SOME high-risk factories operating along riverbanks and basins in Selangor will be relocated as part of efforts to safeguard water sources from pollution, executive councillor Ng Sze Han told The Malaysian Insight.

Parts of Selangor and the Klang Valley have experienced back-to-back water cuts in the past few months, leaving more than a million taps dry.

Ng was responding to queries on whether the state will be stepping up enforcement near rivers to prevent dumping of industrial waste and effluents, which end up polluting water sources.

According to data from the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas), there are about 15,000 factories operating legally along Sg Selangor and Sg Langat.

“State agencies, such as the local councils, Luas, land office and others, are in the process of identifying the high-risk factories, and they have to be relocated.

“Immediate action will also be taken to meet the Department of Environment’s requirements,” said Ng, who is also local government, public transport and new village development committee chairman.

He said scheduled waste disposal comes under the department’s purview.

Factories are not the sole reason behind the water cuts in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, he said.

This includes the latest unscheduled water disruption on Tuesday because of raw water pollution in Sg Selangor, which affected 1.14 million accounts in 1,279 areas across Kuala Lumpur, Petaling, Klang, Shah Alam, Kuala Selangor, Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Kuala Langat.

Luas blames effluents from one of Indah Water Konsortium Sdn Bhd’s (IWK) sewage treatment plants for causing the latest disruption.

IWK, however, dismissed the allegation and said its plant was affected by illegal waste discharged by irresponsible parties.

Meanwhile, Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said authorities have traced the recent pollution to an illegal premises in Taman Velox, Rawang.

Initial findings revealed the operator had flushed off an “illegal discharge”, suspected to be scheduled waste through the toilet hole, which eventually led to the waste entering IWK’s system.

“We found that the smell of the waste matched the smell at IWK and water treatment plants,” he said. 

Selayang Municipal Council sealed off the premises and police arrested four individuals.

The Chemistry Department will also analyse the samples taken from the building.

Tuan Ibrahim warned that action will be taken against individuals polluting the environment.

He also reminded industries to ensure they adhere to guidelines and laws while managing scheduled waste.

Previously, Sg Gong’s pollution was caused by a factory that had disposed of hazardous materials into the tributary that feeds Sg Selangor.

The pollutants were believed to be used engine oil and other solvents, which eventually caused the temporary shutdown of the Sg Selangor Phase 1, 2 and 3 and Rantau Panjang water treatment plants.

Four men were arrested in connection with that case. The factory is also a repeat offender, having been previously compounded RM60,000 for polluting the river.

Last month, the water treatment plants in Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi temporarily ceased operations, leaving more than 270 areas in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang without water.

Preliminary investigations found the pollution at Sg Semenyih originated from an industrial area about 30km away in Nilai, Negri Sembilan. – November 13, 2020.