GEORGE TOWN: The pollution at Sungai Keluang near the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone here is suspected to have been caused by a discharge from a water treatment facility.
State Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said the Department of Environment (DOE) was probing to pinpoint the exact cause of the pollution.
He said preliminary investigation revealed that the cause was likely to be effluents discharged from an Indah Water (IWK) treatment facility nearby.
“Our DOE officers are investigating. We are working with IWK on this issue. We have been informed that IWK is doing some upgrading works and DOE has taken action to remedy the matter,” he told New Straits Times (NST) today
In a statement issued earlier in the day, Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) urged DOE and the Penang Island City Council to immediately investigate the discharge of white foamy substance which had polluted Sungai Keluang near the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone here.
CAP acting president Mohideen Abdul Kader said it was concerned over the content of the foamy substance.
This, Mohideen said, was because if it contained hazardous chemicals, it then could cause adverse effects to the environment, threaten fishermen's source of income and potentially affect public health.
CAP found that the foamy discharge flowed into Sungai Keluang from the Bayan Lepas industrial zone, through a channel located in the area and was dispersed to the nearby sea and fishing area.
Technician Mohd Jamal Muhammad Saffuan, 43, who works at a factory nearby, said he noticed the foamy discharge in the murky river a few days ago.
He said he had not paid attention to it until it began to emit a foul smell.
“The authorities need to be stricter with the condition and quality of the rivers here as there are many factories here and effluents discharged into the river could be hazardous,” he said.