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SHAH ALAM (Bernama): Kuala Langat residents who have been struggling with pollution problems caused by errant factory operators are not taking it seriously.
As of December 18 this year, the Selangor Department of the Environment (DOE) has received a total of 114 complaints from them. Last year it received 196 complaints and 206 in 2018.
The culprits for Kuala Langat’s environmental problems are the illegal factories that have been springing up in the district for the past five years.
These plants are built primarily on agricultural land that has not yet been converted to industrial.
Selangor reportedly has around 5,600 unlicensed factories and currently only 1,200 have applied to legalize their operations under a program started by the state government in October last year to license the factories and regulate their operations. The deadline for the program is December 31 of this year.
Selangor DOE Director Nor Aziah Jaafar (Photo) admitted that Kuala Langat was among the Selangor districts “wanted” by illegal factory operators. According to a survey conducted by the District and the Kuala Langat Land Office, 186 unlicensed factories operated in the district.
However, it is puzzling to note that so far only 15 of them have applied to legalize their operations.
Nor did Aziah say that four applications have been approved so far while the remaining 11 are still in process.
“Another 171 illegal factories have not yet taken any action to ensure that their operations are carried out in accordance with established regulations,” he told Bernama in an interview with his official here recently.
The authorities, Nor Aziah warned, will not hesitate to tear down plant buildings that continue to operate without a license, particularly those that have an impact on the environment.
Aside from the economic factor, since they do not pay taxes to the government, illegal factories are more likely to cause pollution since their activities are not monitored, he added.
Many of the industries operating in Kuala Langat are involved in recycling used tires and plastic waste.
“Regardless, the DOE will not only focus on illegal factories, but also on licensed factories that violate the rules of the Environmental Quality Act of 1974,” he said.
At present, 884 locations in Kuala Langat are registered with the DOE, of which 596 are industrial and 275 non-industrial, such as warehouses, workshops and clinics. Six other locations comprise palm oil factories, while seven locations are designated as scheduled waste disposal sites.
According to Nor Aziah, the DOE of Selangor launched an aggressive operation against illegal factories in Kuala Langat last year and raided 42 facilities involved in the processing of plastic waste imported from other countries.
“He found himself processing the plastic by liquefying it without using a filtration device, which led to odors and air pollution,” he said.
So far, the operators of 16 of those factories have been charged in court and fined a total of RM1 thousand.
Nor did Aziah say that Kuala Langat was a magnet for unlicensed industries due to its proximity to Port Klang.
“Apart from that, the district also has extensive areas that are still green and under development, which makes it easy for illegal factories to operate without being noticed,” he said.
Meanwhile, in view of the increasing number of complaints received from Selangor residents regarding pollution problems caused by factories, the state DOE has established district-level offices in Sepang, Sabak Bernam, Kajang and Gombak to facilitate monitoring efforts.
“Our officers would patrol the high-risk areas at night until 11pm to monitor factory operations. If they noticed any suspicious activity, they would enter the facility for a surprise check and action will be taken if the operator is found to be disobeying the law, ”he said.
Nor did Aziah say that while the Selangor DOE monitors a total of 12,604 facilities statewide, it only has 80 people to carry out compliance work. His law enforcement team must be mobilized four times a week or 16 times a month, he added.
Due to personnel constraints, Selangor DOE has to prioritize monitoring factories against which many complaints have been filed.
“We also focus on factories that are located near rivers that have drinking water points,” he said, adding that his officers are also often harassed by gangsters.
He also urged community members who wish to file a complaint against any errant factories to provide accurate information that can be used as evidence.
“We tend to receive a lot of complaints that turn out to be unfounded … it is a great waste of our resources and time to investigate these cases,” he added. – Bernama
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