Polluters cause water cut for the second time this year

The odour pollution in the Sungai Semenyih is believed to have been caused by this factory in Jalan Sungai Lalang, Semenyih. — filepic

THE Sungai Semenyih water contamination incident is the second case in two weeks and the fourth since 2013 affecting more than a million residents.

The first water cut, this year, on Sept 22 was due to contaminants discovered in the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant in Dengkil in Selangor.

A factory at the Semenyih Hi-Tech Industrial Park was found to be the source of the water contamination and the Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) ordered it closed.

The land was also seized by the land office and MPKj seized all of the company’s equipment.

Districts which were left with no water supply when the water treatment plant was closed were Hulu Langat (Bangi, Bandar Bukit Mahkota, Kajang, Semenyih and Riching); Kuala Langat (Morib, Banting, Bandar Saujana Putra, Bandar Rimbayu and Telok Panglima Garang); Petaling (USJ 1 to USJ 27, Puchong, Seri Kembangan and Serdang) and Sepang (Putrajaya, Cyberjaya, Bandar Nusa Putra, Putra Heights, Pulau Meranti, Kota Warisan, Bandar Bukit Puchong and Sungai Merab).

In March last year, a water treatment plant was shut down due to high level of manganese detected in Sungai Langat, Selangor.

It caused water disruption affecting thousands of consumers in Selangor.

In January 2013, contamination of Sungai Semenyih also caused the treatment plant operated by Konsortium Abass Sdn Bhd to stop work for seven hours, affecting 349,000 households in Petaling, Hulu Langat, Sepang, Klang and Kuala Langat districts.

An oil processing factory was directed to cease operations, immediately, after authorities found that it had released effluents into a river, forcing the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant to halt operations.