KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 — Solid waste and public cleansing management as well as sewerage services are among the list of essential services allowed to operate during the movement control order (MCO).
KDEB Waste Management (KDEBWM), which took over the domestic waste collection and management from all 12 local authorities (PBT) in Selangor, has been determined and committed to carrying out garbage collection throughout the period so far.
KDEBWM found that there was a 14.8 per cent reduction in the weight of rubbish collected during the first two phases of the MCO, as compared to a week prior to its enforcement.
KDEBWM Public Relations and Media chief Mahfuzah Muhammad Tarmidi noted that the reduction was due to commercial, industrial and institutional premises being closed during the period.
“These sectors produce more waste than residential areas,” she said when contacted by Bernama.
Meanwhile, she said there was no significant increase in domestic garbage collection although many people were at home during the MCO.
Mahfuzah said all garbage collectors, drivers and area supervisors were also working according to their schedules as usual.
“All staff are provided with personal protective equipment such as hand sanitisers, gloves and face masks while carrying out their tasks to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak. Social distancing has also been emphasised to all staff.
“KDEBWM also monitors and ensures that the health of all workers in the field is at an optimum level. If any of the staff have symptoms such as fever or flu, they are advised to get immediate medical attention,” she said.
In the meantime, KDEBWM has advised the public to conduct proper waste segregation to ease the waste collection process, including placing used face masks in separate bags to prevent infection.
Meanwhile, Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) which manages the sewerage system in the country, is also operating as usual during the MCO, although its customer service counters have been temporarily closed.
IWK chief executive officer M. Narendran said the public could still contact its customer service hotline at 03-20832828; or email at [email protected] or contact any of the operating offices (via WhatsApp app only) or via any of IWK’s social media platforms for assistance.
“IWK is also focusing on monitoring critical assets, such as the large-scale wastewater treatment plants which require close monitoring to avoid any disruption to consumers,” he said.
Narendran said among the problems faced by IWK staff during the MCO were clogged sewer pipes due to improper waste disposal including garbage and used cooking oil.
“Avoid dumping solid waste or used cooking oil into sewerage pipes that could lead to blockage, an overflow, and subsequently cause pollution and threaten public health,” he said.
— Bernama
