KUALA LUMPUR: The unscheduled water disruption that affected seven major districts in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur involving thousands of households from yesterday showed negligence on the part of the authorities in protecting river reserves from being polluted.
Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia president S. Piarapakaran said authorities such as the Department of Environment and Selangor Water Management Authority (LUAS) should have intensified checks along riversides and get tough with those channelling effluents or dumping waste into rivers and other water systems.
He was commenting on the four water treatment plants that had to be shut down following the discovery of pollutants in raw water in Sungai Selangor, causing taps to run dry in seven districts, including six in the state and one in Kuala Lumpur.
At press time, it was not known when the water cut would end.
Piarapakaran said people were especially vexed as the pandemic called for people to have uninterrupted water supply for bathing, cleaning and frequent hand washing, adding that having limited access to fresh water and queuing up at static tanks and water tankers would defeat the purpose of physical distancing rules.
"This is not the first time this has happened.
"Even during the first phase of the Movement Control Order (MCO), there had been water cuts in Sungai Selangor due to odour pollution," he said, adding that 60 per cent of the water extracted from the river was channelled to ratepayers in the Klang Valley.
"This as well as other water cuts during the period had prompted the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to say that it was monitoring areas hit by disruptions and rationing."
He said the incidents were consistent and had become commonplace over the past decade.
Selangor water reserves are a source of water for seven million people, or the entire population of the Klang Valley.
"We need to put an end to the problem now by closely monitoring the rivers for contaminants and also keep an eye on riverside establishments, such as factories and restaurants.
"They should have conducted weekly checks along the rivers, manholes and at riverside establishments.
"Such checks must be impromptu."
Piarapakaran said the authorities could sample moss or algae growing in drains to check for contamination.
He said the state had full power to blacklist or shutdown premises found to be polluting rivers and reminded authorities that their checks could reveal the culprits and allow the DoE and SPAN to take further action.
He urged the federal government to enforce the rarely-invoked Water Services Industry Act 2006, which prescribed the death penalty for those whose action of contaminating a water source had resulted in death.
The act also allows for imprisonment of up to 20 years and whipping for those found guilty.
Piarapakaran said the Environment Quality Act (EQA) should be amended to give more muscle for the government to sue the polluters for the damage and disruption to the economy, environment and society.
"Currently, the maximum fine for those found guilty of polluting a water body is RM500,000 and or jail time of five years."
He suggested boycott of products from polluters as a form of punishment.
"If we want to resolve river pollutions once and for all, industries polluting our rivers must be treated the same way as terrorists because they make people suffer."
EcoKnights president Yasmin Rashid said it was bizarre that the source of the pollution was still not known despite local authorities knowing the locations of registered industries.
"Do we have some magical business running along the riverbank, or are there people keeping their mouths shut?"
She said people were sick and tired of the frequent pollution in Sungai Selangor.
"This has been happening for the last 30 years and it seems that we will still be hearing this in the future."
She said development along the riverside in the last three decades, which included factories in Rawang, Batang Kali and Rantau Panjang that produced chemical fertilisers, could have changed the water body.
"We also have farms that are located too close to the river and could be contributors to pollution and sedimentation."
There should be harsher punishment for the culprits, she said, who should be taken to court.
"We need to stop this once and for all."
Environmental Protection Society of Malaysia vice-president Randolph Jeremiah said LUAS could monitor water quality in the river through a collaborative effort with all enforcement agencies.
"We know that many river catchment areas are developed for recreational activities with access roads, so it would be easy to monitor them daily."
"To monitor illegal dumping of waste material, we need enforcement agencies to work together and rigorously monitor our water catchment areas.
"Those guilty of polluting our rivers and water sources should be given heavy punishments."
He also stressed the urgent need to boost public awareness about the importance of keeping Sungai Selangor clean.
"Water is a precious commodity that will become scarce in the future.
"As a nation, we need to increase awareness that water does not come just from the pipes, but from our water catchments which need to be protected.
"Today, many have lost the connection with the natural environment and don't appreciate its role.
"Because of this, we need to review our education system and bring students outdoors to learn and appreciate nature." --Additional reporting by Dhesegaan Bala Krishnan