BUTTERWORTH: The reek of animal dung that has been plaguing a housing estate the last four years, will be a thing of the past, come next month.
The heavy stench and odour - from a cluster of pig, chicken and duck farms - have been affecting the health and damaging the homes and buildings of thousands of residents, schools, offices and factories in the mixed industrial-residential vicinity of Sungai Jawi, Sungai Bakap on mainland Penang.
One of the most affected is that of Taman Hijauan Valdor, an upmarket gated community residency that sits along a canal where the animal waste is discharged into.
Batu Kawan member of parliament Kasthuri Patto assured that the Penang state government had approved for a bio-gas plant to be constructed in the area by next month.
"Also, the project will involve the diversion of animal waste sludges to this plant.
"The construction of the premise is scheduled to be completed within 18 months and operational within 24 months," she told The New Straits Times.
She added that the authorities would plan for the traditional animal farms to be converted to closed-farming, with zero-discharge.
"This, we hope will reduce the terrible odour and pollution in areas affected by the animal waste," Kasthuri assured.
She agreed with the residents and understood their predicament, as she herself often got a whiff of the stench from time to time.
"Rest assured, we are on the heels of these farmers and will be on the ground to resolve the issue with a win-win situation for the farmers and residents," Kasthuri said.
She divulged that Penang state executive councillor for Health, Agriculture, Agro-based Industries and Rural Development Dr Norlela Ariffin had also warned that errant farmers who continued to flout the law will have their farms closed.
The pig farms in Valdor, Kasthuri added, had been in existence there for more than 70 years (before the development of housing estates) and had been using a traditional method of discharging the animal waste.
Kasthuri said the local authorities had issued numerous summonses to delinquent and errant farmers but it did not arrest the problem at source.
She said that the state government had consulted stakeholders in the area and moved mountains to come up with the 'Pig Farming Enactment 2016'.
"This was done to educate, reprimand and punish errant and stubborn farmers who irresponsibly discharged non-treated waste into the drainage system.
"The Act is also in line to promote a proper modern pig farming in Penang," Kasthuri said.
Other measures undertaken were the enforcement – by the Seberang Prai City Council and Veterinary Department - of stricter guidelines for the farmers to upgrade their facilities from the traditional to the conventional closed-farming ones.
Kasthuri said that the animal farms had been around there for decades and had contributed to the growth and economy of Penang, particularly in the Valdor village.
"However, with rapid development in the surrounding areas of Valdor village, the animal farmers did not upgrade their waste disposal system.
Speaking on behalf of the affected residents, Yeoh Jun Quan welcomed the initiative and development by the authorities.
"We residents are not involved in any politics but just want to highlight this issue, for the benefit of all concerned.
"The issue is long overdue and we want to what form of action the authorities will take to resolve the matter, as soon as possible," Yeoh said, adding that the pollution had affected their daily lives.
It has been reported that the animal farm issue arose from rapid development in recent years at South Seberang Prai, especially near the second Penang bridge.
The animal waste discharge that flows through a canal from Valdor to Bandar Cassia near the second bridge toll plaza, spills into the sea.
This is believed to pollute the groundwater, threatening the marine environment, seafood production and fishermen's catch.
Also affected are several fish farms near Sungai Jawi's estuary, off Pulau Aman and Pulau Gudung.
It is learnt that there are as many as 43 pig and 57 poultry farms in the area, which contributed to very high ammoniacal nitrogen effluent-content in the canals.
The resident said that the pungent odour even penetrated their air-conditioned homes and stained their laundry, while the polluted environment corroded metal doors, locks, gates, taps, electrical fittings and even motor vehicles.
"Corrosion is so great that even coins left in the open are severely affected," Yeoh said, adding that some of their up-market homes were each bought from anywhere around RM500,000 onwards.