KUALA LUMPUR: Yet another unscheduled water disruption has left consumers fuming, with many venting their frustration on social media.
Syarikat Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd yesterday said more than 300,000 water account holders in 273 locations in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Kuala Langat and Sepang would experience water service disruption after pollution was detected in Sungai Semenyih.
This forced Air Selangor to halt the operations of water treatment plants in Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi.
The Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia (Awer) said it was time for the authorities to put their foot down on factories illegally operating along waterways.
Awer president S. Piarapakaran said state and federal governments must immediately scrutinise factories and buildings near rivers to ensure the safety and cleanliness of the rivers and to prevent repeated water pollution.
He said authorities needed to know what premises were operating near catchment areas and prevent factories from being built near rivers used for drinking or agricultural activities.
"The authorities have said that some illegal factories have been given time. "Why have they been given decades to move?
"Local authorities must take stern action against them.
"The state government and local authorities must map and identify businesses and factories, especially manufacturing facilities operating upstream, along the midstream and downstream, and determine if they have been releasing wastewater into rivers."
He said polluters would look at three perimeters before dumping their waste—they do it during the early hours, at isolated locations and during the inter monsoon season, when they believe pollutants would be flushed down the river.
"There is no point in scolding Air Selangor. The raw water is polluted by some irresponsible party and that's infecting our water sources. It's the authorities that they need to go after. The Selangor government definitely has a bigger role to play."
He called on the Environment and Water Ministry and Health Ministry to play their part in ensuring the drinking quality of clean raw water .
Meanwhile, LUAS, via its official Twitter account, confirmed that it had received reports of a foul smell similar to that of a carcass in Sungai Semenyih and Sungai Langat at 4.30pm yesterday.
"LUAS and other parties involved are probing the matter and taking the necessary mitigation measures," it said.