ALOR SETAR, July 29 — The Kedah government has seized the illegal dump site in Kampung Kemumbong, Sidam Kiri, near Sungai Petani which was highlighted in media reports.
This was done yesterday evening immediately after a visit to the area by the Sungai Petani Municipal Council and the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp), said state Industrial and Investment, Local Government and Housing Committee chairman Tan Kok Yew to Bernama here today.
He said the seizure was undertaken to enable investigations under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 to proceed and to determine the actual source of the waste which was believed to have also contaminated Sungai Muda since 2008 and had affected about 500 residents living nearby.
The media reported yesterday on the owner of a piece of land located by Sungai Muda, who had allowed at least 30 lorries to dump waste on a 1.4-hectare plot of his land every day, for a fee as low as RM20 per lorry.
The waste, believed to be from Penang, included chemical waste, plastics, and car and electronic parts.
Tan said action would also be taken against the land owner and gave an assurance that all waste in the area would be cleared once tests on water samples from Sungai Muda were completed. He said investigations would be conducted transparently, with no interference from any parties. — Bernama
