PETALING JAYA: Quick action by the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) at Sungai Batang Benar has prevented the Sungai Semenyih water treatment plant from shutting down due to pollution.
State tourism, environment, green technology and Orang Asli affairs committee chairman Hee Loy Sian said Luas received reports of a white-coloured pollutant in Sungai Batang Benar, Negri Sembilan, after a fire at a paint factory in Nilai 3 on Monday (April 12).
He said the incident was discovered only after the fire was put out at the factory.
“Luas then activated a Code Yellow status based on the Emergency Water Source Contamination Manual to detect the areas which could potentially compromise the Sungai Semenyih Water treatment plant.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that a white substance had flowed into Tasik Ujana Nilai Impian before reaching Sungai Batang Benar, some 13.7km from Jenderam Hilir, Sungai Semenyih, ” Hee said in a statement on Tuesday (April 13).
The Negri Sembilan Water Regulatory Authority was also on the scene with Luas.
Ten bags of activated carbon were placed in Sungai Batang Benar to prevent odour pollution within the water source.
“Odour sampling conducted at three locations, Sungai Pajam, Sungai Beranang, and Sungai Semenyih, recorded a level of zero TON (threshold odour number), ” the statement read.
At 8am on Tuesday, readings taken from samples at Jambatan Sungai Pajam recorded zero TON and water flow was normal.