CSR in Water Project

I was invited as a panelist for the WATER Project Seminar yesterday at the Security Commission. This is the first time that I spoke to participants from the amongst the business sector. So often that we focus on capacity building programmes for the community sector that too little has been done for the businesses. While everyone talks about corporate social responsibility, I presume many might have heard about it, and some might have wanted to do it but many I believe do not know what should they do. Quite often we witnessed that the so-called CSR projects of the businesses none other than carrying out charity service one off activity or donating a token sum to charitable homes. I think CSR is more than that.

The Seminar provides the opportunities to panelists to talk about possible CSR initiatives for businesses. These include becoming a responsible entrepreneurs for their own production line and consumption of resources, working together with other stakeholders in conserving the rivers and drains, achieving zero waste within their own business premises, educating their staffs on river rehabilitation and many more.

A common point brought up during the discussion was the role of religion teaching in environmental awareness, attitude and mind set change of individual. All religions pay high regard to water and the need for having clean water. Thereby, conserving water and rehabilitating the rivers become every one's obligation to GOD.

A participant has suggested the role of media. It is interesting to hear a panelist of saying that media has not help in educating the general public on environmental conservation. Many of the time people complained to the media hoping that the news will be published so that the authorities concerned will rectify it. However if the people with their personal responsibility has taken their own initiative to rectify it without waiting for press coverage, then we might have educated people on the importance of environmental conservation, by every individual. I reasoned that this happened due to the media approaches on service delivery rather than environment per say.

I spoke about the role of MBPJ in rivers rehabilitation. I pointed out that role of MBPJ is to prevent pollutants from getting into the drains, the contributory of river as well as motivating partnership and participation amongst stakeholders in undertaking initiative to reduce pollution and to rehabilitate the rivers. Of course, it is a big challenge in the urban setting like PJ as many of the rivers have been concretised and turned into sewer or passage for rubbish. For example, many residents of PJ might not have known that Sungai Way, presently a big monsoon drain was a stream with clean water and abundance of fish and prawn some 40 years ago.

I saw some eager face amongst participants to emulate the model as done by GAB Foundation for the Sungai Way Rehabilitation Project. I hope the participation and contribution of businesses will fasten the process of regenerating our river to its' natural state.