IPOH: THE Ipoh City Council is now turning to the WhatsApp instant messaging application to nab litter bugs.
Ipoh mayor Datuk Harun Rawi said city folk could soon snap pictures of the culprits and WhatsApp the council.
It is now in the midst of getting the line.
“We hope to curb the problem of littering and illegal dumping in the city by using WhatsApp,” he said, adding that besides the pictures, the sender should furnish information like the location where the pictures were taken as well as the date and time of the offence.
Harun said the council was turning to the public to contain the issue as their enforcement officers were overwhelmed with other duties.
“Our officers have their own work to do and they cannot be going around every corner to catch the culprits,” he said, adding that the council was considering a small reward for the whistleblower.
Harun was speaking to reporters after chairing the last month’s full board meeting recently.
“Earlier, we did think of putting CCTVs at littering and illegal dumping hotspots but it would be costly,” he said.
Harun noted that the council clears 98 per cent of rubbish in the city daily.
“Yet, we still see illegal dumpsites cropping up due to the bad habit of throwing rubbish indiscriminately.”
Harun urged Ipoh folk to only take out their rubbish on the scheduled collection day and ensure that the garbage bags are properly tied up to keep strays and pests from foraging them.
During the meeting earlier, councillor Datuk Lee Heng urged the council to clean up the Jalan Sg Kinta and D.R. Seenivasagam Park area.
He said there were many complaints of clogged drains, polluted rivers and mosquito breeding grounds.
“Please do something about it before the two areas turn into dengue hotspots,” he urged.
For now, those who want to lodge reports against litterbugs and illegal dumping activities can visit www.mbi.gov.my.