Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on River Pollution Among Community of Klang River, Malaysia.pptx

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on River Pollution Among Community of Klang River, Malaysia presented during MySEE Conference

1. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice on River Pollution Among Community of Klang River, Malaysia Presented at the MySEE Asia Pacific Regional Conference on 16 th & 17 th March 2022, via Zoom platform

2. Introduction River pollution in Malaysia is one of the main public health concern (MOH 2020, DOE 2021 & DOSM 2021). Knowledge, attitude and practice on environmental issue was recorded as moderate (Chin 2016; Dean et al 2017). Klang River basin is a highly populous area that is experiencing rapid industrialization and development. One of the important communities are those living in squatter areas along Klang River bank. 33 out of 144 river basins are moderately polluted (DOE 2021) 7 out of 144 river basins are severely polluted (DOE 2021)

3. Study Objectives General Objective To determine level of knowledge, attitude and practice of Klang River squatter community towards river pollution. Specific Objectives To determine level of knowledge, attitude and practice of Klang River squatter community towards river pollution. To determine the associating factors of knowledge, attitude and practice of the community towards river pollution. To determine the correlation between level of knowledge, attitude and practice with presence of E.coli in the Klang River.

4. Conceptual Framework Klang River Pollution Attitude Practice Point source Non-point source Presence of E. coli in Klang River Knowledge Figure 2.1 Conceptual framework

5. Study Area Klang River flows through Kuala Lumpur and Selangor and eventually drains into the Straits of Malacca. It is 120 km in length, drains a basin of 1288 km 2 and has 11 major tributaries. It flows through highly populated areas and industrial areas. Source: Majlis Perbandaran Klang 2019     Housing Area   Commercial   Industries   Maritime Industry   Forest   Water Body Transport System Figure 3.1 Study locations along Klang River

6. River Water Sampling Sites Sampling Locations Global Positioning System (GPS) Latitude Longitude Kampung Keretapi 3°00'54.0" 101°23'52.8" Kampung Sungai Udang 3°02'44.2" 101°24'42.5" Kampung Sungai Pinang 3°03'33.5" 101°26'08.5" Kampung Atap 3°02'51.0" 101°26'34.4" Kampung Pandan 3°02'19.3" 101°27'22.7" Kampung Bukit Jati 3°02'12.5" 101°27'47.5" Table 3.1 Water sampling locations

7. Methodology Validated questionnaire Disseminated via online (Google Form). Has 4 sections: Section A – sociodemographic profile. Section B – questions on knowledge. Section C – questions on attitude. Section D – questions on practice. Likert Scale, i.e 1 (strongly disagree), 2 (disagree), 3 (not sure), 4 (agree) and 5 (strongly agree). Scoring system. Study Tool

8. Methodology Laboratory Test Colitag ™ Water Testing Kit Selective and differential media for coliforms and E. coli. Water were sampled from 6 locations near the squatter settlements. Water sampling geolocation was recorded by GARMIN GPSmap 60CSx. Water sampling was performed 4 times (24 th November 2021, 1 st December 2021, 15 th December 2021 and 5 th January 2022).

9. Results Table 4.2 Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents Sociodemographic characteristics n % Gender Male 120 62.2 Female 73 37.8 Age (years old) 20 and less 3 1.6 21 - 30 40 20.7 31 - 40 120 62.2 41 - 50 30 15.5 Ethnic Malay 123 63.7 Chinese 20 10.4 India 30 15.5 Others 20 10.4 Education level Degree 8 4.1 Diploma 7 3.6 Certificate 5 2.6 Secondary school 141 73.1 Primary school 20 10.4 No formal education 12 6.2 Majority of the respondents were: Male (62.2%). Age between 31 – 40 years old (62.2%). Malay (63.7%). Secondary school (73.1%). Sociodemographic Characteristics

10. Knowledge(K), Attitude(A) & Practice(P) Variables Low score Moderate score High score Mean score S.D (±) Final score n % n % n % Knowledge 0.0 169 87.6 24 12.4 3.13 0.40 Moderate Attitude 0.0 139 72.0 54 28.0 3.28 0.65 Moderate Practice 30 15.5 133 68.9 30 15.5 2.96 0.72 Moderate The level of knowledge, attitude and practice towards river pollution, among squatters alongside Klang River is moderate. Table 4.4 Level of knowledge, attitude and practice towards river pollution among squatters near Klang River (n=193)

11. KAP vs E.coli Table 4.13 Correlation between E.coli presence in Klang River water samples with the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of the squatters *signicant at p<0.05 (Pearson correlation test) There was significant correlation (p<0.05) between KAP and presence of E.coli in the water samples. Effluents and sewage from the squatter areas flow directly into the Klang River. Existence of small animal farms near the river banks. Variables Presence of E. coli r p value Knowledge 0.70 0.001* Attitude 0.44 0.001* Practice 0.77 0.001*

12. Conclusion Level of knowledge, attitude and practice on river pollution among squatters who live near Klang River was moderate. Sociodemographic factors were found to be not significantly associated with the KAP. Positive correlation between presence of E. coli in Klang River and KAP among the squatter communities. Based on this study findings, the squatter communities should be empowered with knowledge and practical skills to reduce the Klang River water pollution via various interventions and improvement on the environmental hygiene and sanitation.

13. Thank you.