Senior executives arrested for disposing untreated factory waste into river

PASIR GUDANG: Two senior executives of a food processing plant have been detained for allegedly discharging factory waste into Sungai Perembi near here.

Johor Department of Environment director Dr Famey Yusof said the officers – a director and a manager - were picked up at the premises at 4pm on Tuesday (Jan 4).

"They were detained to assist with the investigation for discharging of the untreated effluent wastewater into the river.

"The director and manager, in their 40s and 50s, were later brought to the Seri Alam police headquarters at around 5pm for further action," he said on Wednesday (Jan 5).

Famey added that although investigation showed no pollution occurred in the river, the officers were detained due to their act of disposing untreated factory waste into a river.

He said the case was being investigated under Section 25(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 which carries a fine of not more than RM100,000 or five years imprisonment or both.