KUALA LUMPUR: The authorities should be vigilant and pro-active in conducting regular checks on factories and activities along the rivers to prevent future water pollution incidents.
Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the authorities should also put in new standard operating procedures (SOPs) to identify and rectify possible flashpoints to prevent more disruptions.
"It is not difficult to identify factories and activities along the rivers-upstream, midstream and downstream, and then conduct regular checks on them to ensure compliance with existing rules and regulations.
"If necessary, relocate the illegal factories and license them.
"Please stop saying you are investigating after an incident has happened. The public would like the enforcers to act before incidents happen," he said in a statement today.
This comes on the heels of yet another water disruption, due to the pollution of Sungai Semenyih.
The pollutants allegedly originated from a duck and goose farm near Sungai Pajam in Negeri Sembilan, which entered a Sungai Semenyih tributary.
This forced Syarikat Pengurusan Air Selangor Sdn Bhd (Air Selangor) to halt operations of water treatment plants in Sungai Semenyih and Bukit Tampoi.
Lee said the latest water disruption brought to focus the "polluter pays" principle, where those who caused pollution should bear the cost of managing it to prevent damage to human health and the environment.
"It's fine to take the polluters to court later but what about the consumers and their suffering for which they receive no compensation, and not even an assurance that it will not happen again.
"I would like to commend Air Selangor for activating its emergency response plan to provide assistance to affected consumers."