TAIPING: About 100 Kampung Dew fishermen have been stripped of their livelihoods following severe pollution in Sungai Sepetang, which triggered a massive two-tonne fish kill.
The contamination, which turned the river black and foul-smelling, is believed to have been caused by a palm oil mill waste reservoir breach on July 4.
Speaking at a press conference at the Kampung Dew Fireflies Eco-Tourism Jetty on Friday (July 17), MyKP fishermen representative Shukor Ishak said local fishermen have lost nearly two weeks of income.
"The pollution resulted in the death of two tons of fish, with the river turning black and emitting a foul odour," he told reporters.
Previously earning roughly RM200 a day, they can no longer fish locally and cannot afford the high fuel costs required to venture further out.
"Our appeals for compensation from the factory have gone unanswered," Shukor said. "We are only asking for fuel costs and one month's lost income. If they continue to ignore us, we hope the state government will step in."
Shukor also raised alarms over long-term damage to the local eco-tourism sector, specifically the area's firefly habitats and freshwater prawn (udang galah) fishing. While recent heavy rains have visually cleared the water, fears of lingering environmental damage remain.
The Environment Department and Fisheries Department have been notified. Sahabat Alam Malaysia field officer Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman urged enforcement agencies to proactively monitor industries, stressing that authorities already have the legal power to prevent such compliance failures.
Representing the Kuala Sepetang constituency office, Major Muhd Hanafi Abdul Latif promised to escalate the matter to the state executive council within the next week.
Meanwhile, State Science, Environment, and Green Technology Committee chairman Teh Kok Lim briefly stated that he is currently awaiting replies from the Environment Department.
