Here they go again in Johor, Sungai Kim Kim-like, polluting the earth, air and water. Give them fire and metal, the remaining elements, they will pollute them, too. These are hardcore incorrigibles.
Fined or imprisoned, though this puzzlingly happens rarely, these rogue businessmen return to commit more of the same, with greater vengeance. Helped, of course, by greedy thug lorry drivers, who do the dumping on behalf of the unreformable men of dirty commerce.
Yes, it is easier to catch the goons on wheels, but does this stop such environmental offences from recurring? It certainly does not. The source of the crime — the wayward factory operators and other perverse men of commerce — oftentimes escapes.
If caught, it is just a slap on the wrist like in the case of Sungai Kim Kim. Plus statements by officials that the government can foot the bill, however well-intentioned they were, only encourage the defiant.
The 2019 stench of Sungai Kim Kim— metaphorically speaking, that is, is still with us. Close to a 1,000 people affected by the chemical pollution of the river are still living with its after effects. Why should the victims pay for the crimes of businesses? And why should the government pick up the tab for cleaning up the mess of the criminals?
One environmental expert, once a government officer, told this newspaper on Wednesday that the government spent several millions cleaning up Sungai Kim Kim. What is worse, the several millions remain unrecovered from the polluters.
Not unexpected. On March 13, 2019, more than 2,000 people faced severe health issues. What is more, 111 schools were reported closed because of the chemical contamination. The victims, too, have yet to be compensated. Time for class action? Over the years, polluters have learned how to make the government and the people foot the bill for their toxic ways. Is it any surprise that the list of the incorrigible is a long one, and growing by the day, too?
Cleaning up must mean more than restoring the rivers to their previous state. Pollution is a tale of before and after. Cleaning up after contamination has happened is very costly in more sense than one. 'Before" is best place to begin. And that place is at factories and business premises.
For one, they shouldn't be located near rivers and waterways. Those which are already there must be relocated. Factories and business premises must be compelled to dispose of the contaminants in designated locations. The lament by greedy business operators is that disposing of contaminants is very costly.
The government can incentivise the building of such disposal centres. But to use the lack of disposable centres as licence to pollute must be dealt with severely. Those who engage in commerce must know that any business has a cost. Those who can't afford it, should seek their fortune elsewhere.
Enforcement, too, must shoulder blame for the contamination of our rivers and waterways. The fact chemical pollution hasn't ended with Sungai Kim Kim is an indication that enforcement is anything but robust. Lack of manpower and equipment has often been blamed for weak and infrequent enforcement.
If it is true, the government has to budget for this. It is less costly for the government to pay for more manpower and better equipment than spend millions every year for clean up.