Govt to apply space tech to track illegal dumping sites, says Nga

PUTRAJAYA: The Local Government Development Ministry, in collaboration with the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA), has been applying remote sensing (space technology) to accurately track the location of illegal waste disposal sites throughout the country.

Minister Nga Kor Ming said thus far a total of 86 illegal waste disposal sites have been successfully closed, and it was expected that the target of closing 100 illegal dumping sites within his first 100 days at the ministry would be implemented.

"The issue of solid waste management should be examined in detail and resolved immediately, to provide fairness to all Malaysians.

"Failure to deal with this issue can have a negative impact on cleanliness in the local area, affecting the quality of health, and the sustainability of the environment,” he said.

He explained that the ministry also urged the state government and local authorities to work with the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleaning Corporation (SWCorp) to strengthen monitoring and enforcement aspects, to ensure that there are no land encroachment activities for the purpose of illegal waste disposal sites.

In addition, he said as an initial step, the ministry has established a special task force to examine in detail all issues related to solid waste management, so that they can be resolved immediately in a holistic manner.

He added that he chaired the first task force meeting on Tuesday (Jan 31), which was attended by various departments and agencies, including the Department of Environment (DoE), MYSA, and SWCorp.

"The establishment of this task force proves that the ministry is committed to implementing all actions towards more effective and efficient solid waste management.

"The focus of control and enforcement will be implemented throughout the country, with a focus on Selangor as the first state, to ensure the implementation of this effort,” said Nga.- Bernama