KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — Police have launched an investigation following the discovery of eight barrels containing suspected chemical waste dumped in a drain at Kampung Desa Aman, Sungai Buloh, on Tuesday.

Selangor police chief Datuk Hussein Omar Khan said the investigation is being carried out under Section 430 of the Penal Code.

"The investigation is ongoing to identify those responsible,” he told Bernama when contacted.

He added that samples of the substance have been collected and sent to the Department of Chemistry for analysis.

Meanwhile, Selangor Department of Environment director Nor Aziah Jaafar said the eight barrels have been taken to a safe disposal site in Bukit Tagar last night.

"Preliminary analysis suggests the chemical waste may be an ammonia solution. The investigation is still ongoing to track down the perpetrators,” she said.

Yesterday, the media reported that eight barrels containing liquid, believed to be chemical waste, were found dumped in a drain at Kampung Desa Aman, and the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) received information about the incident at 9pm on Tuesday.

The JBPM Hazardous Chemicals Special Team (Hazmat) also assisted in cleaning the site and collecting samples of the chemicals involved.

Selangor Public Health and Environment Committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin reportedly said that observations by the Selangor Water Management Authority found that the drain leads into Sungai Gasi and subsequently to Sungai Buloh, with no intake points from water treatment plants downstream of the area. — Bernama