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RAWANG: The families of four brothers who were arrested for investigations into the contamination of Sungai Gong near here, yesterday urged the public to stop claiming that their premises released industrial effluents into the river.
The contamination caused the closure of four water treatment plants and cut off water supplies to more than a million people in the Klang Valley last Friday.
Family spokesperson Yip Siew Thong (pix)said they had nothing to do with the pollution of the river. Siew Thong is the son of Yip Kok Weng, 60, the oldest of the four brothers who were arrested.
He said the media had erroneously reported the facility as a factory as it was a storage yard for heavy industrial vehicles and equipment.
“My father’s company takes care of construction and we have no effluents to discharge from our facilities. This site mainly stores construction material. Any waste material is disposed of in accordance with regulations established by the authorities.
“My father’s company has always adhered to the law regarding the environment and would never do the unthinkable that would cause pollution,” said Siew Thong, adding that the company has been operating on the site for more than 10 years.
The four brothers who have been in custody since Friday are owners of Yip Chee Seng & Sons Sdn Bhd and AAY Construction Sdn Bhd.
Siew Thong admitted that the authorities fined the company RM60,000 in March, but said it was not related to the effluent discharge into the river.
“The fine was for other issues such as the absence of adequate training for the company’s personnel and the absence of an adequate inventory. My father’s company will be happy to assist in the ongoing investigations and we have no intention of hiding anything. “
He said that his family had also received threats, mainly on social media, and had also filed a police report.
Threats to burn down the yard and photos of his family’s home were among the posts on social media.
When asked if he knew the source of the contamination and how many factories were nearby, Siew Thong said: “Let the authorities do their investigations. I cannot comment on others. My understanding is that there are 30-40 factories and industries throughout Sungai Gong. There are manufacturers, equipment dealers and construction companies like us ”.
On chemicals stored or used at his facility, Siew Thong said that used motor oil from heavy machinery service is safely stored in drums and handed over to waste disposal companies for safe disposal in accordance with regulations. environmental laws.
Apart from diesel, which is also stored safely, the company only used ordinary detergent to wash its machinery.
Checks by theSun showed that the surface of the drain outside the sealed patio was covered with a thin layer of algae and moss and was free of mud or oil stains.
The patio drain leads to a ravine where the flowing water was cloudy.
In front of the patio facilities there is a plant nursery with lush vegetation.
About 30 relatives and friends of the detained brothers gathered yesterday in front of the company’s facilities in Batu Arang.
His lawyer Datuk M. Reza Hassan was also present.
The storage yard was sealed by the Environment Department on Thursday on suspicion of releasing contaminants in Sungai Gong.
Read this story on theSun iPaper:
‘My dad’s signature didn’t pollute the river’
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