By Jerry Choong
SHAH ALAM, May 2 — The quick reaction of the authorities has managed to prevent further contamination of Sungai Kabul after monitoring discovered the cause, said state executive councillor for the environment Hee Loy Sian.
He said the source of the pollution was traced to a factory premise which was conducting cube test washing activities and where traces of diesel oil stains were discovered.
This comes after the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas), Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd, the National Water Services Commission (Span), Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) and the police conducted monitoring activities yesterday and found the river in an oily condition with a diesel odour that Luas traced to several locations and premises in the Mahkota Utama industrial area.
"Based on Luas' preliminary investigations it is believed the activity was carried out in the past 24 hours based on the clear traces seen in the area and nearby drainage," Hee said in a statement yesterday.
Luas took preventive measures by placing two bags of activated carbon to deodorise the water from the drainage and one oil boom unit at the premise's flow as a further control measure. Similarly, two oil boom units and seven activated carbon bags were placed in Sungai Kabul.
"The quick on-site action to prevent diesel contamination in the river flow also managed to avoid the possibility of the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant having to stop operations as a result.
"The mitigation steps and close monitoring from time to time were conducted by Luas with involved parties to ensure no contamination occurred," he said.
The incident is being investigated by Luas under Seksyen 79(1)(d) of the Luas Enactment 1999, with the premise in question ordered to conduct immediate cleaning activities to stop the odour pollution. The police are also conducting forensic investigations on the findings.
"The Kajang Municipal Council and the Environmental Department will also take relevant action under their jurisdiction to ensure the issue does not recur. Under Section 79 (1)(a) of the Luas (Amendment) Enactment 2020, any form of water source pollution is liable to no more than three years imprisonment and a fine of no less than RM200,000 and not exceeding RM1 million, if found guilty.
"Luas and Air Selangor are currently conducting static monitoring in Sungai Semenyih to detect pollution even earlier should it occur for immediate mitigation. Luas' odour sampling frequency has also been increased to every 30 minutes from one hour in addition to patrols in identified areas of focus," Hee said.
The councillor added Luas and all involved parties are committed and prepared to ensure no pollution can occur throughout the Hari Raya Aidilfitri festive period leading to water supply disruption for users.
"The Selangor state government will not compromise with any party that commits the crime of water source pollution and stern action will be taken in line with the Luas Enactment 1999. We call upon everybody to be aware of activities that can potentially contribute to water source pollution in the state and report any suspicious activities to Luas for immediate action," he said.
Earlier on April 30, a diesel odour was detected at the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant which resulted in an unscheduled water disruption to some parts of the Klang Valley and resulted in no water for 463 Selangor areas for over half a day.
