LETTER | Industrial waste management should be a govt priority

LETTER | Despite trying its best, Selangor has not been able to overcome the problem of unscheduled water supply interruptions.

The latest occurred on July 23, when acid spilled from a recycling plant in Kuang. The spill polluted Sungai Kundang and Sungai Sembah, both feeder rivers to the Sungai Selangor water treatment plant.

The incident caused water cuts affecting hundreds of thousands of consumers. Selangor needs to undertake serious proactive steps to overcome this recurring problem that inconveniences Selangor folk who are totally dependent on the piped water supply.

July 23 was one of the hottest days - it was burning outdoors - amid the current hot spell and to cap it all, no water was flowing from the taps! Incidentally, July 21 was the hottest day recorded globally, according to press reports.

Possibly, it was the current dry spell that exposed the acid “leak”, which may have been going on previously undetected as it could have been hidden if not watered down by the frequent downpours. The drains and streams may have dried up, exposing the polluting acid.

This could not have been a one-off incident but possibly a regular one. Time and again it has been suggested that polluting industries near streams and rivers should be relocated or opt for a change of business.

Oil and chemicals are the primary pollutants nowadays and efforts should be made to monitor and control these industries from polluting.

Recycling is big business in Selangor and the state government needs to adopt some positive measures like engaging contractors to collect the polluting chemicals, oil, and other liquid waste from industries and dump them properly in landfills or other special sites.

This is perhaps the only way pollution of water sources can be controlled. Otherwise, it will be a losing battle.

Not all factory owners are environmentally conscious and avoid polluting water sources. Many take the opportunity during a heavy downpour to not only release liquid pollutants but also dump solids into the rivers.

It will be difficult to nab these stealthy culprits. Just like how domestic rubbish is collected by the local authorities, industrial pollutants, especially from SMEs, need to be similarly collected regularly.

This service can be free or subsidised as the main aim is to control pollution both on land and waterways. This should be regarded as a social service.

Additionally, Selangor needs to implement a waste separation scheme quickly to reduce the large amounts of recyclable plastics and other trash that end up in drains and rivers.

Recycling should be a top government priority and it is unwise to focus only on development.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.