PM Calls for Serious Enforcement of Laws to Avert Water Pollution
Bernama – 16/4/2006
KUALA LUMPUR - Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said Sunday serious enforcement of regulations by the relevant government agencies would avert pollution of water sources.

He said such enforcement would be effective in averting the pollution of water sources and also prevent the discarding of refuse in drains that could result in floods.

The agencies should also always monitor the water sources to ensure that they did not get polluted, he told reporters after launching the national-level Rakan Cop programme, here.

Abdullah was responding to questions from reporters on the pollution of the Sungai Semenyih yesterday that resulted in disruption of water supply for 24 hours to four districts in Selangor, as well as the KL International Airport (KLIA).

The pollution, as a result of leachate from the Sungai Chembong landfill of the Kajang Municipal Council, caused the operation of the Semenyih Water Treatment Plant to be stopped as the level of ammonia reached a dangerous level of 4.8 mg per litre, up from the normal level of 1.5 mg.

The incident is the second involving the water treatment plant owing to seepage of leachate from the same landfill. The first incident happened two years ago.

About two months ago, the Sungai Selangor was polluted by a high level of ammonia content, at 9.2 mg per litre, which caused a foul smell to the water supplied to people in the Klang Valley.

Abdullah said that though Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) had taken immediate measures to overcome the water pollution, there should be follow-up action by the company to ensure that water supplied to the people was always clean and safe for consumption.

"They had acted to supply clean water to the people faced with the problem ... that is the result of them having acted fast," he said.
Source: Bernama | www.bernama.com