Some of the 4,400 used tyres have been loaded at the back of this City Hall truck.
CITY HALL is monitoring the goings-on at an open space on Jalan Khidmat to deter illegal dumps from springing up along the road, after finding piles of used-tyres in this part of Kolombong.A home in the Kepayan Low-Cost Housing area, on the other hand, is being kept under observation to discourage the occupants from hoarding used-tyres inside the compound.
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A spokesman for City Hall’s Solid Waste Management Department (SWMD) said a total of 4,400 tyres were removed from the Kolombong open space.
“It took 15 of our workers two days to do this,” he said, adding that five eight-tonne-lorries and a backhoe-case were deployed to assist them.
“The lorry drivers collectively made 11 trips before the open space was clear again.
SWMD staff use a backhoe-case to move
“We suspect that some of the tyres may have been left behind by the nursery-operator who used to rent the land from us.
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“The rest are likely to have been thrown by irresponsible third parties.”
He said SWMD personnel had been trying to identify the culprits ever since the illegal dumps on Jalan Khidmat first came to light towards the end of last month.
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The spokesman said anyone found disposing of their rubbish indiscriminately, including used-tyres, risked being served with a compound for as much as RM500, per the agency’s Anti-Litter By-laws 1984.
In extreme cases, those caught red-handed could wind up in court, according to him.
“If found guilty, they face the possibility of being slapped with a fine for as much as RM10,000.”
A spokeswoman for City Hall’s Environmental Health Department said its staff noted an inordinate number of used-tyres heaped up in various piles along Jalan Khidmat when they went to the area on July 25.
“Inspectors with our Vector Control Division (VCD) observed that rainwater had collected in some of the tyres,” she said.
“They captured images of the different mounds of these items on their handphones, as well as a video footage of the mosquitoes buzzing about this area.
“Some of these insects were coming to rest on the sleeves of their EHD jackets.”
She said a subsequent check of the agency’s records showed that the land on which the tyres had been dumped had been classified as “an open space” all the way back in September 1995.
“The public could very well find themselves RM1,000 poorer if they are caught disposing of these items in the common areas around them.”
She said a fine for up to this amount could be imposed on them under the Local Government Ordinance 1961 (Amendment 2000).
“The used-tyres could trigger potential dengue outbreaks in the surrounding areas,” she said.
“Any pockets of water inside could become a habitat for Aedes mosquitoes and we want to proactively prevent this from happening.”
As such, City Hall had been instructing its rate-payers to refrain from re-purposing tyres as make-shift planters or using them to hold their rubbish bins in place, according to her.
She said the agency also frowned on the use of these items to block-off parking spaces on road-shoulders.
“Non-compliance may see the offenders facing court action. If the magistrate finds them guilty, they could become liable for the fine.
“Alternatively, the wrongdoers may have to spend up to six months behind bars for creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes which could become a public nuisance.”
In cases where the tyres had been spotted on private property, the spokeswoman said, the premises’ owners would be officially instructed to deal with these items before Aedes mosquitoes began breeding inside.
VCD staff was dumbstruck by the piles of used-tyres in the open space in Kolombong.
The spokeswoman said a rate-payer in the Kepayan Low Cost housing area had received two such notices from City Hall over the past few months.
“Besides the tyres, VCD staff also observed various unwanted items, including bits of building material and blue plastic water tanks, lying around the compound,” she said.
“They found rainwater had pooled in some of the tyres when they first inspected the home in April.”
Owing to this, the homeowner was asked to tidy up his premises and get rid off the tyres and other empty containers inside his yard.
She said its health inspectors noted that the condition of the premises had improved when they went back last month.
“The individual had disposed of many of the tyres and other items. He assured us that he intended to get his compound in order.
“Our staff will continue to keep an eye on the premises to determine if the rate-payer keeps his word.”
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SWMD staff use a backhoe-case to move
VCD staff was dumbstruck by the piles of used-tyres in the open space in Kolombong.
