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PETALING JAYA: The latest water disruption caused by pollution in Sungai Semenyih highlights the ‘polluter pays’ principle, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (Photo).
The president of the Alliance for Safe Community said the principle is a well-established maxim, that those who cause pollution must bear the cost of handling it to prevent damage to human health and the environment.
“It stands to reason that before the polluter is asked to pay, he must first be identified.
“So the question is ‘Why weren’t the polluters identified earlier?'” He said in a statement on Monday (October 5).
The latest incident, which is affecting more than 300,000 water account holders in 273 towns in Selangor, only came to light after authorities received reports of a “fetid odor, similar to that of a corpse” emanating from the river, he added.
“This incident comes on the heels of the recent contamination of Sungai Gong, which also necessitated the shutdown of running water, causing countless account holders misery for the umpteenth time.
“In both cases, the authorities only acted after the fact, not before as they should,” he added.
However, Lee praised Air Selangor for activating its emergency response plan to provide assistance to affected consumers.
“It’s okay to take polluters to court later, but what about consumers and their suffering for which they receive no compensation, and not even a guarantee that it won’t happen again? Enough is enough,” Lee lamented.
Authorities should do more to prevent such cases from occurring, he added.
“They have to be vigilant and be proactive.
“It is not difficult to identify factories and activities along rivers – upstream, mid-river and downstream – and then carry out regular checks to ensure compliance with existing rules and regulations,” he said.
Lee also called on the authorities to relocate the illegal factories and authorize them if necessary.
“Stop saying you’re investigating after an incident has occurred.
“The rakyat would like the executioners to act before the incidents occur.
“It is too late to close the stable door after the horse has run off.
“Put in new SOPs (standard operating procedures) if necessary to identify and rectify potential flash points to avoid another disruption,” Lee said.
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