By Jerry Choong
SHAH ALAM, April 13 — The Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) has identified a problem at one of the state’s water sources in Sungai Serdang at Kapar, Klang, yesterday afternoon.
State executive councillor for the environment Hee Loy Sian said they were informed of the source’s quality after a member of the public informed them.
“Based on the information, LUAS carried out an immediate investigation in the area involved, where it revealed two plausible causes of the disruption of the water source’s quality.
“The first is the suspected presence of coal waste originating from the electric power station, which flowed into the drainage of a nearby village area and subsequently flowed into Sungai Serdang,” he said in a statement.
It was also determined the coal waste stream was the result of a leak at the power station. However, Luas’ monitoring at the site also revealed the repair work and cleaning of coal waste had promptly been carried out by the station owner, thereby putting a stop to the polluting flow.
“Further investigations in the nearby area discovered white-coloured effluence flowing into Sungai Serdang. Its source has been traced to the dumping of palm oil waste, a suspected illegal act by an unidentified individual using a tanker truck.
“Samples have been taken and sent Malaysian Chemistry Department for further analysis,” Hee said.
The authority is working in tandem with the Klang District and Land Office and the Klang Municipal Council to review and verify the status of the land owners involved, as well as to manage the solid waste and public cleaning of the illegally-dumped palm oil waste, for further enforcement actions.
“The incident did not have an impact on the water supply, as there are no water treatment plants (WTP) located nearby Sungai Serdang. Nonetheless, Luas remains proactive in ensuring the condition of Selangor’s water resources, especially rivers, remains preserved and that immediate action can be taken.
“The state government and Luas call on everyone, especially for the upcoming Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive season, to ensure all activities carried out do not have an impact on water resources that may affect WTP operations and the water supply,” he said.
The councillor urged members of the public to immediately report any suspicious activity that could potentially contribute to the pollution of water sources, and thus prevent such incidents from occurring.
“Luas calls on all parties to immediately provide information related to water quality problems, so the perpetrators can be found and brought to justice. Those who enable its investigation in successfully finding the perpetrators will be provided with protection, rewards and incentives, per Section 104 of the Luas Enactment 1999 (Amendment 2020), based on the offences that are compounded or fined.
“The maintenance and conservation of water resources is a shared responsibility, and as such the concern and cooperation of all parties is highly expected,” he said.
