PAAB COMMITTED TO CSR FOR SUSTAINABILITY OF SOCIETY AND ENVIRONMENT

LUMUT, Sept 23 (Bernama) -- Pengurusan Aset Air Berhad (PAAB) has allocated RM430,000 to implement a corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme that can have a positive impact on the community and environment, every year.

Its chief executive officer, Ir Zulkiflee Omar said the water asset management company's commitment to CSR, with the concept of 'environmental and social', was started in 2019 and has since involved various groups in most states in the country.

"In 2019, we started with the organisation of the 'CSR School Sustainability Programme'. Then in 2022, we implemented the Green Mosque Campaign CSR Programme which involved upgrading water facilities in nine mosques in Melaka, Kelantan and Negeri Sembilan.

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"The beach cleaning programme that took place today (at Teluk Senangin) is a continuation of the three beach and mangrove cleaning programmes that were carried out in Penang, Selangor and Johor last year," he said.

He said this at 'A Wave of Change: Beach Cleaning Programme' at Teluk Senangin beach here today. The programme was also attended by Perak Water Board (LAP) general manager Lokman Abd Rahim and Manjung Municipal Council (MPM) member Ramzi Bakar.

Commenting on the programme implemented, Zulkiflee said it involved about 300 participants among students from Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysian Institute of Marine Engineering Technology (UniKL MIMET), Sultan Idris Shah Polytechnic and PAAB staff.

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He said the participants managed to collect around 467 kilogrammes of rubbish strewn along the coast of Teluk Senangin.

"We weighed the collected garbage and separated it according to the two divisions -- Organics (biological/wood) and Recyclables (paper, plastics, glass, metals) -- to facilitate the recycling process,” he said.

We also installed three information signs as a step to raise awareness among visitors, in addition to planting four Meraamwan Siput Jantan (Hopea Griffithii) saplings as a symbol of this CSR."

He said this programme is also basically an awareness movement to send a clear message to the community to focus on 3R (Reuse, Recycle, Recovery) matters related to environmental sustainability.

In other developments, Zulkiflee said PAAB has approved RM153 million for the construction of the Sungai Kerian Water Supply Scheme and a 15-kilometre old pipe replacement project in the Kinta district.

He also said the construction of the Sungai Kerian Water Supply Scheme costs around RM126.55 million while the allocation for the replacement of old pipes amounted to RM26.4 million.

"We will continue to stay committed and there are still many water infrastructure projects planned to be built in Perak with the cooperation of LAP as the authority responsible at the state level," he added.

PAAB was established in 2006 and is regulated by the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) and National Water Services Commission (SPAN).

Through the Water Services Industry Act 2006, PAAB is responsible for developing water assets in Peninsular Malaysia with competitive financing rates as well as ensuring the effectiveness of the implementation of initiatives related to the country's water infrastructure.

-- BERNAMA