Illegal dumpsite still an eyesore 10 years on

Continuous problem: The 110m-odd stretch illegal dumpsite is situated beside Sentul Complex.

SOME business operators in Segambut are seeing red over a road that has been turned into an illegal dumpsite in the area.

Heaps of rubbish and industrial and commercial waste are piled up along Jalan Raja Arfah in Segambut, Kuala Lumpur.

Liew Way Mun, 46, who runs a business in Jalan Segambut Selatan, said the place was an eyesore.

“The dumpsite has been there for more than 10 years and it mars the image of the area.

“Together with a group of other companies here, we have hired a private contractor to collect our industrial waste at the cost of RM60 a month,” he said during a site visit with Segambut MP Lim Lip Eng.

Another business proprietor Chuah Chew Huat, 60, said the dumpsite posed a health hazard to his workers.

“I have seen animals scavenging through the piles of rubbish as I frequently visit the shops nearby for breakfast.

“Irresponsible parties from Segambut and other areas are dumping their rubbish here in the wee hours of the night because they do not hire a private contractor to collect their garbage.

“There are attempts by the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (PPSPPA) to collect the rubbish but their effort seem futile as people continue to dump the rubbish here even after it is cleared,” he said, adding that the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) must come up with a solution to the problem of illegal dumping.

The illegal dumpsite stretches over more than 110m along Jalan Raja Arfah to parts of Jalan Segambut Bawah.

The lane beside Sentul Complex is filled with rubbish such as tyres, discarded plywood, food waste and industrial waste. Maggots can be seen among the garbage.

Lim said he had raised the matter to DBKL and PPSPPA but the workers here still faced the problem despite numerous complaints.

“The Segambut township was first developed in this area but the illegal dumpsite has become a landmark. I urge the companies to approach their own private contractors to dispose of the waste,” he said.

A DBKL spokesman said the collection and clearing of industrial waste was under the jurisdiction of PPSPPA.“PPSPPA has a contractor to collect industrial and solid wastes,” he said.