KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Water Association (MWA) has urged all quarters to stop politicising water pollution issues.
Its president Datuk Ir. Abdul Kadir Mohd Din said the authorities should instead arrest the polluters or operators of illegal factories and start regulating the factories that are within water catchment areas.
Following the rise in water pollution which caused unscheduled water supply disruptions, he said all parties should also stop finger-pointing and work collaboratively to curb further pollution to waterways.
"The spate of this related issue in the span of a year, ranging from the dumping of black oil into the sewerage system back in July 2019, followed by the pollution in Sungai Semenyih, Bukit Bandar Mahkota, Bukit Sentosa and most recently, the pollution in Sungai Gong, Sungai Batang Benar and Sungai Selangor have upset and frustrated the public severely.
"In all these instances, the visibly afflicting symptom is the disruption of water supply.
"However, when given more thought, the crux of the issue points back to the polluters and illegal factories. It is high time we stop finger-pointing and start putting these criminals to task. Enough is enough," he said in a statement today.
The closure of four water treatment plants recently saw 1,139,008 households in 1,279 areas affected by water disruptions due to solvent-like odour detected in the river.
Abdul Kadir also said everyone should manage water properly as it is limited due to growing demand.
"Coupled with the recent water disruptions due to pollution, stricter enforcement is required to eradicate elements of pollution before more unscheduled water disruptions happen.
"It is time an Independent Special Task be formed to investigate the issues in full transparency without fear and report directly to the Prime Minister. Results of the investigation must be made known to the public," he added.