King calls for heavier punishment on river polluters

The King has called for heavier punishment for the perpetrators who polluted Sg Gong and caused a major water disruption affecting millions of consumers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Istana Negara, in a statement, said Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah met Water and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man yesterday at Istana Negara and conveyed his views.

Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara Datuk Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin said the King was concerned that the people not only had to queue up for water supply from tankers but the economy too had suffered due to the water disruption.

“Sultan Abdullah regards the pollution as irresponsible as it is a repeat offence which has burdened millions of people in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

“He sympathised with those who have to queue up every time there is water disruption.

“Sultan Abdullah wants those responsible to be brought to justice and if found guilty, decisive action must be taken and heavier penalties imposed so that it will be a lesson for everyone to ensure the preservation of the environment and avoid river pollution which affects the lives of the people.

“Apart from stricter action, Sultan Abdullah also wants the authorities, especially the Water and Environment Ministry, to monitor and implement laws to ensure such pollution can be controlled and not repeated,” said the statement.

The King also lauded the action of the Selangor state government to evict the owner of the business which was suspected to have polluted Sg Gong, as the company did not have approval from the authorities to run its business there.

In the statement, Sultan Abdullah also said that environmental education could be nurtured early in children through activities and charity programmes of cleaning up public places.

The Sungai Selangor Phase 1,2, 3 and Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plants were forced to stop operations last Thursday due to pollution at the raw water source.

Six suspects are currently in police remand over the cause of the pollution, said to be the alleged dumping of toxic solvents into the river illegally.