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Once-filthy Prangin Canal turned into an aquarium

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Old stormwater drain has been diverted and a new “water feature” created with a “water-tight tanked ecosystem”.

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Free Malaysia Today
Koi fish swim in the rehabilitated Prangin Canal, once a filthy stormwater drain.

GEORGE TOWN:
A picture of the Prangin Canal with clear water and filled with koi fish, which went viral on social media over the weekend, has been confirmed to be genuine.

After the picture created social buzz, with many wondering if it was a river in Japan or Korea, two state agencies today said it was the Prangin Canal that had undergone a facelift.

They also said that the once filthy canal, which ran along the entire stretch of Prangin Road, was never a river.

In a joint statement, the Penang Development Corporation (PDC) and George Town World Heritage Inc (GTWHI) said the canal was created in the early 19th century as a large stormwater drain to channel water from smaller drains in the city into the sea.

They said the canal had been shut on one end to create a pond, and a newer canal was built alongside it. The newer canal was necessary to divert water, which is blamed for flash floods when it rains.

Free Malaysia Today
Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow and assemblymen release koi fish into the Prangin Canal on Saturday.

PDC and GTWHI said the old canal was “cleaned and rejuvenated into a water feature” and a fiberglass-reinforced panel was inserted for a “water-tight tanked ecosystem”, with UV lights and eco-balls to maintain the water’s cleanliness.

“This essentially means the canal would function as an aquarium of sorts,” they said.

On Saturday, Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow led journalists for a sneak peek into the canal and Sia Boey market project, where he and other assemblymen released koi fish into the water.

Chow said RM9.1 million had been spent on diverting and rehabilitating the old canal, creating the new canal, and “archaeological” works.

He said work on restoring the Old Prangin Market was going on at a cost of RM5.1 million and was expected to be completed in September.

The contractors building the new canal in 2015 stumbled upon relics from the 1800s, causing a delay to the project.

Free Malaysia Today
Work being carried out in 2017 on the new canal (right). On the left is the old canal and in the background (top right) is the old Sia Boey Market.

A five-month archaeological project commissioned by the PDC discovered an old canal and the remains of a police station dating back to the mid-19th century.

A secure wall, canal lock and a building made of red brick and mortar showed it was most likely built by the British East India Company in 1804.

Further digging also revealed Chinese and European ceramic shards, other ceramics, a wooden bollard and old coins minted by the British North Borneo Company.

PDC and GTWHI said in its statement today that over 15,000 artefacts were saved from the old canal.

Penang Forum had criticised work on the project, saying on Facebook on Saturday that the the diversion of the old canal into a new one was basically “hiding” dirty water.

“So how did they do it? By diversion. Yes, it looks pretty but where does the flowing water in the Prangin Canal channel now go & have steps been taken to clean it up before it is discharged into the sea?

“It’s wonderful that things look pretty on the surface but surely everyone wants to see an improvement to the water quality. There’s no improvement in just ‘hiding’ the dirty water,” the post read.

Pengkalan Kota assemblyman Daniel Gooi rubbished the group’s claim, saying “the once dirty and rubbish-stuffed canal (is now) a new icon for George Town” similar to the rivers and ponds found in Japan or South Korea.

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