The factory is also issued with a 2-week stop work order for the alleged odour pollution in Sungai Semenyih

by TMR / pic by MUHD AMIN NAHARUL

THE Selangor Department of Environment (DoE) has opened an investigation paper to charge the factory owner for allegedly causing the shutdown of the Semenyih Water Treatment Plant (LRA) on Aug 31 and later on Sept 3.

According to the Environment and Water Ministry (KASA), the food factory in Beranang, Selangor, has been issued a two-week stop work order from yesterday as the plant is believed to be the cause of the odour pollution in Sungai Semenyih.

The LRA was temporarily closed due to the detection of odour causing substances by Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) after 2 TON (threshold odour number) level reading was recorded at the Jenderam Hilir inlet at 5.15pm last Friday.

The shutdown caused unscheduled water supply disruptions in 463 areas in five Air Selangor regions, namely Petaling (172 areas), Hulu Langat (54 areas), Sepang (194 areas), Putrajaya (23 areas) and Kuala Langat (20 areas).

Investigations by the Selangor DoE were conducted last Thursday and Friday which revealed that the plant was operational and several industrial effluent discharges.

Subsequently, the river water samples at the inlet were taken and sent to the chemistry department for chemical composition analysis.

“Further investigations were conducted at midnight last Friday and air quality surveillance carried out at the factory’s final discharge point (prior to public drains) had detected several substances namely volatile organic compounds (VOC) in the air which released an odour similar to the VOC substances detected in the water samples taken during the LRA shutdown on Aug 31,” KASA said in a statement yesterday.

As a result, KASA said the DoE issued a notice to the factory under Section 38 (1) (a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, to stop pollution immediately and the factory production process has been suspended until further notice.

The case is being investigated under Section 25 (1) Environmental Quality Act 1974 and the Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009.

KASA said the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) had also taken the waste water samples as well as other evidence and an investigation paper has been opened under Section 121 (1) (C) of the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655) that is a contamination of water offence, which if convicted, provides for a maximum imprisonment of 10 years or a fine not exceeding RM500,000.00 or both.

Separately, Air Selangor corporate communications head Elina Baseri said the water supply at the 463 affected areas had fully restored at noon yesterday.

Air Selangor would like to thank consumers for their patience and cooperation during the unscheduled water supply disruption period.