ARE HUMAN BEINGS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POLLUTION OF RIVERS IN MALAYSIA?INTRODUCTIONIn Malaysia, rivers are the main sources of human water supply. Water quality focuses on the chemical, biological and physical aspects of the water body. In fact, rivers constitute a biologically productive and diverse environment in its natural form. Rivers play the most important role in the assimilation of industrial and agricultural wastes and provide water to the interior, especially for irrigation, drinking and industrial purposes. Unfortunately, nowadays most of Malaysia's rivers are polluted and pose a threat to humans, animals and plants. STATUS OF WATER QUALITY IN MALAYSIA The Water Quality Index (WQI) is used by the Department of Environment (DOE) to assess the level of water quality. The WQI is the basic assessment regarding water pollution. In 2006, 1,064 water quality tests were carried out in 146 different river basins. As a result, 619 (58%) were pollutant free, 359 (34%) moderately polluted and the remaining 86 (8%) were polluted. The river located upstream was found to be clean, while the river located downstream was found to be polluted. In conclusion, the river downstream is not suitable for human consumption because it is harmful. RIVER POLLUTION FACTORS Water pollution comes from industrial and domestic wastewater, livestock waste, agro-food and manufacturing industries, and roads. and housing construction, logging and deforestation, waste from mining activities and heavy metals from factories. Urbanization is one of the factors that lead to water pollution. Urbanization will mainly produce the pollutant in the form of r...... middle of paper...... butterflies and birds. Additionally, the farmer should use soil amendment and natural fertilizers that do not contain chemical substances such as peat and compost in order to maintain soil moisture and stimulate plant growth. The compost bin is widely used in agriculture because it is inexpensive, maintains soil moisture and does not require chemical fertilizer. The phenomenon of soil erosion will create sediments that can wash into the water, causing problems for aquatic environments. life. To reduce sediment when building a new structure or landscaping, developers should use tarping to cover the mound with soil. This prevents rain and wind from carrying sediment into flowing water. Developers should also not modify the stormwater pond, as this could hinder its ability to retain runoff..