SHAH ALAM: Selangor Barisan Nasional’s Permatang assemblyman Datuk Sulaiman Abdul Razak, has taken the Selangor government to task over its accusation that BN and Umno were behind the water pollution at Sungai Semenyih.
He said it was also unfortunate that the Pakatan-led state government had yet to back up its accusations with proof.
Sulaiman, speaking to reporters at the Selangor legislative assembly sitting today, said it was unfair for the state government to accuse BN and Umno of sabotaging Sungai Semenyih and being the cause of the water pollution, without any proof.
Sulaiman said the Pakatan state government was suffering from ‘denial syndrome’. The state government, he said, refused to accept the fact that the Semenyih river pollution was due to factories operating along the riverbanks, as well as illegal sand-mining.
“If the state government is certain of the matter, they should enclose proof to support their allegation over the water pollution issue.
Sulaiman said that in the past, Pakatan had blamed Syabas (before Syabas was taken over).
“And now, they are blaming the Department of Environment and even police for sabotaging the water supply.
“This is what we call denial syndrome. They are unable to accept reality,” he said.
Sulaiman also expressed his disappointment at the lack of explanation offered by Pakatan following their accusation. He said the Selangor government appeared to be fond of making the Federal government its scapegoat for the former’s weakness in managing the water supply.
The Sungai Semenyih Water Treatment Plant, since September, was forced to close several times due to contamination at Sungai Semenyih. The repeated closures had led to water supply disruptions affecting more than a million people in the Klang Valley.
Meanwhile, the state government said a total of 35 factories have been inspected following the recent pollution in Sungai Semenyih.
Following the checks, it was discovered that eight factories had been operating illegally under the authorities’ noses, without any permit from the Kajang Municipal Council.
State Exco for Local Government, New Village Development and Legalising of Illegal Factories, Ean Yong Hian Wah, said a survey was done by the district land office last year for its Legalisation of Unlicensed Factories programme, involving 2,978 lots.
“In that period, a total of 1,333 lots submitted applications. Only 1,087 were approved,” he told the Selangor state legislative assembly today.
He said in a bid to stop river pollution from happening again, the state government will not allow any illegal factories to operate near major rivers. He said stern action will be taken against land owners and plant operators who fail to comply with the law.
Yong said the state government has set up a committee, chaired by the state secretary, to monitor water quality and activities carried out along the rivers.
The Seri Kembangan assemblyman said several recommendations have been laid down. Among the suggestions, he said, include increasing enforcement at river basins of the raw water source, improving test tools technology, relocating factories, as well as and installing closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) to examine the effluent discharged from factories.