THE Prangin Canal at Sia Boey Urban Archaeological Park is now undergoing a two-month cleaning process supervised by the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) Setia Urus Sdn Bhd.
Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Wong Yuee Harng urged the public to take responsibility for maintaining the cleanliness of the canal during their park visits.
He expressed concern about the discovery of plastic bottles, plastics, and breadcrumbs, emphasising that feeding fish in the closed system canal is discouraged.
“The canal operates as a closed system, meaning that rubbish cannot enter it through external means, except for litter left by park visitors,” Wong told a media conference recently.
Wong highlighted issues arising from the release of non-native fish species, impacting the canal’s ecosystem originally populated by koi fish.
The koi have been temporarily removed during the cleaning, expected to conclude in January next year.
While the park remains open, Wong advised caution around the ongoing cleaning site and warned of potential fines for those polluting the canal or introducing foreign fish species.
The RM40,000 cleaning cost is covered by PDC Setia Urus Sdn Bhd.
PDC Setia Urus Sdn Bhd chief operating officer Loi Kah Horng said that CCTV cameras have been installed in the park for monitoring purposes.
Story by Tanushalini Moroter
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis