IPOH, Nov 26 — Perak Opposition Leader Razman Zakaria has urged the state government to allocate compensation under Budget 2026 for fishermen in Gerik whose livelihoods have been affected by the recent river pollution incident.

Razman said the discolouration of river water in Gerik, involving fish death, has caused fishermen to lose income as locals fear to consume fish caught from contaminated water.

“Their income has been affected, and the people there themselves don’t dare to eat fish from the river.

“They said the water may be contaminated by radioactivity, so they are afraid,” he told reporters at the Perak Darul Ridzuan Building’s entrance here.

Razman also said a memorandum from the affected fishermen will be forwarded to Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad.

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahim Hamit, 49, from Kampung Bukit Merikam, who represents about 100 affected fishermen, said the river pollution had severely disrupted their daily catch and threatening their livelihoods.

“The pollution in the river has really affected our income. Even, when the river wasn’t polluted, our earnings were modest and we barely survive.

“Now, with the water contaminated, it is a real problem. The fishermen are the most affected,” he said.

He explained that fishermen typically earn around RM100 a day during peak fishing months between June and November.

“This is the fish season. Normally, when the fish swim upstream to spawn, we earn more.

“But now, the catch has suddenly stopped because the fish are avoiding the polluted water or are found dead,” he said.

He added that fishermen there have no alternative source of income.

Abdul Rahim urged the Department of Environment or relevant authorities to formally verify whether the water and fish are safe so that locals would consume them with confidence.

He also pointed out that among the villages that were affected due to the water pollution is Kampung Kuala Kenderong, Kampung Perah, Kampung Jagor, Kampung Pulau Belayar and Kampung Air Ganda.

He also urged the government to intervene and halt all mining operations and implement a moratorium until an independent environmental impact assessment is conducted.

“We also hope the government will provide temporary monthly compensation payments until fish catch levels recover, and expand the assistance scheme for equipment and fuel subsidies,” he added.

On October 21, photos of Sungai Perak near the Kampung Sungai Papan Bridge, about five kilometres north of Kampung Air Ganda in Gerik, went viral after the river appeared blue.

The Department of Environment (DoE) later identified three mining operations in the upper reaches of Sungai Perak — one rare earth element (REE) mine and two tin mines — following reports of the bluish water.

Its director-general, Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar, said preliminary investigations suggested that nearby mining activities were likely behind the discolouration, although other contributing factors could not be ruled out.

On November 5, Saarani said the government had ordered the three mining operations to temporarily halt activities pending investigations.