POLLUTION FEAR… Construction work that is currently in progress on the fringe of Kampung Sungai Pusu in Gombak may threaten one of the oldest dams in the country, the Klang Gates Dam, which supplies water to some three million people in the Klang Valley. Pix: Mohd Faizol

KUALA LUMPUR, March 10 (Bernama) -- One of the oldest dams in the country, the Klang Gates Dam, which supplies water to some three million people in the Klang Valley may be threatened by pollution.

The Desa Gemilang housing development project located near the dam is likely to stir environmental hazards, as construction waste and silt can easily slip into the water catchment zone, thus, polluting the waters.

The construction work is currently in progress on the fringe of Kampung Sungai Pusu in Gombak.

"We are worried that the development project will encroach into the forest reserve and the water catchment area near the Klang Gates Dam," Gombak Setia state assemblyman Yuszahari Mohd Yusoff told Bernama, here Thursday.

"We urge the authorities to identify the exact boundary (forest reserve boundary) and ensure there is a buffer of 500m between the project and the forest reserve," he said.

He cautioned that serious environmental degradation would occur if the developer failed to abide by the authorities' regulations, especially when the country was facing sweltering heat for the past few months.

The dam, built in 1958, located near Hulu Kelang in Gombak District is capable of producing some 28 million litres of water per day.

The Malaysian Airport Bhd Staff Cooperative's housing project started about five years ago in the area, and despite a memorandum sent to several government agencies, no action was taken, except for visits by several officers, said Yuszahari.

At least five agencies, the Forestry Department, Land and District Office, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Selayang Municipal Council, Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) were notified in writing on Jan 17 this year.

"The developer was given approval for the project and they have a social responsibility towards the environment and society. We hope they would abide by the laws. Any development should not threaten the environment," he said adding that the dam's surroundings must be protected at all cost.

Meanwhile, Kampung Sungai Pusu village chief, Mohamad Ridwan Abdul Wahid feared the project could have encroached the Klang Gates water catchment area.

"The catchment area is littered with timber, concrete and other construction waste. Mud and solid waste would surely create water pollution," he added.

Mohamad Ridwan also said that there was a temporary retention pond at the construction site and its muddy water flowed through a tributary into the dam area.

-- BERNAMA