Yesterday, the Department of Environment (DoE) confirmed that Sungai Batu Ferringhi was contaminated with alarmingly high levels of the Escherichia coli or E.coli bacteria.
Samples collected last Tuesday had faecal coliform and e.coli readings at a shocking 16,000cfu (colony-forming unit) per 100ml. The numbers exceed the acceptable 100mpn/100ml as per Class 2 of the Marine Water Quality Criteria and Standards for a recreational beach (mpn: most probable number).
Having said that, those numbers have dropped drastically after a massive clean-up was performed from Wednesday onwards.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said the authorities have detected several locations which have contributed to the pollution of the river. He also considered the possibility that residents, hotels and eateries contributed to the pollution.
When questioned about Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) claiming innocence over a blackish effluent discharge into the river, he mentioned that it was too soon to pinpoint the culprits.
“We cannot blame anyone now. Let the investigations continue. We are taking this seriously. We will come out with a full report in two weeks,” he said.
Residents living in the area said that the river had turned black and effluents had seeped into part of an eroded beach 300m away.
Since that day, authorities have been scrambling to clean up the river, with IWK in the spotlight as a pipeline from the nearby sewage plant was put to blame for discharging the blackish liquid. IWK, however, stood its ground and said that it was not at fault.
The Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) workers were seen cleaning the riverbed round-the-clock over the past two days, with over 40 tonnes of sand and marine clay excavated.
Yesterday, an environmental non-govermental organisation urged the authorities to charge those responsible for polluting the Batu Ferringhi beachfront.
Malaysian Nature Society Penang branch adviser D. Kanda Kumar said that legal action should start with IWK, as the company knew about the discharge, yet allowed the untreated sewage to flow into the river.
“They (IWK) should be taken to court. It does not matter if they are a government agency or a private company. They should be held responsible for what they did, and charged in court.”
Penang Environmental Working Group chairman Datuk Dr Ong Hean Tee said IWK must help identify where the large amounts of bacteria came from.
The matter has garnered the attention of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak, who was concerned the issue would put Penang on the world map for negative reasons.
The cabinet has also ordered the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry to get to the source of the pollution and solve the problem once and for all.
State Local Government and Traffic Management Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow said the DOE test results should put to rest all speculation on the cause of the pollution.
“The Penang Island Municipal Council will get the official test results from the department tomorrow (today),” Chow said.
“The next course of action will also be for the DOE to decide.”
[Source]
