He has been doing this task for free every day for decades, even it is hot or rainy.

Tan said before 1975, when the population was sparse, the canal was very clean. It became polluted as the population rose.

When Tan began fishing rubbish from the canal, local people said he was wasting his time to do “the State’s work”, but then they praised him for doing a useful task.

Some showed their support to the old man by giving him money or food.

Tan says the rubbish he takes out of the canal is not cleared by public environmental agencies, so recently he has only collected rubbish once a week.

Tan at times has been injured by some rubbish.

The local government has banned people from discharging waste into the canal but the ban has not worked.

The local government has presented many certificates of merit to Mr. Tan.