The income of tourism operators and fishermen nearby has been affected.
Previously, in February 2014, the water in Sungai Batu Feringghi had turned black, believed to be caused by pollution and sewage waste. The presence of e-coli bacteria (Escherichia coli) was also cause for concern.
Now, two years after the incident, Sungai Mas, located nearby, is facing the same problem and the water has turned black and oily, emitting a foul smell.
A survey by Bernama in the area found the polluted river was located next to a hotel and restaurant, which are both tourist destinations, making it unpleasant for tourists, especially those staying at the hotel.
The hotel’s security manager, Edward Xavier, said the foul smell from the river resulted in the hotel receiving numerous complaints. Some foreign tourists had asked to change their rooms because they could not stand the smell.
“They spent much money to come here and relax, but now there is the foul smell.”
He said although the river had been polluted previously, the dry season had worsened the situation.
An employee of a restaurant near the river, S Kanna, 43, said although the river faced pollution problems every year, no action had been taken by the authorities to resolve the issue.
For the coastal fishermen in the area, they described this year as the worst because the dirty sea water has resulted in reduced fish landing and this had affected their income.
Ooi Boon Guan, 52, said the dirty and muddy water resulted in his net becoming dirty and making it difficult for him to catch fish.
A fisherman in the South-West area, Abdul Zani Talib, 45, said the reduced catch since February had affected the fishermen, especially the fulltime fishermen. He complained of the dirty waters off Teluk Bahang.
Ramley Hassan, 68, said the reduced catch had resulted in him cutting down the number of times he went to sea.
A member of the board of directors of the Teluk Bahang Area Fishermen’s Association, Mohd Amin Nordin, 56, asked the government to carry out a study on the cause of the poor catch as fishermen’s income had been badly affected.
– BERNAMA