JOHOR BARU, Nov 13 — The burning landfill in Kampung Bukit Dagang in Ulu Tiram near here is an illegal dumpsite, said Johor Parti Amanah Negara (Amanah) environmental activist Khairuddin A. Rahim.

He said the landfill operator’s dumping and burning solid waste was clearly against the law.

"The landfill operator can be subjected to legal action because their action has polluted the environment and is a nuisance to the public.

"The operator can be charged under Section 71(1) and 71(8) of the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 which carries a fine of between RM10,000 and RM100,000, a jail term of between six months and five years, or both, upon conviction,” said Khairuddin when contacted by Malay Mail today.

Last Friday, Malay Mail highlighted a report that dust and smoke from a soil fire at a waste disposal landfill site in Kampung Bukit Dagang Ulu Tiram in Ulu Tiram near here have been a bane for villagers for the past two weeks.

According to residents nearby, the landfill measuring more than 15 acres, has affected more than 60 homes in Kampung Bukit Dagang Ulu Tiram.

At the same time, about 200 homes in the landfill’s vicinity are also affected by the pollution.

Khairuddin, who is also the Senggarang assemblyman, urged the operator involved to stop all their activities since he said the landfill was illegal according to his checks.

He also called on the district land office and the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG) to immediately take action to resolve the matter.

Khairuddin claimed that based on reports, there seems to be no solution or proactive measures to the problem even after it was highlighted.

"If nothing is done and there is no concrete solution to the problem, I will take this matter to a higher level,” said Khairuddin, adding that he will also bring the matter up in the next Johor state assembly sitting at the end of the month for feedback from the state government.

On August 8, Malay Mail reported that Khairuddin alleged that 2,000 metric tonnes of scheduled waste containing arsenic from Singapore, brought in by a Johor waste disposal company, was being dumped at a landfill in the nearby Sungai Tiram area on a monthly basis.

The illegal activities were earlier uncovered by a team from the Johor Department of Environment (DoE), where the source was traced to the solid waste disposal company here.