Environmental conservation group Lestari Khazanah Alam (Lekas) said the problem had existed for the past 40 years with no concrete efforts by the local authorities to censure the polluters or rehabilitate the river.
Lekas chief Zikrullah Ismail said there are an estimated 130,000 pigs in the vicinity of the river, with each discharging 40 litres of waste a day.
“Imagine if half of that amount was let go into the river, that’s about 2.6 million litres a day. So it comes as no surprise that the river has turned black, and has dried up in some sections to reveal dark cakes,“ he said, adding that the stench stretched for 5km.
Zikrullah said this had resulted in the padi farmers having to contend with a shortage of harvest year-on-year, dropping from 10 tonnes to six tonnes currently.
“The state must urgently rehabilitate the river and ensure it remains clean through serious enforcement,” he added in a statement.
According to the Penang Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID), Sungei Kreh remains a “Class V” dead river, which means it is heavily polluted with no water flowing.
Zikrullah said the state government had passed a law in 2016 requiring all pig farmers to practise a closed farming method but this had not been adhered to.
“Why is the state not taking action against the farmers? We think that pig rearing in the state has exceeded self-sufficient levels. Now it is destroying the environment and hurting the sensitivities of Muslims in the area,” he said.
Last month, Agriculture Committee chairman Norlela Ariffin reportedly said the culprits were not the pig farmers but the extensive use of fertilisers by other farming communities.
She, however, urged the pig farmers to convert to the closed system or face the consequences.
Under the Penang Pig Farming Enactment 2016, farmers who flout the strict guidelines face a maximum three years’ jail or a RM30,000 fine or both, upon conviction.
There are 156 pig farms in the state rearing about 350,000 animals.
Fake or not? Check our quick fake news buster here.