Questionable Hygiene of Kampar Wet Market

By Yap Suan Zi & Chow Lee Li

It was 4 in the evening when we reached the wet market located in Kampar’s Old Town District. Hawkers selling fish and meat in the market were nowhere to be seen, but still there was an unbearable stink in the air. An unpleasant smell fills the air, maybe the smell of fish, the smell of poultry or even the smell wafting our way from the garbage loaded drainage system. To investigate the source of the stink, we moved forward trying to hold our breath as much as possible.

First impression: An unbearable smell will invade your nostrils when you take a step into the wet market.

The first thing that entered our sight was the arrangement of the market. It was arranged in an orderly manner but somehow each and every stall looked old and specked with dirt. The corners of the stalls were piled up with dirt and would have been the best nests for pests like rats and cockroaches. There was even a cat sleeping on one of the chopping blocks hawkers used to chop poultry and fish. We wondered in silence if they were ever cleaned properly before use.

Walking around the wet market, slaughtered chicken parts littered the ground. We could see that the cleanliness of the stalls had not been given proper attention because rubbish and other waste matters were strewn everywhere. Most of the dustbins were also overflowing with trash. Moreover, there were vegetables laid out on a dirty washing basin right next to a bunch of chicken cages, ready to be sold to market-goers.

Through our observation, Kampar Old Town wet market is facing a very serious problem in maintaining its cleanliness and is in a terrible sanitary condition.

Hygienic problems: Most of the stalls have dirt. Do the hawkers ever wash out?

Feathers everywhere: The leftover chicken slaughter was not properly taken care of.

Dustbin overflowing: Rubbish without immediate collection.

Deplorable condition: Vegetables for sale are laid out beside the chicken cages.

When we walked past the drains surrounding the wet market, it gave off a horrid smell. The lack of proper waste disposal system had indirectly encouraged hawkers to throw their wastes into the nearest drainage, causing most the drains to become blocked with rubbish, plastic bags, leftover food and other repelling waste matters. Those drains would easily start overflowing during the rainy seasons and may cause significant flooding.

Moreover, the blocked drains also encourage pests like mosquitoes, rats and cockroaches to breed. Since mosquitoes carry viruses such as malaria, yellow fever, dengue and encephalitis while rats are transmitters of nasty diseases, the potential danger of epidemic spreading in the area is quite high.

Home for mosquito: The stagnant drainage is a perfect breeding site for mosquitoes.

Failure of waste disposal system: The drain is filled with leftover food.

We also found out that the drains in the wet market leads directly to a lake nearby. The surface of the lake is fully covered by algae. The overgrowth of algae in the lake habitat indicates a high rate of pollution level. Rubbish surrounds the lakeside and the water looks oily and unclean due to the leftover food that flows from the drainage in the wet market into the lake. When oil mixes with water, it becomes solidified and covers the surface of the water, leading to the death of fish and living organisms in the lake. This will also contribute to the presence mosquitoes and create a ghastly smell. When the ecosystem of the lake has been destroyed, it may lead to a chain of problematic issues.

Polluted lake: The drainage system from the wet market carry trash into the lake, making the lake unsafe for living organisms.

Then, we moved on to investigate the large trashcans prepared for the hawkers to dispose of the waste matters from the wet market. The closer we moved towards it, the stronger the unpleasant odours coming from the trashcans. From what we can see, most of the hawkers from the market throw the intestinal parts of chickens and fish into the trash without properly packaging the wastes. It was also another reason for the unpleasant smell of the wet market.

We interviewed some of the citizens that lived nearby. They informed us that people tend to throw their rubbish on the ground or into the lake because the trashcans prepared by the local government were too far away from the wet market, which is the reason why rubbish is everywhere but not in the trashcan where it is supposed to be.

Our interviewee: A few senior citizens were willing to provide information to us.

A mountain of rubbish: Rubbish everywhere around the wet market.

Ironic scene: A signboard warning stating “Do Not Litter.” surrounded by rubbish.

Rubbish everywhere: Does this scene show that the local government is doing their job properly?

According to the client’s charter of Kampar District Council (Majlis Daerah Kampar, MDKpr), it was stated that the local government will provide waste collection services and drain cleaning services daily at the trading areas. But why is rubbish strewn everywhere around the wet market? And why are the drains in the wet market blocked? We wonder why these problems are happening since MDKpr claimed that they are doing their job properly in their client charter achievement report. MDKpr officers should pay a visit the market to examine the poor condition of the wet market and solve the issue of cleanliness in and around the wet market.

Moreover, one of the five objectives of MDKpr stated in its portal is enhancing the quality of life for the community by implementing physical, social, economical and environmental sustainable plan in order to create a quality and conductive living environment. However, from what we have seen in the wet market, the local government has failed to achieve this objective.

Kampar Old Town wet market has been awarded the cleanest and most beautiful market amongst the whole of Perak in 2002. But there were no following awards for this wet market since then. After walking around the location, we can see why it is so. There are a lot of problems in this wet market, such as poor hygiene, waste disposal system failure and drain blockages. Besides, the wet market is also a contributing factor in polluting the air and water around the location. Why are all these problems happening here? The local government should inspect this serious issue and offer a reasonable explanation to the people.

In order to prevent further problems, MDKpr should tackle this issue as their main responsibility.  However, all the citizens in Kampar should also play their parts as a responsible citizen and take care of the environment they reside in in order to solve this problem.

Take action: Kampar wet market can only be awarded as the cleanest market again when the local government starts to take action.