THE Seberang Prai Municipal Council (MPSP) will set up a special task force to address the illegal waste dumping problem in Machang Bubok, Bukit Mertajam, the biggest the council has ever faced.

Council president Rozali Mahmud said the task force would discuss proposals on setting monitoring and enforcement procedures to address the issue and to prevent similar cases in the future.

The task force will include councillors and various departments from the council.

“For now, we will keep the task force internal. If the need arises, we will include outside agencies. A task force cannot be too big. We want to prevent information leakage.

“This will not be easy, but we have to do something,” he told a press conference after a full council meeting in Bandar Perda today.

Rozali was asked to comment on the illegal dumping of wastes in Machang Bubok. It was reported that the area had become an illegal plastic waste dumpsite the size of six football fields.

MPSP earlier confirmed that no permit was issued for the site to be used as a dumpsite.

Rozali said this was the largest illegal dumpsite problem faced by the council.

“We never had a case as big as this. The usual cases of illegal waste dumping are small scale, like waste discarded at river banks that can be addressed quickly.”

However, when asked if the council lacked the enforcement capability to handle such cases since the illegal dumpsite issue was allegedly several years old, Rozali said MPSP could do the job.

“We are the biggest local authority in the country. We manage an area of 755,000 sq km, which is larger than Perlis and Singapore.

“We have the capability. Our enforcement officers also have the competency.

“If there is need to increase funds for enforcement under our 2020 budget, we will look into it,” he said.

Rozali said until now, MPSP had issued nine notices to the three landowners in Machang Bubok whose properties had been used for the illegal dumpsite.

Three notices were for abatement of nuisance, one for tearing down an illegal structure, two for operating without a licence, and three for illegal earthworks.

The landowners were ordered to clear the site of waste and return it to its original state.

“If we are to take them to court, they can face a maximum fine of RM500,000 for violating the Town and Country Planning Act,” he said.

Rozali said the council had limited authority, and must follow the law and regulations in taking action since the land was privately owned.

He said the council could not send officers into private property or simply install CCTV (closed-circuit television) cameras for monitoring purposes.

He also said the location in this case was remote, in an area where there are only oil palm trees and chicken farms.

“Such areas are usual locations for illegal waste dumping. We urge landowners to be responsible.

“We have laws and enforcement officers, but everyone should do their duty.” – March 21, 2019.