Ministry task force to monitor Kg Selamat pig effluent pollution

TASEK GELUGOR – A task force will be formed to quickly resolve the pollution in Sg Kereh caused by pig farm effluent that has been going on for over 40 years.

Sg Kereh Pollution Task Force chairman Datuk Nadzri Yahaya said the problem is expected to be resolved through the establishment of a special task force under the Environment and Water Ministry.

Nadzri added that the task force, comprising federal and state enforcement agencies, including environmental groups, will list each problem and an ensuing solution in the short and long terms.

However, he said that there has been no timeline set to resolve the problem of pig effluent pollution in Sg Kereh.

“(Environment and Water) Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Man really hopes that this problem in Sg Kereh can be resolved quickly and appropriately. We need a strategy on what we want to do. We will sit down and find a solution, then implement it,” he said when met today.

Earlier, he and representatives from the federal Department of Environment (DoE), state Department of Veterinary Services, and several enforcement agencies made a visit to Kg Selamat.

During the visit, Nadzri visited the pollution site as well as a pig farm that adheres to appropriate farming practices.

Nadzri, who is also the former director-general of the National Solid Waste Management Department, said the task force will solve the Sg Kereh pollution problem after the implementation of the Pig Breeding Enactment 2016 and the Penang Pig Breeding Licensing Regulations 2020, starting January 1.

“Once this law is enforced, we will go all out. This task force will provide moral, technical, and coordination assistance in an integrated manner.”

The Vibes earlier reported nearly 50 pig farms in Kg Selamat, in northern Seberang Prai, believed to have been operating without a licence for more than 40 years.

The situation has resulted in over 1,000 residents, especially in neighboring Kg Tok Bedu, suffering the stench emanating from Sg Kereh, which is polluted by effluent from these farms. – The Vibes December 16, 2020