A Chinese national faces a RM10 million fine and mandatory prison sentence of up to five years for the charge of releasing chemical waste into inland waterways, near the industrial in Kuang, Selangor, last month.
Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar said the 42-year-old man pleaded not guilty after the charge against him.
According to the charge, the accused is charged with committing the act which caused the odour pollution incident and stoppages of the Rantau Panjang and Sungai Selangor water treatment plants (WTP) Phases 1, 2, and 3 on July 23.
On July 23, the media reported that over 1,000 locations in seven regions in the Klang Valley experienced unscheduled water supply disruptions following the shutdown of four WTPs as a result of incidents of odour pollution in Sungai Kundang and Sungai Sembah.Abdul Latiff said strict action under AKAS will be imposed on any party including industry players who are found to be polluting the environment.
The compound rate was also increased from a maximum of RM2,000 to not more than 50 per cent of the maximum fine for related offences.
