BENTONG: Sabai state assemblywoman D. Kamache is upset that her constituency near here has been turned into a dumping ground again.
This was after 15 chemicals drums were found dumped at an oil palm plantation near here on Aug 1. To make matters worse, eight policemen who were investigating the case had to seek treatment after they fell sick.
The chemical drums believed to contain solid sodium cyanide.
The latest incident comes barely two months after an illegal plastic storage facility was discovered near a plantation in Karak.
Kamache expressed her frustration saying her constituency seems to have become a dumping ground for the plastic and chemicals wastes by certain unscrupulous quarters.
Describing the offenders as “criminals”, she said stern action needs to be taken as their irresponsible act seems to put others in danger, especially children.
“The barrels were dumped some 100m from residential areas and not far from a secondary school.
“Someone seems to have taken the easy way out to get rid of the chemical by dumping it at the plantation.
“Initial investigations revealed that the chemical was used in gold mines. The Department of Environment and police have inspected a gold mine near Kampung Cinta Manis here on Aug 3 but the company does not use such a chemical. So someone from elsewhere must have dumped the chemical here,” she said.
She added that all the 15 barrels contained white crystalline solid chemical and the contents were still full when they were discovered at the Felcra plantation.
“Earlier it was plastic waste and now chemicals. I hope the authorities will track down and nab those involved," she said, adding that a police report was lodged at the Karak police station on Aug 2.
On June 10, Kamache alleged that an illegal plastic waste dumping site was located on land supposedly belonging to the Central Spine Road (CSR) project and the plastic materials were brought from Canada.
Meanwhile, state deputy police chief Datuk Mohd Yusri Hasan Basri said only two policemen are still receiving treatment at Bentong Hospital while two others were allowed to return home yesterday.
He said the two policemen who were still warded are in stable condition and would be allowed to return home soon.
It was previously reported that eight policemen had complained of illness following their investigations into the barrels whereby four received outpatient treatment at the Karak Health Clinic while four others were warded at Bentong Hospital.
On Aug 1, members of the public alerted the authorities after they discovered the black barrels containing chemicals in some oil palm trees.