TASEK GELUGOR: Residents of Taman Tasek Gelugor Utama here, as well as other nearby residential areas, have been forced to keep their doors shut and only open them when necessary, to avoid the foul odour coming from a nearby drain.
They claim they have been enduring the nauseating smell for over a year, which they believe is due to several irresponsible individuals dumping pig waste from a farm in Kampung Selamat into Sungai Kereh.
The polluted water then flows into the drainage system, affecting several housing areas around Tasek Gelugor.
A technician, Mohamad Syafiq Husain, 29, said the residents had raised the odour issue long before the housing area was developed, but to date, no solution has been found.
"I've read many reports about the pollution caused by pig waste being discharged into Sungai Kereh, which then pollutes the environment. The area is far from this housing development.
"This housing area is relatively new, and most of us, including myself, moved here about a year ago. My wife and I chose to buy a house here because we thought it was far from the pig farms, but our assumption turned out to be wrong, and now we are facing the same problem," he said when met at his home.
He added that the unpleasant smell has been a common complaint among the residents, and they are now taking steps like closing their house doors and installing ventilation systems to reduce the smell.
"What can we do? We've already bought houses here, so we just have to endure it.
"The smell gets worse when it rains, and it's especially bad at night," he said, noting that even the shophouses in front of the residential area face the same issue.
Resident Nurul Asyikin Mohamad, 30, hoped the authorities could take action to reduce the pollution for the well-being of the residents.
"My house is quite far from the drain, but the smell still reaches here. It usually comes at certain times, but it still makes us feel nauseous and unwell.
"This issue isn't only affecting the residents of this housing area, but also other residential areas around here, so we hope this problem can be solved soon," she said.