KAJANG: The people of Kampung Sungai Balak here are worried about an illegal dump site next to their village.
A villager, who wished to be known only as Shariffah, said they were affected by smoke from the burning rubbish and the movement of garbage trucks even though the dump site was located at the far end of the village.
“To my knowledge, the dump site has been in use for more than two years.
“However, this is not the original spot. Initially, the site was just 100m away and it was smelly.”
Shariffah said garbage trucks passed through the village daily.
“What scares me is that the lorry drivers and those involved in the operations look unfriendly.
“I’m scared to walk in my own village with so many strangers around,” she said.
Actionline found that the illegal dump site is fenced up.
ACTIONLINE:
The Kajang Municipal Council (MPKJ) will send a team from its Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Department to raid the site next week.
MPKJ assistant environmental officer Muhammad Nazir Awang told Actionline that the operator of the illegal dump site was “stubborn”.
He said the council had raided the site before to try to put a stop to the illegal activities.
“If I had my way, I would monitor the area every day to stop the illegal operation from continuing.”
Nazir said Kampung Sungai Balak was not the only village with such a problem.
“This month, the council went to seven locations to stop similar operations of illegal dumpsites.
“Summonses were issued and lorries used for illegal dumping were seized,” he said, adding that MPKJ had spent more than RM250,000 to stop these operations.
An MPKJ spokesman said the council had seized 129 lorries and issued 12 compounds to illegal dump site operators.
“Compared with last year, MPKJ has reduced illegal waste disposal activities by almost 80 per cent,” she said.