As early as 8 a.m., kids, students and parents swarmed the registration booths at Sekolah Kebangsaan Sungei Way, Petaling Jaya to register in various activities held in conjunction with the second River Carnival. The River Carnival 2010 held on 18th July 2010, was part of the W.A.T.E.R. Project undertaken by GAB Foundation in partnership with Global Environment Centre (GEC). One of the main aims of the W.A.T.E.R. Project, an acronym for Working Actively Through Education and Rehabilitation, is to improve the water quality of Sungai Way and enhance the aesthetic value of the river.

The carnival this year was also supported by various stakeholders: Department of Irrigation and Drainage Petaling Jaya City Council Department of Environment Selangor Water Management Board Department of National Unity and Integration The River Carnival started at 9 a.m. with Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye, Chairman of GAB Foundation, delivering his welcoming speech. He expressed his hope that the event will promote the rehabilitation of Sungai Way and encourage other bodies to conserve our rivers. He also thanked all the sponsors and the local community for their support and participation in river conservation and the River Carnival. The carnival was officiated by the Director of the Department of Irrigation and Drainage river basin and coastal zone management, Dato Ong Siew Heng. He said that instead of being the main source of water, biodiversity, and natural recreational sites, irresponsible human activities are turning rivers into dump sites. He hoped that by the continuous collaborations among corporate bodies, government agencies and local community, Sungai Way will be rehabilitated and will in the future become a natural recreational site.         After the opening ceremony, Dato Ong Siew Heng accompanied by Tan Sri Saw Huat Lye and other officials visited the exhibition booths set up by the various stakeholders of the project and event. In line with the aims of the event which were to encourage the community to participate in conserving the environment and rehabilitating Sungai Way, a variety of environmental activities targeted to all members of the public were carried out. Numerous games for kids as young as 5 years old and students of both primary and secondary schools were lined up in the carnival. In the green dress competition, adorable kids below the age of 8 walked the runway in fashionable outfits made of recyclable items. In addition to the green dress competition, pre-school kids were introduced to the importance of water through water related stories told to them in an entertaining and interactive manner through GAB Foundation’s Storytime with GABBY. Their journey towards understanding water began with the myth and legend of water. Gradually the stories took them to the danger of pollution and finally the importance of conserving water. No doubt the story telling sessions were able to cultivate in the mind of the young the importance of water and its conservation.

Primary school children were able to show their artistic talent in mural painting. They also enjoyed applying their knowledge of rubbish sorting in the Sweep and Sort game, which was developed and run by GEC’s first SMART Ranger School – SK Sri Kelana. Two types of games were prepared for secondary students - jigsaw puzzle and nature craft competition. In the nature craft competition, the students’ creativity really shone as these students created all sorts of things from recyclable items such as a stationery holder, bookcase, jewellery box and innovative plant watering equipment. It was noted that some of the students were seasoned participants in this sort of competition and it is hoped that they will continue to recycle in their daily lives and not just for competitions.

For the general community, they participated in two games – the river hunt and smart shopping game. In the river hunt, 5 groups of 5 members each were given a set of questions at 5 different checkpoints which tested their knowledge of the environment. The smart shopping game tested their knowledge of environmentally friendly packaging and got them thinking about buying local products and bulk-buying. A group of people also took part in the river cleanup activity, including television and radio crews, to help pick up any rubbish caught in the rubbish trap as well as around the river banks of Sungai Way. Some also took part in planting trees along the river banks.

It was a day filled not only of fun activities but also information and awareness messages. Information booths were set up by the stakeholders to inform and encourage the community to participate in the activities carried out to preserve the environment. Among the ongoing programmes highlighted at the carnival were the used oil recycling programme initiated by Selangor Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Program Qua-Qua undertaken by Selangor Water Management Board which refers to the programme to maintain the quality and quantity of water, as well as various environmental programmes undertaken by Petaling Jaya City Council. The River Carnival 2010 ended at about 2 p.m. after the prize giving ceremony. The carnival was a great success not only in bringing residential communities, local authorities and corporate bodies to work together in conserving and realising the full potential of Sungai Way, but also in saving our mother nature in general.

See more photos from the event! Read about last year's River Carnival!