SHAH ALAM – A metal manufacturing company was fined RM25,000 by the sessions court here today for releasing industrial effluent in excess of the acceptable limit into inland waters last February.
Judge Rofiah Mohamad imposed the fine after Omega Metal Sdn Bhd, represented by its director, Chang Poay Hee, pleaded guilty to the charge under Regulation 11(1)(b) of the Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009.
Rofiah said she took into account that the company had made efforts to prevent the same offence from recurring.
The company was charged with releasing industrial effluent containing heavy metals (solid waste, zinc, and iron) exceeding the standard limit into inland waters at the Rawang Integrated Industrial Park on February 3.
Ir Zulaikha Mokhtar, the prosecuting officer from the Selangor Environment Department, asked the court to impose a deterrent sentence as the case involved public interest and health.
The company’s lawyer, Tan Shao Jiam, however appealed for a light sentence as it was the company’s first offence since it began operating in 2002.
She said her client had set up an internal lab and hired competent and experienced staff to monitor the factory effluent emission to prevent the incident from recurring. – Bernama, January 7, 2021
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