SEREMBAN: Discharge from a sewage plant located in a residential area near Sungai Sekah, Nilai is suspected of causing the river water to turn black and emit a foul odour.
State Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Climate Change, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman S. Veerapan said that a complaint on river pollution was received from a local resident named Ashri on Sept 8.
He added that the Negri Sembilan Department of Environment investigation team arrived at the site on the same day at 11.30am and met with the complainant, who is also a village resident.
"Initial investigations reveal that the river has been black and emitted a foul smell for some time. Two water samples were taken from the river for monitoring purposes.
"The State Water Regulatory Body also received information about a sewage plant suspected of discharging wastewater, which is believed to be the cause of the pollution.
"Following this, DoE officers, along with representatives from Indah Water Konsortium (IWK), entered the sewage treatment plant at 12.30pm to conduct an investigation," he said in a statement today.
Veerapan added that water samples were collected from both the sewage plant and Sungai Sekah by the relevant agency officers and sent to the Department of Chemistry Malaysia on Sept 10 for further action.
He added that further investigations led Negri Sembilan DoE to instruct IWK to implement immediate improvements to prevent undesirable incidents.
He said that the state government stresses the need for all parties to be responsible in maintaining environmental sustainability, including the quality of rivers which are a source of water for residents.
"The state government will not compromise on environmental issues, and strict actions will be taken against those found guilty or in violation of compliance regulations set by the authorities," he added.