Clear e-waste site quickly, says water authority

The dump site next to the Sungai Muda appears to have been sealed off.

GEORGE TOWN: The national water regulator has urged the Kedah government to urgently clear a dump site containing plastic and e-waste next to Sungai Muda in Kuala Ketil because of the risk of contaminating river water.

National Water Services Commission chairman Charles Santiago said the proximity of the dumpsite to Sungai Muda poses a serious risk of contamination possibly from heavy metals.

Speaking to FMT, he said while drinking water supplied to homes have been treated and are devoid of the hazardous elements, the bigger concern was of crops that relied on the river.

“The danger is that the site is close to an intake point which supplies water to farms and rice crops. This borders on food security, too.

“We do not know if the river could be contaminated by heavy metals or other hazards from plastics on these river banks.

“The state government urgently has to move in to clear the area to stop possible further contamination of the river,” he said.

Earlier, it was revealed that a sand mining pool in Kg Belida, Kuala Ketil, a village some 30km east of Sungai Petani, was found to be filled with plastic waste, comprising mostly electronic waste.

It is learnt that authorities yesterday sealed off the site from the public.

Separately, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said it was concerned over the spate of illegal waste dumping along Sungai Muda, especially over the large electronic waste found there.

It said stringent checks ought to be carried out throughout the river so as to not cause serious contamination of the river.

“The dumping in Kampung Belida, just metres away from Sungai Muda, a major water source for Kedah and Penang, is an irresponsible act and the perpetrators must be heavily penalised.

“Malaysia needs to step up enforcement and implementing a good tracking and monitoring system. As we have been burdened of cleaning up illegal dumpsites of foreign waste, the imports of plastic and e-waste must be prohibited.

“Increasingly, we are seeing that it is communities that are more vigilant in highlighting the illegal dumping and recycling,” SAM said in a statement to FMT.

It said the real danger of e-waste was that it could leach into the river through the contamination of the groundwater. It said electronic products contain toxic materials such as lead, zinc, nickel, flame retardants, barium, chromium, among others.

“When electronic waste is dumped indiscriminately and gets warmed up or under the hot sun, toxic chemicals will also be released into the air.

“Heavy metals contained within the devices which are disassembled during the recycling process will leach into the surrounding environment and contaminate the groundwater,” SAM said. - FMT