KUALA LUMPUR: Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd (IWK) today denied that the black discolouration of water at Sungai Gong yesterday was due to effluent discharge from its Rawang Integrated Industrial Park Sewage Treatment Plant (GBK134).
In a statement today, IWK said it believes that the effluent was released by an illegal waste disposal unit near the plant, and that the water had turned a deep yellow.
IWK chief executive officer Narendran Maniam said chemical dosage works were immediately carried out to control the situation.
He said staff at the plant first noticed that non-sewage waste was present in the plant's inlet chamber, causing water in the final stage of treatment at the plant to be imbued a deep yellow.
Accordingly, IWK staff immediately began cleaning operations, which are still ongoing, and are expected to be completed later today.
"Our staff at the plant are monitoring and controlling the influx of wastewater into the plant. We believe there was illegal waste disposal near our plant, causing it to flow into our plant," Narendran added.
The treatment plant is an 'oxidation ditch (OD) plant' that connects to 11,106 households, covering only industrial areas.
In a statement yesterday, the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) said it received a report on the discolouration of water in Sungai Gong, and based on investigations, found that the foamy and coloured effluent had been discharged from the IWK sewage treatment plant.
Narendran said Luas' statement will confuse the public, as the real cause of the pollution was probably illegal waste disposal.
He said sewage treatment plants are designed to treat wastewater, and are not capable of treating chemicals or other wastes illegally discharged into the sewer pipeline.
"It is frustrating that IWK often becomes an easy target for any water pollution incident, such as in this case, without any thorough investigation."
He said IWK has always ensured that operation and maintenance works at all 7,000 plants under its supervision are in accordance with the specifications and procedures set by the authorities.
"Non-sewage waste is often placed in sewer chambers by irresponsible parties. Hence, it is better for all parties to work together in addressing the issue of actual pollution," added Narendran.
Disposal of non-sewage waste is an offence under the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (WSIA 2006).