The Perak Department of Environment orders a palm oil mill to halt contaminated sludge discharge from a broken retention pond polluting Sungai Sepetang.
IPOH: The Perak Department of Environment (DOE) has ordered the owner of an palm oil mill to immediately stop the flow of contaminated sludge that is leaking from a broken retention pond, causing the Sungai Sepetang, near Taiping, to become polluted.
State Science, Environment and Green Technology Committee chairman Teh Kok Lim said that the premises was also instructed to immediately repair the collapsed pond embankment and submit a report to the DOE.
He said that the detention of operational equipment in the Palm Oil Effluent Treatment System has been carried out to prevent the entry of palm oil effluent into the sludge disposal pond.
“An Order Notice under Section 31(1)(g) and Section 37(1), Environmental Quality Act 1974 will be issued against the premises for an offence under Section 16, Environmental Quality Act 1974.
“It is also recommended to suspend the Licence for Premises for Crude Palm Oil under Regulation 4, Environmental Quality (Licensing) Regulations 1977,” he said in a statement today.
Teh said that the DOE received information from the factory owner regarding the collapse of the reservoir dam on July 5, and the investigation found that the collapse was suspected to be due to weakness in the dam’s structure.
“The premises immediately halted operations as soon as the collapse was noticed. The premises was found to have taken immediate action by carrying out repair work on the collapsed embankment,” he said.
He said the DOE was also informed by the Kommuniti Perikanan (MyKP) Kampng Dew chairman Shukor Ishak regarding the presence of dead fish in the area of the Kampung Dew Jetty, Sungai Sepetang, following the spillage of waste concentrate from the factory’s reservoir that broke two weeks ago.
Earlier today, the media reported that more than 100 fishermen in Kampung Dew, Taiping, claimed their source of income was affected after the Sungai Sepetang was believed to be contaminated due to a spill of palm oil mill effluent from a reservoir pond that burst two weeks earlier.
Shukor also said the incident caused the river water to turn black, emit a foul smell, and resulted in the death of more than two tonnes of fish.
The incident also affected the lives of fishermen as well as the firefly-based tourism industry and the prawn fishing activities in the area.
