Perak DoE director Rosli Zul said the department is monitoring the area and has taken two samples of soil and water from Sungai Chepor for analysis as well as conducted air quality measurements there.

“If the analysis shows it is scheduled waste from the industrial sector, action will be taken. We will instruct the landowner to clean the site,” he said at a press conference here today.

Rosli said the department would seek the assistance of the Kinta District and Land Office to locate the landowner.

Yesterday, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) called on the department and other authorities to investigate the dumping of the waste, believed to be industrial waste, in the area.

SAM spokesman Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman said the authorities should inform the public if the waste, covered with soil over 0.5ha of land, was hazardous or scheduled waste or just organic compound waste.