Selangor slammed for poor waste disposal
PETALING JAYA: Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar has blamed the Selangor government for improper waste management that he says led to the spread of dengue and probably Zika.
He said the state government is ignorant for not being part of Putrajaya’s waste management scheme under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007, or Act 672.
“Selangor recorded the highest incidence of dengue fever among the states in Malaysia, now probably Zika will follow suit.
“They don’t want to be part of Act 672 because if they agree to it, the federal government will have the power to intervene over waste management,” he told the media after visiting Taman Medan Cahaya low-cost houses here yesterday.
The federal government allocates RM2.2 billion each year for rubbish collection for states that have agreed to the terms of the scheme.
To date, seven states in the peninsula – Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Kedah, Perlis and Federal Territories – have agreed to it.
He said his ministry is working closely with the Health Ministry, under the National Blue Ocean Strategy, to curb the spread of dengue and Zika.
The steps taken include making it compulsory for developers to install insect traps at their sites to ensure mosquitoes and other insects would not breed, he added.
He also said the government would provide data to local councils on the spread of dengue and Zika.