40 participants from PPR Lembah Subang 1 residents and Friends of Sungai Kayu Ara
RIVER Ranger 2.0 training at PPR Lembah Subang 1
SMART Ranger training was conducted on 5th November 2025 at SK Damansara Utama involving 7 schools in Sungai Kayu Ara Catchment with a total of 54 participants ((14 teachers and 40 students) taking part in this training.
SMART Ranger training at SK Damansara Utama
Public Event- Clean up:
Program Hari Cuci Malaysia (World Clean-Up Day) 2025 was conducted on 27th of September 2025 with a total of 300 participants, comprising of local residents, OSK Foundation staff (OSKers), representatives from government agencies, and volunteers.A total of 346.52 kg of solid waste was collected during the clean-up which categorised into 10 types in accordance with the National Waste Audit Guidelines established by KPKT. The “Others” category (including bulky waste) recorded the highest proportion at 52.1%, followed by plastics at 28.6%. This activity contributed to KPKT’s Malaysian Book of Records recognition for the Largest Gotong-Royong Event, which saw the participation of 100,817 individuals nationwide.
Program Hari Cuci Malaysia (World Clean-Up Day) 2025 at PPR Lembah Subang 1