GEORGE TOWN – An investigation is ongoing following allegations of water pollution caused by the discharge of untreated effluent believed to contain aluminium (alum sludge) from the Sg Dua water treatment plant (LRA) in Butterworth.
Penang Department of Environment (DoE) director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said the investigation paper was opened on November 24 last year, before the issue had made the news.
Following that, she said, a notice of instruction was issued under Section 31 of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 (Act 127) for the plant to take remedial measures.
“The Penang Water Supply Corporation (PBAPP) has responded to the notice and submitted several short- and long-term measures to overcome the problem of scheduled waste and effluent management.
“The DoE was informed that PBAPP could not stop the plant immediately because the Sg Dua LRA supplies about 85% of water to consumers in Penang,” she said in a statement today.
The Penang DoE also did a follow-up inspection on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, The Vibes reported that an environmental NGO, Khazanah Alam Pulau Pinang Sustainable Organisation (Lekas), has revealed that the Sg Dua LRA – the largest water treatment plant in Penang – was allegedly dumping water treatment waste containing alum sludge.
Lekas chairman Zikrullah Ismail had said his group received a report that the Sg Dua LRA was operating without a sludge lagoon, causing effluent to be dumped directly into Sg Prai.
Under existing legislation, alum sludge (SW 204) is categorised as scheduled waste and needs to be managed or disposed of in accordance with prescribed methods.
Sharifah Zakiah said the Penang DoE believes the issue of cost is not a reasonable excuse as similar costs are borne by other industries in Malaysia.
She added that the cost of waste disposal management and wastewater should be taken into account in the overall operating costs so the production of clean water is carried out sustainably and in accordance with the law.
“The same principle is also applied by other industries in Malaysia so that all premises comply with all requirements under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
“Legal action will be taken against those who violate any provision of Act 127 and the regulations thereunder.”
On May 7, the water supply services, in its counter statement, denied allegations that the Sg Dua plant was dumping water treatment waste containing metal substances, thus affecting Sg Prai.
Its chief executive officer, Datuk Jaseni Maidinsa, had said the water treatment waste dumped from the plant into the Sg Prai basin is harmless to humans and the aquatic environment.
The main content of waste water is aluminum, which results from the use of aluminum sulfate, or polyaluminium chloride, for conventional water treatment’s freezing process, he added.
“The Sg Dua plant is not the only water treatment plant in Malaysia that dumps waste water into the river.
“The National Water Services Commission estimates that water treatment plants in the country produce 5,500 tonnes of waste water per day.
“Results of tests and findings from studies conducted on waste water found that the outcome is not dangerous.
“This situation is happening not only in Malaysia, but also worldwide, where this fact is supported by several other countries.”
Jaseni said the Sg Dua plant has been in operation since 1973 and, during those 48 years, no incident of water pollution due to waste water disposal in Sg Prai has been reported.
However, he added that the PBAPP will work closely with the Environment and Water Ministry, DoE and National Water Services Commission to handle waste water to ensure the sustainability of Sg Prai. – The Vibes, May 20, 2021
