JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 21 — The amendment to the Water Services Industry Act 2006 (Act 655), which has been approved by the Cabinet, is expected to be tabled in Parliament this November.
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the amendment included heavier punishment with higher fines and longer imprisonment for offences involving river pollution.
"We are looking from a legal point of view. The amendments to the law that have been approved (by the Cabinet), God willing, will be brought to parliament at the end of the session in November.
"We will study it so that there is clarity, and from there, we will close any legislative loopholes so that it will be clearer to take action against those found guilty of causing pollution.
“The punishment will also be increased from RM1 million to a maximum of RM10 million or even imprisonment," he said.
Fadillah, who is also the energy transition and water transformation minister, told this to reporters after officiating the national level World River Day celebration at Sungai Tebrau, Kampung Bakar Batu, here today.
Meanwhile, Fadillah said in addition to amending the act, the primary focus is on river conservation and preventive measures to avoid pollution in the country's rivers.
"First, prevention is more important. Raising awareness about the importance of rivers requires the involvement of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local communities.
"The Federal and state governments must both take action, including against riverside factories. If relocation is possible, it should be done. If not, we must ensure the use of technology so that scheduled wastes are properly disposed of, preventing them from being released directly into the river," he said.
Earlier this month, a series of odour pollution cases believed to be caused by chemical waste dumped into the river were reported in several areas in Johor Bahru.
Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the clean up of the scheduled waste will be done at two pollution locations, namely the Tiong Nam Industrial Park and the Tropika Industrial Park.
— Bernama
