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RAWANG: Volunteers from a gotong-royong program to build a trail at Sungai Gong in Rawang, Selangor, found clinical debris on the riverbank, which officials suspect came from a nearby private veterinary clinic.
Environment Department Director General Norlin Jaafar said the debris had not only polluted the river, but could also cause an outbreak of infectious diseases in the local community.
“We suspect that a clinic near the riverbank (is responsible for the waste) and I have directed Selangor DoE to bring the evidence to the Chemistry Department for investigation so that action can be taken against the offender,” he said.
Violators can be punished by up to five years in prison and a fine not exceeding RM500,000.
The Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Water, Zaini Ujang, said the gotong-royong event involved the manual construction of a 1.4 km footpath to control river pollution.
“The gotong-royong involved 250 participants in a cataloged river area, thus bringing the community closer to the water source and monitoring the river ecosystem more effectively.
