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SHAH ALAM: Kuala Langat residents who have been struggling with pollution problems caused by wandering factory operators are not taking it seriously.
As of December 18, 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. The deadline for the program is December 31 of this year.
Selangor DOE Director Nor Aziah Jaafar 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 factories were operating in the district without a license.
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 pending.
“Another 171 illegal factories have yet to ensure that their operations are carried out in accordance with established regulations,” he said in an interview at his office 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.
Apart from the economic factor, 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 dedicated to recycling 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.
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 the appearance of 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 million.
Nor did Aziah say that Kuala Langat was a magnet for unlicensed industries because it was close to Port Klang.
“Other than that, the district also has extensive areas that are still green and under development, making it easy for illegal factories to operate without being noticed,” he said.
Meanwhile, in light of the growing number of complaints, the state DOE has established district-level offices in Sepang, Sabak Bernam, Kajang, and Gombak to facilitate monitoring efforts.
“Our officers will patrol high-risk areas until 11 pm to monitor factory operations. If they notice any suspicious activity, they will enter the facility for a surprise check and action will be taken if the operator is found to be breaking 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 do the compliance work. His law enforcement team must be mobilized four times a week or 16 times a month, he added.
Due to personnel limitations, Selangor DOE has to prioritize monitoring factories against which many complaints are filed.
“We also focus on factories that are located near rivers that have drinking water points,” he said, adding that their 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 many complaints that turn out to be unfounded … it is a great waste of our resources and time to investigate such cases,” he added.
