Natural resources and environmental sustainability minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said 171 rivers are deemed slightly polluted while 468, or 70%, are considered clean.

However, he said the 33 polluted rivers recorded a class III to IV level of pollution, adding that there were no cases of class V pollution reported last year.

In December 2024, Kurup’s predecessor, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, said the number of polluted rivers had reduced from 59 in 2019 to 25 in 2023.

The number of clean rivers stood at 486 that year, reflecting an improvement in river water quality at the time.

MIRI (Jan 27): Underperforming drain maintenance contractors will face termination if they continue to fail in carrying out their duties.

In giving this reminder, Mayor Adam Yii pointed out that while floods could hit due to many reasons, poor condition of the drains should never be one of them.

“Contractors who fail to perform will not be tolerated. “If they’re not doing their job, action will be taken, including contract termination,” he said during a press briefing, held after chairing the Miri City Council (MCC) meeting on Monday.

The Pujut assemblyman stressed that with drains at housing areas and the small ones across the city being under the jurisdiction of the MCC, they must be clean and well-maintained to ensure that the overflow could be properly discharged during heavy rainfall.

“Cleaning works are currently ongoing in the flood-prone areas here, especially in Senadin where excess water cannot be discharged efficiently because of clogged drains.

“Hopefully with the improve maintenance, flooding caused by blocked drains would not be repeated during the next round of heavy rain,” he told the reporters.

Adding on, Yii further clarified that drainage maintenance was under different authorities depending on the type and location of the infrastructure.

“Smaller roadside drains and those in the residential areas generally fall under the jurisdiction of the MCC,” he reiterated.

“The larger storm or monsoon drains, as well as the retention ponds are maintained by the DID (Department of Irrigation and Drainage).

“Not everything is under the council. Each agency has its own responsibility, and the public must understand this clearly,” he added.

CONCEPCION, Chile, Jan 21 (Reuters) - Fires ‌near the southern Chilean city of Concepcion were dying down by Wednesday morning as cloudy weather and ‌humid air brought cooler temperatures to the coastal region after days of extreme heat fueled the deadly ‌blaze.

Plumes of smoke still lingered, and the current death toll of 20 is expected to rise as police and the state coroner searched for bodies in apartment blocks destroyed by the fires.

Carlos Lopez, ‍a city councillor from nearby Cobquecura, gathered money, nails, wood, cement and ‍other construction materials with help from local ‌businesses and delivered them by truck to Punta de Parra, one of the hardest-hit areas that saw dozens of homes ‍destroyed.

RESIDENT ​SAW 'DREAMS DISAPPEAR'

"We saw the desperation and the need and put our hand on our heart," Lopez said.

The truck ran out of wood before local resident Doralisa Silva, 34, could get any, but she received toys and ⁠jackets for her two-year-old daughter, Celeste. They were sheltering beneath metal sheets ‌propped against a surviving cement wall.

"It was chaotic and painful, seeing all your dreams disappear overnight," Silva said.

When the fire broke out, Silva ⁠tried to flee the ‍town with her daughter but exits were engulfed, forcing her to take refuge in a dirt field by their home.

Silva and other affected residents praised community help but criticized what they described as a lack of national government support.

"All the help we have right ‍now has been from people who’ve delivered meals, food, everything," said ‌neighbor Nancy Barrientos, 44, who called for tents, bathrooms or clear information from authorities.

MAYOR CRITICIZES SLOW RESPONSE

The mayor of nearby Penco, Rodrigo Vera, said local governments were restoring basic services such as electricity but echoed criticism of a slow national response.

"It took 12 hours to declare an emergency," Vera said, adding the delay had hindered deployment of military and firefighting resources. "Everything has been slow. People's pain isn't tomorrow, it was yesterday."

Outgoing President Gabriel Boric visited Concepcion on Sunday but not the destroyed communities, citing security concerns.

In Temuco on Tuesday, Boric said reconstruction would begin once searches for victims were complete and ‌that emergency housing and financial aid were starting.

"We are working at maximum speed, but there are processes that must be respected," Boric said.

His office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Boric's government was criticized for a slow reconstruction following deadly fires in Valparaiso in ​2024. President-elect Jose Antonio Kast, who takes office on March 11, has vowed to prioritize reconstruction in fire-hit communities.

"People are hungry and need a roof. This requires a different rhythm and political will," Vera said.

(Reporting by Alexander Villegas; Editing by Cassandra Garrison and Alison Williams)

WELLINGTON: Beberapa individu dilaporkan hilang susulan kejadian tanah runtuh berhampiran sebuah tapak perkhemahan di Pulau Utara New Zealand hari ini.

Kejadian itu berlaku susulan hujan lebat yang menyebabkan pelbagai kemusnahan dengan ribuan penduduk dipindahkan, terputus bekalan elektrik dan jalan raya ditutup.

Perkhidmatan kecemasan sedang memberi respons terhadap kejadian tanah runtuh berhampiran sebuah tapak perkhemahan di Mount Maunganui, destinasi pelancongan popular di wilayah Bay of Plenty, di sepanjang pantai utara New Zealand.

Pihak polis dalam satu kenyataan berkata, kerja menyelamat di kawasan tapak perkhemahan itu sudah digerakkan dan perkhidmatan kecemasan sedang berusaha mengesan individu yang masih berada di kawasan berkenaan.

Media tempatan turut melaporkan, helikopter dikerah bagi menyokong usaha mencari dan menyelamat yang sedang berjalan.

Perdana Menteri New Zealand, Christopher Luxon menerusi platform X memaklumkan sedang 'memantau secara aktif situasi di seluruh negara termasuk insiden besar di Gunung Maunganui'.

Katanya, cuaca ekstrem terus menyebabkan keadaan berbahaya di seluruh Pulau Utara.

Menteri Pengurusan dan Pemulihan Kecemasan, Mark Mitchell memberitahu Radio NZ, hujan lebat melanda hampir keseluruhan pesisir timur Pulau Utara.

"Berita baiknya, semua pihak bertindak balas dengan sangat pantas. Ada masa untuk membuat persiapan dan ini membantu mengurangkan risiko serta mewujudkan respons yang kukuh," katanya.

Pihak Berkuasa Pengangkutan New Zealand melaporkan beberapa jalan utama ditutup di Northland, Bay of Plenty dan Waikato.

Pihak berkuasa tempatan berkata, beberapa komuniti kecil masih terputus hubungan akibat kerosakan jalan raya.

Dalam perkembangan berkaitan, agensi ramalan cuaca New Zealand, MetService menarik balik semua amaran cuaca di Pulau Utara susulan sistem tekanan rendah tropika bergerak ke timur.

Beberapa amaran masih berkuat kuasa di Pulau Selatan, namun dijangka beransur reda hari ini.

Sementara itu, hujan lebat berterusan di bahagian utara Pulau Utara New Zealand menyebabkan kerosakan infrastruktur yang memaksa penduduk dipindahkan, ribuan terputus bekalan elektrik, jalan raya ditutup serta dua individu dilaporkan hilang selepas tanah runtuh menyebabkan kerosakan sebuah kediaman.

Menteri Pengurusan Kecemasan dan Pemulihan, Mark Mitchell, berkata pasukan kecemasan sedang mencari dua individu selepas kejadian tanah runtuh merempuh kediaman mereka, manakala tujuh orang terpaksa diselamatkan dari atas bumbung rumah selepas air deras melimpah masuk.

Seorang lagi lelaki masih hilang selepas dihanyutkan bersama kenderaannya semalam.

Pihak Berkuasa Pengangkutan New Zealand memaklumkan beberapa jalan utama ditutup di Northland, Bay of Plenty dan Waikato.

Jabatan Meteorologi New Zealand, MetService pula mengumumkan semua amaran cuaca di Pulau Utara sudah ditarik balik apabila sistem ribut tropika bergerak ke arah timur.

Beberapa amaran masih berkuat kuasa di Pulau Selatan, namun dijangka reda hari ini.