KUCHING: One main feature of a first-class society is where every individual takes hygiene seriously.
For Malaysia hygiene is a very challenging matter since the people seem to feel comfortable living near heaps of garbage and taking sanitation issue for granted.
Whilst the cleaning responsibility is inculcated since a young age in Japan, in Malaysia it is quite different.
It was certainly an eyesore when New Sarawak Tribune visited Kampung Semariang Batu Zone 9 here recently and saw a large illegal dumping site filled with rubbish bags, piles of plastic bottles and few old tyres at an entrance to the village.
Dried cats’ faeces were also found along wooden plankwalks in the village.
Caught in the eyesore and unnecessary smell, New Sarawak Tribune spoke to a few villagers to understand the misery on their dumping site and hygiene problem.
According to the zone chief Mohamad Yahya Taha, 53, the garbage collection truck only collects rubbish from the large bins placed at the main road.
In other words, the villagers have to walk about one kilometre from their village entrance just to dispose rubbish into the large bins.
“The garbage truck could not enter the village because the road is narrow. Besides, many cars are parked at the village entrance,” he said.
Yahya added that the villagers have yet to cultivate proper garbage disposal habits and hope that the city council would help in the matter.
“We hope that the authority could help us solve this problem by organising awareness programme in our village.
“It is very important for everyone to understand the importance of cleanliness to ensure the people adopt a civic-minded culture,” he said.
Another villager, housewife Darut Seli,46, said it was normal to just thrown rubbish into the river at the back of the house because the designated rubbish disposal area is quite distance from her house.
“Usually we just throw our rubbish into the river at the back of our house. Unless we have a big rubbish plastic bag then we have to walk and throw into the green rubbish bin,” she explained.
When asked about its impact on pollution, Darut seemed confused which indicated that she was unaware that her action is bad for the environment.
But to blame solely on the people like Darut is quite unfair.
When Darut said that she and husband did not complete their secondary education, it is understandable that neither of them was taught about the negative impacts of littering.
In fact, it is shocking when housewife Jasmin Hassan, 34, revealed that the kitchen is also a place for her family to shower and worst answering nature’s call.
Jasmin is a mother of six children not including a two-year-old toddler and an eight-month old baby.
It is indeed unhealthy for a family of eight young children to be in such an environment. But not for Jasmin as she said it was common for some villagers to use their kitchen as their toilet.
Asked whether she was aware that their action was unhygienic and could affect their health, Jasmin explained that it would be good to allocate a space for a toilet but if only they have some money.
“We cannot afford that because we do not earn that much since my husband and I are self-employed.
“I only sell cakes that I made myself while my husband is a craftsman,” she said.
