GEORGE TOWN – It is case closed for Sg Kereh polluters in Kg Selamat, as the Penang deputy public prosecutor’s office is unable to definitively identify the “mastermind” among the more than 100 pig farmers in the area.
It confirmed that there will be no prosecution made in the case.
State prosecution director Khairul Anuar Abd Halim said the investigation paper was handed back to police at the end of last month.
“We cannot continue the case because there is no clear legal provision for us to prosecute the relevant parties,” he told The Vibes.
“In fact, this issue also involves more than 100 pig farmers. So, it is difficult for us to identify the mastermind who needs to be prosecuted.”
He said the probe is different from that into the Sg Gong pollution in Rawang, Selangor, despite the two cases being investigated under the same law, as matters related to livestock are under the state government’s purview.
“Although it is under the same act, the issue of pollution in Sg Gong is different because it did not involve many factories, and it was not difficult to identify the cause of the pollution.
“Legal provisions related to pig farming in Penang have not yet been gazetted, and are effective only on January 1, 2022.”
Last December, The Vibes reported that police had opened an investigation paper following complaints on pollution in Sg Kereh involving the disposal of waste from pig farms.
Seberang Prai Utara district police chief Noorzainy Mohd Noor had said the case was being investigated under Section 430 of the Penal Code, and involved eight farms.
State Agrotechnology, Food Safety, Rural Development and Health Committee chairman Norlela Ariffin had said she instructed the Irrigation and Drainage Department to lodge a report on the river pollution.
The Vibes earlier reported that nearly 50 pig farms in Kg Selamat, in northern Seberang Prai, are believed to have been operating without permits for more than 40 years.
The situation resulted in over 1,000 residents, especially those of neighboring Kg Tok Bedu, having to put up with the stench emanating from Sg Kereh, which was found to contain farm effluents. – The Vibes, May 31, 2021
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