DoE fines factory RM10,000 for discharging waste

 

Drones used by the Penang environment department revealed the pollution was caused by effluent from a food processing factory. (Penang DoE pic/Bernama)

BUTTERWORTH: The Penang environment department (DoE) has issued a RM10,000 compound notice to a food processing factory here for causing water pollution by discharging effluent into a public drain.

Its director, Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab, said the department had received complaints of contaminated river water in the area.

“DoE conducted checks using drones and found that the pollution was caused by discharge from a food-based factory.

“Further checks found that the factory had breached the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Waste) Regulations by failing to operate its industrial effluent treatment system properly,” she said in a statement today, Bernama reported.

She said apart from the compound fine, the factory was ordered to stop releasing the effluent into the drain.

“The factory was also instructed to upgrade its existing effluent treatment system and to ensure it complies with the law,” she added. - FMT