This is the final report of the Microplastics Monitoring and Assessment in Sungai Perai programme, carried out by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) with a Think City Seberang Perai Small Town Grant. It is the first detailed picture of microplastic pollution along the length of the Perai River.
Key findings
- Microplastics were found in river water and sediment at all eight sampling stations, from near Kulim to the river mouth.
- The wet season brought far more: average levels in water rose from about 15 to 59 particles per litre, and in sediment from about 15 to 108 particles per kilogram.
- Fibres dominated in the dry season and fragments in the wet season. Polypropylene was the most common polymer in the sediment.
- Microplastic levels were higher where urban and industrial land use was greater.
- The riverbed’s pollution load rose from low in the dry season to high in the wet season.
What is in the report
- Study area, sampling and laboratory methods (stereomicroscope, µFTIR and SEM-EDX)
- Results by station and season, with particle shape, size, colour and polymer type
- Links between microplastics, land use and river conditions
- Ecological risk assessment
- Policy recommendations and a corrective action plan
- A step-by-step water and sediment sampling protocol for future monitoring
Authors: Dr Widad Fadhullah, Leila Bouida, Dr Norlaila Mohd Zanuri and Dr Mohd Saiful Samsudin (USM).
