Stories

At midday along the Kedah River Basin, a small boat glides across the silted, tea-brown waters toward the city center of Alor Setar. Azizul Hakim Bin Mohamad Salleh, a seasoned fishing guide, eases the boat to a quiet stop before casting his line.

Zanariyan Binti Azizan is a Malaysian artisan recognized for producing handmade fishing lures. Her lures are tailored for local freshwater fishing, inspired by and designed specifically for the rivers of Kedah and Penang states in Peninsular Malaysia. 

Today, pollution and flooding have made survival harder. Yet like many Caviteños, Reynato persists. His story reflects both the struggle and hope of communities bound to the Imus– Ylang Ylang–Rio Grande Rivers - a river system crucial for the province's environmental health.

At 70, Mr. Reynato Robles, a river ranger, recalls the glory of the river he grew up with. He remembers a time as a young fisher, when the river teemed with fish and seashells, and families could earn a living without leaving the riverbanks.

In the coastal town of Sasmuan, Philippines, life flows with the river’s tide. At dawn, slender boats glide through calm waters as fishing nets are cast beneath the warming sky.

At the break of dawn, the river stirs to life. Boats cut through the water, fishing nets are unspooled, and voices murmur over the steady rhythm of daily labour.

Sasmuan, Pampanga, Philippines – At the break of dawn, the river stirs to life. Boats cut through the water, fishing nets are untangled, and voices murmur over the steady rhythm of daily labor. Along the riverbanks, women fix fishing nets, sort crabs, and prepare their harvests for market—each movement a routine part of life in this coastal wetland.

From the hills and mountains of Bogor Regency, the Ciliwung River flows downstream, stretching 118.25 kilometers to the Java Sea. It crosses the region of Bogor Regency, the cities of Bogor, Depok, and Jakarta, and drains into the Java Sea through Jakarta Bay in Indonesia. With a total area of 421.47 square kilometers, the Ciliwung River Basin plays a key role in supporting livelihood, agricultural activities, trade, transportation and local tourism in the three major cities of Bogor, Depok, and Jakarta. The Ciliwung Dam in the upstream Bogor, which was built in 1911, provides irrigation to 333 hectares of rice lands. Known also for its fertile lands for world-class tea plantations, Bogor Regency has greatly benefited from the nutrients and water services of the river basin.