Unprocessed effluent discharged into drain
Published on: Wednesday, July 07, 2021
By: Sidney Skinner
The council is monitoring the operations at the plant to ensure that the nuisance created by the effluent discharge is kept to a minimum.
THE District Council risks having to settle a fine of up to RM25,000 for failing to adequately prevent unprocessed effluent from being discharged into a drain near Taman Penampang Phase 2.A spokesman for the Department of the Environment (DOE) said the penalty was likely to be imposed if the Council was found to have contravened the Environmental Quality Act 1974.ADVERTISEMENT
“The Council could be found guilty of not doing enough to attend to the treatment plant from which the raw sewage is being released,” he said.
“The effluent discharged has to comply with Standard B of the Second Schedule 7 of the Environment Quality Regulations (Sewage) 2009.”
He said legal proceedings would be initiated in a worst-case scenario, should the Council ignore the DOE’s instructions to stop polluting “mana-mana alur air (the waterways in the vicinity)”.
A council staff oversees a labourer’s efforts to check on the operations of the pump at the Taman Penampang treatment plant.
A notification to this affect was served to the agency in the middle of May, according to him.ADVERTISEMENT
“The Council was instructed to identify and repair any damage to the plant, including the control devices and mechanisms inside.
“The administration was given till the end of June to officially explain how it planned to proceed.”
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He said the DOE received a letter, dated June 30, from the Council.
The spokesman was responding to a Penampang rate-payer’s misgivings about the presence of sewage in the drain.
He said a strong ammonia-like smell could be detected from the structure.
He feared that effluent might be overflowing from the treatment plant for the neighbourhood.
The individual expressed his concerns in a letter to Hotline and sent the same correspondence to the DOE.
The spokesman said the Department’s officers inspected the drain at the beginning of May after becoming aware of the resident’s concerns.
“They confirmed that effluent was indeed being emptied into the structure,” he said.
“Our staff noted that there was a foul smell coming from the direction of the drain.
“At the time, a large volume of a murky, black liquid was being discharged from the treatment plant nearby.”
He said DOE staff took photographs of their observations during the inspection.
“Samples of the discharge were also taken from different parts of the drain.
These were analysed to determine the extent of the pollution in the water, according to him.
The spokesman said the Council was notified about the results of this analysis and asked to come up with a solution to this problem.
A Council spokesman said the agency hoped to both repair and upgrade the plant.
He said the Council intended to have a new sewage-pump installed as part of this work.
“One of the two pumps was stolen after the plant was vandalised some time last year.
“The existing pump has been operating flat out, since then, as we have lacked the necessary funds to buy a replacement.”
He said the agency received some funds to carry out the refurbishment earlier this year.
“A tender was called but before these particulars could be finalised the Movement Control Order came into affect.”
He said the agency could only proceed after the Order had been lifted.
“In the meantime, our staff have been keeping a close eye on the plant to ensure that it is functioning as it should.
“We have explained all this to the DOE in writing.”
The aeration tank began to overflow when the pump at the neighbourhood’s treatment plant broke down.
Meanwhile, a problem at the sewage treatment plant servicing Taman Mahkota was behind the nuisance created by the stench coming from the facility.
A spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said “the aeration tank” at the plant began to overflow when a pump malfunctioned towards the end of June.
“The outflow pipe became clogged after the sludge-transfer pump failed,” he said.
“The contractor, tasked with looking after the facility, had the device repaired shortly after realising that it had broken down.”
He said the foul smell in this part of the neighbourhood had since dissipated as the plant was now operating as it should.
The contractors staff have been keeping an eye on the plant to prevent the sewage woes from recurring.
FRED, who lives on Lorong Mahkota 3, said sewage had been ponding on the roadside near his house.
He bemoaned the nuisance created by the stench given off by the effluent, saying that he had to keep the doors and windows towards the front of his home closed to prevent the foul smell from getting indoors.
“It is difficult to have guests over without someone asking where the stink is coming from,” he said.
“Many of them have pointed out that it is very bad for the health of those of us living along the road.”
Fred said he suspected that there might be some problem at the treatment plant.
“I have noticed that the pool recedes whenever the sewage pump is operational.”Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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“If the pump is switched off or out of order, the sewage will pool on the road and gradually evaporate under the hot sun.”
The spokesman said the contractor had been asked to periodically keep an eye on the goings-on at the facility to ensure that these sewage woes did not recur.