Selangor MB vows stiffer punishment
SHAH ALAM: The Selangor government will not compromise in dealing with errant factory operators responsible for threatening the safety of people and affecting their livelihood.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said severe action would be taken against the individuals who caused the water crisis in the Klang Valley.
“A harsher punishment will be taken through the legal process against the parties who caused this incident. We will not compromise,” he said in a statement yesterday.
He said he had instructed all state assemblymen and council members to go to the ground and serve as frontliners in the affected areas amid the water disruption.
“The state government’s priority is to ensure that water supply is resumed in the residential areas and business premises as soon as possible. The needs of the people are of utmost importance.”
He said a suspected factory in Rawang found responsible for the odour pollution had been sealed and compounded by the state government.
“An investigation paper has been opened to charge the individuals involved. Appropriate action has been taken under the jurisdiction provided. The state government is in support of an amendment (to the law that calls for stringent) punishment at the federal level.”
Water supply to homes and business premises were cut since 10am on Thursday in several areas in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
Amirudin said the water cut was unscheduled as it involved premises suspected of releasing solvents into Sungai Gong, forcing the raw water treatment plant to cease operations.
“Sungai Gong is a tributary of Sungai Sembah, which is the main tributory of Sungai Selangor. Water from Sungai Selangor was treated at the Rantau Panjang water treatment plant, located 17km from Sungai Selangor.”
He said the malodourous effluent polluting Sungai Selangor had been traced to a machinery maintenance factory in Rawang, which was ordered shut by the authorities on Thursday.
Amiruddin said efforts were underway to “flush” contaminated water downstream through the opening of Barriers (baraj) 3 and 5 at the Sungai Selangor Intake Phase 1.
“Also, 250kg of charcoal powder (activated carbon) has been placed in areas where the odours were detected and on the factory premises.”
State Environment, Green Technology, Science and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian said preliminary investigations by the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) revealed that the suspected factory in Rawang had failed to store oil waste according to the conditions set.
He said this was apart from a smell of solvent detected flowing into the river
from the premises and the factory was ordered to close.
Hee said the factory was compounded RM60,000 for the same offence in the past but seemed to have repeated the act.
On Amirudin’s call for assemblymen to be frontliners, Paya Jaras assemblyman Mohd Khairuddin Othman said he would lead his team to go to the ground to monitor the situation and ensure that water supply distributed by Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) via tankers reached the public, especially in critical areas.
A total of 78 water tankers, 22 jumbo tankers and 54 static tanks were deployed in addition to setting up 18 local service centres, installing eight public water taps and distributing 23,000 bottles of fivelitre drinking water to those affected.
“We will work with state council members and propose the setting up a special independent water task force comprising experts to study the issue (of river and odour pollution) and offer suggestions and solutions to the state.
“Local councils and the authorities must take severe action against those found dumping waste into our water resources.”
The Selangor executive councillor in charge of youth development, sports and human capital development also called for higher fines and stiffer punishment to be imposed on the offenders.
Thursday’s water disruptions in the Klang Valley involved six districts in Selangor, namely Petaling, Klang/Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Kuala Langat.
The Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 water treatment plants, as well as the Rantau Panjang water treatment plant, remain non-operational up to 6.30am yesterday as pollution was still detected at the plants’ intakes.
Air Selangor corporate communications chief Elina Baseri had said the pollution measures one TON up to yesterday morning. She said the plants could begin operations only when the pollution level dropped to zero TON.