Repeat offender factory behind Selangor, KL water disruption fined and sealed off

Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the factory in Sungai Gong which is believed to have caused the water supply disruption in the state has been handed a compound, while a state exco revealed that the same factory had been fined before for a similar offence in March.

"The factory has been sealed off and investigation papers have been opened against it," Amirudin said in a tweet today.

He added that appropriate action has been taken under the jurisdiction permitted, which would likely involve sanctions under federal laws and action by the Attorney-General's Chambers.

Earlier, Environment, Green Technology, Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) and Consumer Affairs exco Hee Loy Sian (below) said a joint operation by Selangor Water Management Board (Luas), Jabatan Air Selangor and his office found that the industrial premises from which the discharge is believed to have been released was a heavy machinery maintenance plant operated by Yip Chee Seng and Sons Sdn Bhd.

Hee said the factory had been fined RM60,000 for a similar offence on the first day of the movement control order back in March.

"All maintenance takes place here. Every time they carry out maintenance, they release black oil which is mixed with fresh diesel oil and this discharge is not disposed of properly - thus it will flow to Sungai Gong,” he was quoted as saying by TV Selangor.

The discharge, he said, was believed to be responsible for the odour pollution which led to the temporary closure of the Sungai Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 water treatment plants, as well as the Rantau Panjang Water Treatment Plant, which remains non-operational.

Yesterday, Luas said that effluents with solvent-like odour from the Sungai Gong industrial area were believed to be the cause of water supply disruptions which affected 1,292 areas in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

Investigations conducted in collaboration with Pengurusan Air Selangor and several other agencies were ongoing, it added. 

"Currently, odour sampling is being done around Sungai Gong, because we suspect industrial premises there may have released effluents with a solvent-like odour into the river," Luas said.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Dewan Pemuda Ikatan Malaysia called on the authorities to take stern action against the factory in Sungai Gong.

Its chief Shahir Adnan said actions such as closing the industrial premises involved and withdrawing their operating licence should be done so that such incidents would not happen again.

"Today's situation shows that those who damage our river seem to ignore legal action, probably because it is too light for them, or there is no strict enforcement by the local authority.

"The closure of the factory for 14 days for further investigation and cleaning work, as well as warning notices are seen as failing to curb this problem. Strict action should be taken so that it does not happen again," he said in a statement today.

Earlier, Otai Reformis secretary Abdul Razak Ismail had called for the salaries of Amirudin, Hee, Luas director Hashim Osman and Air Selangor CEO Suhaimi Kamaralzaman to be deducted by RM10 every time there is a water disruption in the future as "a fine" for their failure to solve the state's persistent water problems. - Mkini