Hazardous wastes dumped at Taman Maluri?

 

Letter to Editor

TAMAN Maluri is a suburb in Kuala Lumpur that was built in the 1970s. Although very near the new Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), it is adjacent to Pandan Jaya, a township in Selangor. Here, the Selangor border is closest to the city centre.

During unearthly hours when vehicles are few and traffic lights are all green, it is possible to drive from Jalan Kampung Pandan at the intersection with Jalan Imbi, pass through Jalan Perkasa, and reach the Selangor border in just two minutes.

But motorists are likely to stop at one or more of the four traffic lights along Jalan Perkasa at Taman Maluri. Those stopping at the last traffic light at the junction of Jalan Jejaka may spot some rusty 45-gallon drums dumped on the left side of the road.

The drums look heavy and sinister, giving the impression they contain hazardous wastes. Instead of transporting them to an authorised secluded site for proper disposal, irresponsible persons have conveniently dumped them next to this busy road.

The five drums on the ground are in between two billboards, both with the words “Kuala Lumpur Ceria” (meaning cheerful).

One has additional words “Anugerah seni dalam sejagat, menjadi kenangan abadi sepanjang hayat”. Translated, it means “The gift of art in the universe, becoming eternal memories throughout life”.

This reminds me of a slogan launched by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), which is “A City of Contrasts & Diversity”, with a tagline ‘exciting’, ‘surprising’ and ‘enticing’.

Like many grand-sounding vision and mission statements that are hollow, slogans can also be meaningless.

More importantly, local authorities like DBKL must always be vigilant and exercise duty of care, such as not disregarding the 45-gallon drums that may be filled with hazardous wastes and left for months at the roadside of Jalan Perkasa in Taman Maluri.

 

YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur

- Focus Malaysia

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.