KUALA LUMPUR – Industries at risk of causing pollution to raw water sources and surface water intakes of water treatment plants (LRAs), including the livestock industry, need to be regulated and listed in the legislation.
Water quality expert Dr Zaki Zainudin said this would help control development in the river basin and prevent further pollution.
“River basin management is very important, prevention is better than treatment. This is because development in the river basin occur continuously, so there will always be new sources of pollution.
“If we can create a list of industries that are high risk and prevent them from entering the areas (near raw water sources and surface water intakes of LRA), that will be a proactive step,” he told Bernama as a guest on the ‘Ruang Bicara’ programme produced by Bernama TV here Oct 7.
Citing the Environmental Quality Act 1974, Zaki said there were sections in the Act which listed the prescribed activities with certain conditions.
This, he said, was due to pollution caused by livestock farms not being listed in the Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009, under the same Act, aimed at controlling industrial waste emissions.
On Monday, Bernama reported that the Environment and Water Ministry (KASA) had identified the organic waste and compounds found in the bush on the edge of the industrial area at Jalan Emas in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan as the main pollution source of Sungai Semenyih.
The pollution caused two LRAs in Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi to cease operations, causing unscheduled water disruptions affecting 309,687 account holders in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang.
— BERNAMA
