SUNGAI PETANI, July 14 — The Kedah Department of Environment (DOE) has detected an illegal solid waste disposal site involving open burning activities in Bukit Banyan, near here.

State DOE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said an investigation was carried out at the site after the department received public complaints yesterday about the smell of burning in the area.

She said investigations found illegal dumping of domestic waste, or solid waste, on a plot of land that had been cleared of vegetation.

“The area covered with domestic waste or solid waste spans about 250 square metres. Smoke was also detected at the site and is believed to have originated from open burning by irresponsible individuals seeking to recover valuable metals from the solid waste,” she said in a statement today.

She said further investigations found that the disposal site was operating without written approval from the Environment director-general.

She said the activity is believed to have been carried out by a contractor collecting domestic waste from industrial areas in the district.

She added that the state DOE had also collected solid waste samples from the site to be sent to the Department of Chemistry for laboratory analysis.

The case is being investigated under Section 29A(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 for allowing open burning on a parcel of land, and under Section 34A(6) of the same Act for allegedly operating a sanitary solid waste landfill without approval.

The state DOE will refer the case to the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp) for enforcement and monitoring action under the agency’s jurisdiction. — Bernama