THE sabotage in the Sg Selangor pollution may be the work of anglers who frequented the river, said Selangor police chief Noor Azam Jamaludin.

He said Two-B Machineries Sdn Bhd, a contractor under the state government-owned Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB), lodged a report over the matter at the Bestari Jaya police station yesterday.

“We have carried out investigations and found that clips from the hose on two diesel drums were dismantled. About 100l of benzene diesel were spilled.

“The complainant said before the incident, there were two or three anglers at the site.

“When the workers asked them (anglers) to leave the area, they refused to do so. So, there’s a high probability that they sabotaged (the drums),” he said at the Sg Selangor Phase 2 Water Treatment Plant today.

Mining firm KSSB said it detected about 6.15pm yesterday the source of the diesel spill that forced the shutdown of four plants, which led to more than a million households suffering dry taps. 

Azam said the police investigation would determine whether the case was an act of sabotage or negligence.

“Investigations will be carried out with Syabas to determine the cause of (the pollution),” he said.

On whether the anglers could be nabbed for trespassing, Azam said it was an open area and had not been fenced up. 

“There is a possibility that a lot of anglers visit the area. 

“The pontoon was in the middle of the river. Beneath the pontoon, there are a lot of fish, which is why they (anglers) frequent the area.”

He added the pontoon had not been operational for two months, and that workers were only there to guard the equipment.

“The workers said they saw a motorcycle but not its registration plate number.”

Azam said the anglers could be charged under Section 430 of the Penal Code for mischief by injury to works of irrigation or by wrongfully diverting water, which carries a jail term of up to 30 years, a fine, or both, upon conviction. – July 22, 2019.