BRING THE POLLUTERS TO BOOK, SAY NGOS
Environmentalists want swift action against those caught polluting in Malaysian waters
ENVIRONMENTALISTS are appalled at the oil spill off the coast of Johor and want the authorities to bring those responsible to justice.
On Thursday, the Johor Marine Department detected a 1km oil spill in Tanjung Balau waters.
It was estimated that 300 tonnes of marine fuel oil had been discharged and the spill covered an area four nautical miles from the coast.
Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia pres- ident Puan Sri Shar- iffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the waters off Johor had become a dumping ground for ships.
“Have the authorities taken action against those who pollute the waters off Johor?
“Why is water in Singapore cleaner compared with in Malaysia?
“I have heard rumours that before ships enter Singaporean waters, they would dump their rubbish and discharge waste in Malaysian waters.
“The dumping is not done in Singaporean, Indonesian, Thai or Vietnamese waters. It seems like the protection around Johor waters is not well enforced.”
Shariffa said in other countries, if people were found guilty of polluting the environment, they would receive harsh punishment.
“We need stricter laws against those who pollute the environment and stricter patrolling around Johor waters, or else there’ll be a recurrence of such cases .”
Malaysian Nature Society president Dr Ahmad Ismail said cases of oil spills were not new when it came to the coastal waters of the state.
“Johor waters are one of the busiest sea routes in the world. A high number of ships pass through Johor to go to Singapore. That is why pollution cases are high in this area,” said the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia Science Faculty professor.
“The government must protect our waters because this will have a prolonged impact on the environment and fishermen off the coast of Johor.”
He called on fishermen to get involved in the protection of the environment and to report immediately pollution detected in the waters.
Professor Emeritus Dr Ibrahim Komoo from Institute of Environment and Development (Lestari), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, said swift action was key in dealing with environmental pollution such as an oil spill.
“Swift action in cleaning up the oil spill is important or it will damage the marine environment. This is why the authorities and people should always be vigilant.
“We need to take sea pollution seriously.
“Beef up enforcement and punish the culprits, so they will learn a lesson.”