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Eatery operators with poorly maintained grease-traps in their kitchens could wind up paying for their tardiness as they risk being slapped with a compound of as much as RM500.

A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Health and Environment Department (HED) said such action could be taken against repeat offenders.

“The oily discharge from the cooking taking place on their premises should be removed on a daily basis,” she said. “This shouldn’t only be done as and when it becomes essential to do so.”

The failure to properly look after the traps could be deemed as a contravention of the requirements stipulated in City Hall’s Food and Eating Premises By-Laws 1966, according to her.

She said first time offenders faced the possibility of having to settle a RM100 compound.

The spokeswoman said proprietors would initially be notified to deal with the irregularities involving their grease-traps. “They will be given a grace period in which to do this.  Should they fail to comply, then we will proceed with the compounds.”

She said the grease traps at the Central Market were checked twice this month, on March 3 and March 8. The spokeswoman said the central grease-trap (CGT) for the building was examined in the first instance by representatives from several City Hall Departments.

She said HED staff were joined by their peers from the Licencing and Engineering Departments, as well as those from the Market Management Division (MMD).

Also present were employees with the agency’s sewerage subcontractor, according to her.

She explained that the CGT was located beneath a section of the pavement near the main entrance to the Market.

“At the time, no effluent was found to be seeping out from around the edges of the cover for this facility.

“Our personnel were made to understand that the subcontractor’s workers clean the CGT every day.” She said the second inspection involved the individual grease-traps on the first floor of the building.

“Nine of our Health Inspectors went to more than 80 food stalls here. “No compounds were issued at the time. However, each of the hawkers was advised on how to go about cleaning their grease-traps.”

She said City Hall would be keeping a close eye on these stalls to ensure that used cooking oil was not being indiscriminately flushed into sewer line servicing the Market.

“We also intend to refurbish the CGT as the existing one is way past its prime. It has worn down from wear and tear as it was first installed many years ago.

She said routine maintenance was carried out at the Market as the agency was committed to keeping the building and the grounds clean.

Both inspections were prompted by a Luyang housewife’s observations about the stench permeating from one part of the building.

She was under the impression that this may have been caused by effluent escaping from some of the manholes there.

The spokesman for City Hall’s Engineering Department said one of its sewerage contractors was alerted to what was transpiring at the market.

“His workers checked on the condition of the manholes near the main entrance on the same day that we learned that they might have been overflowing,” he said.

“They verified that none of the pipes in this part of the building were blocked. At the time, no effluent was seen escaping from these structures.”

He suspected the irregularity spotted by the resident might have been a temporary set triggered by poorly maintained grease-traps at some stalls in this part of the market.

A MMD spokesman said the manholes around the building had a tendency to overflow when the pumps at the sewage pump-house in this part of the City broke down.

“The effluent recedes when these devices are next operable,” he said.

“Our personnel generally liaise with the relevant agency whenever the pumps fail. This is the most that we can do as the pump-house, including the devices inside, do not belong to City Hall.”

A spokeswoman for the Sewage Services Department said inspections were made of both the pump-houses in the area shortly after it learned about the housewife’s observations.

“The pumps at our Sinsuran-Segama station and the one for Api-Api were both found to be operating properly,” she said.

“Our staff also inspected the manholes in the common areas around both stations but found that none of them were overflowing.”

Nevertheless, the Department’s technicians made a thorough check of the pump the Sinsuran-Segama station as this installation was the nearest to the Central Market.

SOJHI of Luyang decried the strong ammonia-like smell coming from the black fluids which were oozing from several manholes on the pavement in front of the Central Market.

“The stink was especially obvious as a breeze was blowing through the building when I noticed this,” she said. She talked to several hawkers who claimed that this generally happened on the days following some heavy rains.

“There had been particularly lengthy downpours around Kota Kinabalu two days before I went to the market.

She felt it was unfair of the local authorities to hold-off putting an end to the nuisance created by the stench “The vendors have to pay a fee to operate their stalls in such unhygienic conditions.”

She explained that she had gone to the market on a recent Monday morning to get some rice. “I didn’t stay long because I was put off by the stink. I can only imagine the amount of business the hawkers must have lost because of this problem.”