KUALA LUMPUR – The Selangor government has not ruled out premeditated sabotage as a key factor behind the recent spate of water source pollutions that caused millions of people to have dry taps in the state.
State Environment, Green Technology and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman Hee Loy Sian said it is possible that deliberate attempts to contaminate sites where water is sourced or treated may be related to a rumoured imminent snap general election.
“Yes, it’s possible,” he said briefly when asked if he believed the acts were politically motivated, especially to get people to go against the state government.
“I’m not denying it. But let the police investigate the matter first,” he told The Vibes today.
During a visit to the Sg Selangor Phase 2 water treatment plant on Monday, Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had said the incidents were caused by “environmental criminals”.
“These criminals carry out their crimes when people like officials and others are on holiday, although we at the Department of Environment (DOE) are operating on a 24-hour basis,” he had said.
“However as we know we cannot monitor all along the rivers and other large areas. They take the opportunity in the middle of the night, early morning or the weekend. That’s when most of the cases happen.”
Tuan Ibrahim also said the ministry would not compromise with the environmental criminals.
The treatment plant was among four that were forced to halt operations following the detection of odour pollution in Sg Selangor.
The police have initiated an investigation into the matter, with the assistance from the Department of Environment and Lembaga Urus Air Selangor.
The incident happened just a month after pollution in Sg Gong, allegedly from an illegal factory, led to supply disruption in the state, affecting more than a million households.
Former National Water Services Commission (SPAN) chairman Charles Santiago said while there is suspicion of political sabotage the matter needs to be substantiated.
“It needs to be made clear that any action of polluting the river is considered a sabotage,” said Santiago, who is Klang MP.
“But there’s the question of whether it was wilfully done to provoke anger among the public and create uneasiness towards the state, because clearly people are furious.
“So, the question is, is it a political sabotage? There’s always that suspicion, but this needs to be proved first,” he said.
In July last year, after an oil spill into Sg Selangor had similarly resulted in the closure of the same water treatment plant and further water cuts in the state, Selangor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari had said there was a possible act of sabotage.
He added that a fuel tank cover on a sand-dredging pontoon was found to have been pulled open, resulting in fuel leaking into the river. – The Vibes, October 21, 2020
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