KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 4 ― Minister of Science and Technology Khairy Jamaluddin proposed heavier fines for water polluters and the amendment of the Water Services Industry Act and the Environmental Quality Act.
In a tweet today, he also said that water should be parked under national security as it is an essential resource.
“The government should amend the Water Services Industry Act & the Environmental Quality Act to provide heavier penalties to those who pollute water resources. Water resources should be seen as a category of national security. (I) Will be brought to the Cabinet,” he tweeted today.
Wajar kerajaan meminda Akta Industri Perkhidmatan Air & Akta Kualiti Alam Sekeliling untuk memperuntukkan hukuman yang lebih berat kepada mereka yang mencemarkan sumber air. Sumber air perlu dilihat sebagai kategori keselamatan negara. Akan dibawa ke Jemaah Menteri.
— Khairy Jamaluddin 🇲🇾🌺 (@Khairykj) September 4, 2020
This is not the first time a Cabinet member has suggested the amendment as previous energy, science, technology, environment and climate change minister Yeo Bee Yin also had proposed the same on February 23.
Khairy’s tweet caught the attention of Kota Anggerik State Assemblyman Najwan Halimi who said the same suggestion was brought up in the Selangor State Assembly last July.
“Agreed. The same recommendation was made when I discussed the motion of the Special Select Committee Statement on Selangor Water Resource Management regarding Water Resource Pollution to Cause Unplanned Task Stops on Water Treatment Plants and Emergency Supply, last July,” he tweeted.
Setuju.
— Najwan Halimi 🇲🇾 (@NajwanHalimi) September 4, 2020
Syor sama telah dikemukakan tatkala saya bahas usul Penyata J/kuasa Pilihan Khas Mengenai Pengurusan Sumber Air Selangor berhuhung Pencemaran Sumber Air Sehingga Menyebabkan Henti Tugas Tidak Berjadual Loji-Loji Rawatan Air Dan Pembekalan Semasa Kecemasan, Julai lalu. https://t.co/ndp8l9MAuu
Earlier today, Selangor state media Selangorkini reported president of the Water and Energy Research Association of Malaysia (AWER) S. Piapakaran as saying that the state government finds it difficult to address the issue of river pollution because the Environment Act 1974 is under the jurisdiction of the federal government.
He said the limited powers caused agencies such as local authorities (PBT) to face constraints in effective enforcement.
He also proposed that the Act include a clause requiring factory owners who cause water supply disruptions to pay compensation to those affected.
The Environmental Quality Act 1974 which aims to prevent, eliminate and control pollution was enacted on April 15, 1975 and amended four times in 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2001.
The enforcement process is done by the Department of Environment (DOE) under the Ministry of Environment and Water with the relevant act providing for five things namely air pollution, noise pollution, water pollution, soil pollution and scheduled waste control.
Around 1.2 million users in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor face water supply disruption for another four days due to contamination at the water treatment plants in Sungai Selangor Phases 1, 2, 3 and Rantau Panjang.
According to Suhaimi Kamaralzaman, the chief executive of Air Selangor, the plants need to be at a contamination level of 0TON (threshold order number) before the water is safe for consumption.
The pollution in Sungai Selangor has been traced to a machinery maintenance factory in Rawang — which in the past was compounded RM60,000 for the same offence.
Selangor Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said the state government and relevant authorities have been working around-the-clock to address the water crisis and ordered the factory to close immediately.
