CAP Raises Concern Over the Use of Sungai Merbok Mangrove Forest as a Dumping Ground

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) urges the Municipal Council of Sungai Petani (MPSPK) and the Forestry Department to conduct an immediate investigation and take prompt enforcement action to address the issue of solid waste dumping at the Sungai Merbok Permanent Reserved Mangrove Forest in Kedah.

A survey conducted by CAP along Sungai Merbok found that most of the disposed waste detected at two locations in Kampung Segantang Garam are plastic bags and plastic water bottles.

CAP regrets that this long-standing problem, which has persisted for the past four years, has not been effectively addressed by the relevant authorities despite the matter having been raised by CAP on several occasions.

Apart from degrading the Sungai Merbok mangrove forest and its river ecosystem, CAP is concerned over the plastic waste pollution spreading to the adjacent sea, contaminating coastal areas and threatening the activities and livelihoods of hundreds of fishers who depend on these waters for their income.

CAP believes that if this problem is allowed to persist, it will lead to even more severe environmental degradation in the affected area and its surrounding ecosystem in the future.

CAP urges the local authority and the Forestry Department of Kedah to strictly enforce the relevant laws to ensure that this issue is effectively addressed and prevented from recurring.

More frequent and continuous monitoring should be carried out by the local authority and the relevant agencies to safeguard the Sungai Merbok and its mangrove forest from any form of pollution.

The local authority should provide an adequate number of waste bins to enable residents to dispose their waste properly and install additional signboards prohibiting littering throughout the area.

CAP also recommends that the government should conduct awareness campaigns on the dangers of plastics, plastic waste and other forms of waste to educate the public on their adverse impacts on the environment and human well-being.

Mohideen Abdul Kader
President
Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP)

Press Statement, 10 August 2026