S Piarapakaran, president of the Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia, suggested that such provisions be included in the Water Services Industry Act 2006 and the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
Commenting on the latest unscheduled water disruptions in seven districts across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Piarapakaran said the present fines of RM200,000 to RM1 million seemed inadequate for holding perpetrators to account.
The penalty is outlined under Section 79(1) of the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) Enactment 1999, which has been cited in the probe into the company in Kuang, Gombak, allegedly responsible for the odour pollution at Sungai Kundang and Sungai Sembah.
Piarapakaran said the proposed changes to the Water Services Industry Act and the Environmental Quality Act, read together with the Luas Enactment, would require offenders to pay fines, cover cleaning costs, and compensate all affected parties.
“Currently, when pollution occurs, these additional costs are borne by the water operators, potentially becoming part of the operational expenses factored into the water tariff.
“Polluters are not made to fully cover these costs, which is unfair to consumers,” he said, urging the ministries of energy transition and water transformation and natural resources and environmental sustainability to look into the matter.
“Make it such that it is easy for those affected to obtain adequate compensation from polluters,” he added.
The recent odour pollution had resulted in the temporary shutdown of the Rantau Panjang, Sungai Selangor Phase 1, Sungai Selangor Phase 2, and Sungai Selangor Phase 3 water treatment plants.
Piarapakaran said the polymethacrylic acid waste reportedly contaminating the water sources had a highly negative impact, and that any leakage should be addressed with an emergency action plan.
“There’s a need to examine the approval for the company’s operations as well as the contingency plans in place for emergencies. There should be dedicated channels to prevent the substance from flowing into drains or drainage systems,” he said.