Elaborating, Noh Omar said the Selangor government’s “ignorance” could lead to the spread of the Zika virus.
“Selangor has recorded the highest incidences of dengue fever among the states in Malaysia, now probably Zika will follow suit.
“The state government does not want to be a part of the Act 672, because if they agree to it, the federal government would have the power to intervene in waste management,” Noh Omar told reporters in Taman Medan Cahaya today.
Under Act 672, which falls under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007, residents are required to separate waste into the categories of plastic, paper, cardboard, glass, metal and food remains.
Under the Act, landed property owners who fail to segregate their waste will be fined RM50 for the first offence, RM100 for the second offence, and RM500 for the third offence. The fine for non-landed property owners is RM100 for the first offence, RM200 for the second and RM500 for the third.
Court action will also be taken for subsequent offences, and anyone found guilty, can be slapped with a fine of up to RM1,000.
To date, only seven states in the peninsula have agreed to the Act, namely Johor, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Kedah, Perlis and the Federal Territories.
In August, Noh Omar condemned the Selangor government’s refusal to sign the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Act (Act 672), and blamed this refusal as the main cause for the persistent garbage problems in the state.
“Garbage and solid waste management in Selangor was undertaken by Alam Flora Sdn Bhd until after the 2008 General Election, when the Selangor government refused to sign Act 672 and took over the job from the company.
“However, the garbage problem in Selangor has not been resolved, leading to numerous complaints from residents who are dissatisfied with the state government’s commitment,” he said.
Selangor also recorded the highest number of dengue cases earlier this year, with 13,306 between January and March 2.
Of the 55 dengue-linked deaths recorded nationwide within the same period, 18 were from Selangor, which recorded the highest number of fatalities among the states.
In the latest statistics released by the Health Ministry, Johor recorded the second highest cases with 3,966 while Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (1,770), Penang (1,247), Terengganu (1,140), Perak (1,031), Sabah (858), Negeri Sembilan (732), Pahang (678), Malacca (574), Kelantan (555), Sarawak (418), Kedah (196), Perlis (60) and Labuan (2).