Villagers cry ‘fowl’ over polluted water
Segari villagers set to fight back after having had enough of flies and stink
IPOH: After years of living near fly-infested polluted water, residents from four villages in Segari are threatening legal action if their plight continues to be ignored.
Villagers, who claimed the problem was due to neighbouring poultry farms, said they were disappointed at being given the runaround after lodging a complaint with the Perak Department of Veterinary Services.
Ismail Ibrahim, 53, said if no action were taken by the state, they would seek legal counsel.
“We might get a lawyer to handle this issue where we plan to sue everyone including the nearby poultry farms and agencies involved in this matter,” he said.
According to Ismail, a representative from the department had wanted them to write a new report because theirs was incomplete.
“We are disappointed. It is neither easy nor cheap for us to come all the way from Segari to Ipoh just to report this complaint but now we have to prepare all the documents by ourselves? Not only that, the department said they will consider setting up a special task force to handle this matter but can’t promise us anything else,” he told reporters at Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah yesterday.
Ismail said they had been dealing with this matter for years now and had expressed their concerns to several agencies but their voices remain unheard.
We believe all problems can be solved if all related agencies and companies followed government guidelines, he said.
In June, villagers from Kampung Sungai Gelam in Segari claimed the flies were due to the contaminated water supply from nearby poultry farms.
The villagers also alleged that the dark and foul-smelling water had caused allergic reactions.
Villager Mazeli Md Desa, who lives only 100m away from one of the farms, said he had to wake up everyday to a stench.
“The flies and the foul-smelling water directly affect about 500 villagers from four villages in Segari. When my relatives wish to visit my house, they will call beforehand to check if the flies are still there.
“Some nearby food vendors are also affected,” he said.
He added that the villages had been mocked and given unkind names over the situation.
“Something needs to be done, our voices needs to be heard,” he said.
Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman who accompanied the villagers said a meeting was held back in July between the villagers and the district office to find a solution.
“During the meeting, the district officer agreed the poultry farm should be shutdown however, to our disbelief, a representative from the veterinary department was against it and described the idea of shutting down the farms as too drastic.
“The villagers have tried their best to solve this matter and it is their right, if they want, to sue the responsible agencies and companies,” he said.
When contacted, State Public Facility, Infrastructure, Agriculture and Plantation Committee chairman Abdul Yunus Jamhari said he would review the matter first before making any comments.