The state government has pledged to take stern action against the perpetrators who caused the latest pollution in Sungai Selangor, which resulted in unscheduled water supply disruption affecting various parts of the Klang Valley today.
State executive councillor for public health and environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin said an investigation is currently ongoing to identify the source of pollution.
“Follow-up investigations to identify the source of pollution are ongoing today. The state government and Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) will not compromise with any parties or individuals that commit the offence of water pollution.
“Stern action will be taken in line with Section 79 of Luas Enactment (Amendment) 2020,” she said in a statement.
Earlier, Air Selangor Sdn Bhd’s (Air Selangor) acting chief executive officer Abas Abdullah said that an odour pollution in Sungai Selangor had prompted a temporary shutdown of four water treatment plants (WTP).
The unscheduled water disruption has affected several locations in Shah Alam, Petaling, Gombak, Kuala Lumpur, Hulu Selangor and Kuala Selangor, with supply being restored in stages.
According to Jamaliah, Luas was first notified by Air Selangor of a diesel-like odour with a reading of up to three tonnes being detected at the Rantau Panjang WTP at 11.15pm last night.
Immediate action was subsequently taken to address the issue, while Luas conducted an investigation at several nearby areas last night to identify the source of the odour pollution, including Jambatan Sungai Sembah and locations conducting sand dredging and construction.
However, Jamaliah said the probe found that none of the identified locations had any trace of oil, while the odour reading was zero tonnes.
This, she said, could be due to minimal quantity of oil being discharged into the river or that it only lasted temporarily.
Nonetheless, she said the samples taken from these locations have been sent to the Chemical Department for further analysis.
“As a result of coordination and immediate response from Luas and Air Selangor, pollution mitigation was promptly and successfully carried out,” she said.
