| Environmental quality degradation is not a new problem in Malaysia. Although in general, the pollution level is still low compared to that of some developing countries, the situation can get worse especially with the increasing number of development projects approved annually in the quest to realise Vision 2020. There are many laws that relate in some ways to rivers, either in relation to the use of rivers or in pollution control. The most important law relating to rivers is the Waters Act 1920, a law enacted during colonial times and which was revised in 1989. The modern system of water pollution control began with the Environmental Quality Act 1974 which prohibits all pollution of inland waters such as rivers, canals or lakes and the Malaysian waters (territorial waters/sea), without a licence. Breaching licence conditions or polluting without a licence is a criminal offence, generally punishable by a fine. In 2005 DOE monitored 146 river basins. The result shows that 80 river basins (54.7%) are categorised as clean, 51 river basins (34.9%) are slightly polluted and 15 river basins (10.3%) as polluted. This is an increase of about 7.5% in 2004 to 10.3% in 2005. The aim of this study is to highlight the strength and weaknesses of the law in enforcing changes to the water pollution control in Malaysia. |