By Nadiah Zamlus
SHAH ALAM, April 14 — Used gloves, face masks and hand sanitiser bottles have polluted the Klang river throughout the Covid-19 outbreak since March, says the Landasan Lumayan Sdn Bhd (LLSB).
Its managing director Syaiful Azmen Nordin said the company, which is responsible with the cleansing and rehabilitation of Sungai Klang, had categorised the items as the latest discovery of waste to pollute the river.
“The people should properly dispose used face masks, hand sanitiser bottles and gloves and should not dump the rubbish indiscriminately.
“The waste materials that are dumped in the drain would end up polluting the river,” he said in a statement today.
LLSB, a subsidiary under Selangor Menteri Besar Incorporated (MBI), was formed in March last year to focus on the Selangor Maritime Gateway (SMG), an initiative by the state government to clean, rehabilitate and rejuvenate Sungai Klang.
Since last November, LLSB had collected 1,200 to 1,500 tonnes of waste along the river per month.
Last month, environmentalists in Hong Kong had voiced similar concern of discarded face masks piling up on local beaches and hiking trails.
Founder of the environmental group Oceans Asia, Gary Stokes, said the pollution of the face masks would have an effect on the environment.
