{
  "id": 18291465,
  "title": "Seven Johor rivers remain heavily polluted",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/05/seven-johor-rivers-remain-heavily-polluted",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-11-05T10:34:36.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/news/regional/2026/11/1571589/seven-johor-rivers-remain-heavily-polluted"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "JOHOR BARU - Seven rivers in Johor are among the most polluted waterways in the country, according to water quality readings that have them classified in Class Four and Five categories. This is a significant improvement from the 28 rivers that were in the same categories in 2017. The National Water Quality Standards classify water as requiring extensive treatment for use in Class Three, suitable only for irrigation in Class Four, and unsuitable for any beneficial use in Class Five. The State Health and Environment Committee chairman, Ling Tian Soon, identified the affected rivers as Sungai Sengkuang, Sungai Segget, Sungai Danga, Sungai Tukang Batu, Sungai Kempas, Sungai Pandan, and Sungai Tampoi. To address the issue, a two-month pilot project using eco-enzyme treatment has been launched at Sungai Sengkuang and Sungai Segget, with 500 liters of the eco-enzyme being poured into each river every Thursday. The Johor Baru City Council will collect water samples monthly for laboratory analysis. Ling expressed hope that if the treatment improves water quality, the initiative would be extended to other polluted rivers, with the pilot phase lasting two months followed by six months of monitoring to assess its effectiveness.",
  "summary": "JOHOR BARU: Seven rivers in Johor remain among the country's most polluted waterways, with water quality readings placing them in Class Four and Five categories.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}