He said the authorities were aware of the problem since Tuesday and had ordered a contractor to carry out works at Batu Ferringhi River to resolve the problem.
“The sludge is caused by a partial deviation at the river to facilitate the construction of a 120-metre outfall at the river mouth.
“To resolve the sludge build-up, a contractor was immediately appointed on Tuesday to dredge the river bed in two days,” Chow said in a statement today.
Chow also denied reports that the pollution in Batu Ferringhi River may have also impacted the shoreline of Teluk Bahang after fishermen there reported lower catches following the pollution.
“Reports suggesting that Teluk Bahang, some 5km away (from Batu Ferringhi), was polluted as a result of Batu Ferringhi’s works are baseless.
“We would like the Department of Environment to investigate the pollution in Teluk Bahang as it may be a separate issue,” he said.
Yesterday, Bernama reported that Sungai Mas, one of the many tributaries of Batu Ferringhi River, had turned black and oily.
The incident is reminiscent of something similar in 2014 where a sewerage treatment plant at Batu Ferringhi River was found to have released untreated effluents into the river.
Officers of the Department of Environment (DOE) identified a pipe spewing untreated human waste from an Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) sewerage filtration plant, 300 metres from Batu Ferringhi River and the beachfront.
Test samples taken by the DOE showed it was contaminated with a high level of E coli bacteria. Human faeces was then established as the main cause of pollution at the river.
A state waterway and sea task force identified IWK, six eateries, a car wash centre and a laundrette as the culprits behind the pollution. IWK however denied any wrongdoing.
A Federal-funded RM10.8 million rehabilitation project to clean up the rivers and restore an eroded beachfront took off following the incident.
The project, however, was delayed several times. It was supposed to have been completed by mid last year but in December, an announcement was made that it would be completed only by February 2016.
The Penang Drainage and Irrigation Department, which undertook the project, now estimates the project will only be ready by the first week of May.