Jan 6, 05 1:45pm Barely days after huge waves snatched more than 60 lives and left scores injured, Penang is facing another environmental disaster - toxic poisoning from industrial dumping within the Prai Free Industrial Zone (FIZ).
Responding to this, Penang DAP has urged the state government to immediately seek federal grants to build toxic waste treatment plants.
Otherwise, it warned, the state government would be hapless to prevent a future catastrophe that could affect thousands living and working in the Prai FIZ.
Penang DAP�s �Citizens against government waste committee� chairperson Teh Yee Cheu, who collected water from Sungai Prai and Juru for laboratory tests recently, said irresponsible industrial dumping by factories had contaminated the water at river mouths and mainland beaches near the Penang bridge.
The contamination, caused by 30 years of illegal dumping, had devastated the marine life and mangrove swamps. There is also a pungent toxic stench in the air.
"If the state government does not act fact to rectify the problem, we would be facing a catastrophic disaster in the near future, similar to the mercury poisoning incident in Japan in recent years," said Teh.
A check by malaysiakini revealed that the mouths of Sungai Prai and Juru were dirty, covered with oil stains and the water appeared black in colour.
Both rivers flow through the Prai FIZ to the Penang channel near the Penang Bridge.
Unlike the Bayan Lepas FIZ on the island, which is dominated by electronic and electrical factories, Prai FIZ consists mainly of heavy industries such as petro-chemical, machinery, rubber, plastic and steel products manufacturing factories.
More than 300,000 people work in these factories while another 100,000 are living in Prai and nearby Bagan areas.
Enforcement is rare
Under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, industrial waste and effluence must be treated and disposed under stringent procedures.
A factory can be compounded for up to RM500,000 for each offence of illegal dumping while those responsible for non-compliance to the rules can be charged in court and face a hefty fine or jail up to three years or both.
However, Teh pointed out that strict application of the law by the state environment department or the Seberang Perai Municipal Council had been rare.
"We hardly see or hear any big factories, which are the main culprits, being pulled up to face court charges," he said.
Penang DAP will send samples of contaminated water collected from the river mouths for laboratory tests by independent experts, including foreign ones.
Once the results are out, the party will submit a memorandum to the state government for follow-up action.
"This is a grave problem. The state government should not wait until something happens, as it usually does.
"It should secure federal funds to build treatment plants soon in the industrial zone to prevent a major disaster in Penang," said Teh.
ATHI VEERANGGAN is malaysiakini�s Penang-based stringer.
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