June 7, 2013 -- Hydro International's Downstream Defender® vortex separator, an advanced stormwater technology, is helping to clean up Kuala Lumpur, a major river system in Malaysia.
The vortex separators are being installed at strategic locations where drains and tributaries are discharging into the city's Klang and Gobmak Rivers. Widespread pollution prompted the Malaysian authorities to launch a project to improve 110kms of the river into a vibrant and liveable waterfront, moving from its current class III - V status (water quality not suitable for body-contact) to a Class IIb river clean enough for recreational use by the year 2020.
With an annual rainfall of nearly 2,400mm with peaks up to 280mm in April and November, Malaysia is subject to high flash flow conditions under intense rain storms; road side drains discharge into high volume monsoon drainsand eventually into the river. The environment also suffers from large amounts of discarded waste such as polystyrene food trays, organic pollutants such as food and cooking oil, and hydrocarbons. After storm events, the heavy load of silt and trash congregates in the rivers.
"Installed offline in strategic locations, the Downstream Defender® is proving a perfect solution to capturing the large amounts of polluted silts that run off Kuala Lumpur's highways and for providing 'first flush' protection in intense storm conditions," explains Graeme Fenton, Export Manager for Hydro International.
The Downstream Defender® is an approved technology within the Malaysian government's Manual Sahran Mesra Alam Malaysia (MSMA) which has placed increased emphasis in Malaysia on the need for stormwater control at or near source, and improve run-off quality.
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