SHAH ALAM: The incident of chemicals in over 200 drums which caught fire and exploded at the Sixteenth Mile, Jalan Kapar, Kampung Tambak Jawa, Jeram, Kuala Selangor near here is being investigated to determine if it was due to mischief.
Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari said the state government was also investigating if the dumping and burning of the drums were done deliberately by irresponsible quarters.
‘’We have yet to determine if there are elements of mischief by irresponsible parties, if it was deliberate or for seeking short term profit, since disposing off chemical materials incur costs.
‘’Maybe, they (irresponsible quarters) wanted to avoid costs or there is a possibility that the chemical materials were forbidden items that have to be disposed off legally,’’ he told reporters after launching the Sungai Rasah Flood Mitigation project here today.
Commenting further on the incident, Amirudin said, currently, the impact of the burning of the drums had been tackled by the agencies concerned to prevent its spread to other areas including any river nearby.
He said since the drums were dumped in a location which was hidden from public view, the authorities were investigating more closely to identify their owner.
However, Amirudin said, although several cases of pollution were reported by the media lately the reality was that the number of pollution cases in the state was dropping due to the co-operation from the communities.
‘’It is rather impossible for us to monitor all the hidden areas and the river channels. As such, we badly need current reports, and I notice in the one year or two, the concern of the people are also very high.
‘’We have tackled many pollution cases before they happened. For example, we succeeded in thwarting the action of certain quarters to dump chemical materials into the river, during the Semenyih by-election in March, similarly, another comparable case in Sungai Selangor.
‘’All these are due to the high awareness among the people who make prompt reports (on such cases) to the authorities to act,’’ he said.
Amirudin said the state government needed time to fully eradicate activities which result in pollutions because it is not easy to change the attitude of the culprits.
As such, he said, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) was directed to co-ordinate all relevant agencies to ensure all pollution monitoring activities could be spruced up to ensure the aspiration of Selangor to become a smart state in future is achieved.
— BERNAMA
