RM100,000 fine hangs over developer
10/09/2007 The Malay Mail By DAWN CHAN

THE developer operating a sewage treatment plant in Bandar Utama, will be charged with allegedly discharging effl uents beyond the permitted level, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of fi sh in the Kota Damansara retention pond on Aug 8.

If found guilty, the developer is liable to a maximum fi ne of RM100,000 or fi ve years’ imprisonment, or both.

A source in the Environment Department in Putrajaya said legal action will be taken against the developer based on investigations at the plant as well as the chemistry report released on Aug 21, which revealed that the developer had failed to comply with the rules stipulated by the department.

“There were fl aws in the sewer system that resulted in the discharge of sewage higher than the permitted level of 10mg/l into the pond.

It caused thousands of tilapia fi sh to die,” the source said.THE developer operating a sewage treatment plant in PJU6, Bandar Utama, is staring at a RM100,000 fi ne for allegedly discharging effl uents beyond the permitted level, causing the death of fi sh in the Kota Damansara retention pond last month.

An Environment Department source in Putrajaya said legal action will be taken against the developer.

The decision was made following investigations at the plant as well as the chemistry report released on Aug 21, which revealed that the developer had failed to comply with the conditions stipulated by the department.

“There were fl aws in the sewer system that had resulted in the discharge of sewage higher than the permitted level of 10mg/l into the pond. It had caused thousands of tilapia fi sh to die,” the source told The Malay Mail.

“The developer will be charged under Section 25(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and is liable to a maximum fi ne of RM100,000 or fi ve years’ imprisonment or both.” The source said the department was fi nalising the investigation papers.

“It will take about two weeks to complete and we will hand it over to the deputy public prosecutor’s offi ce for action.” The death of the fi sh in the retention pond on Aug 8 had Selangor Environment Department offi cers scurrying to determine the cause.

The offi cers took samples of the water and dead fi sh for analysis.

Petaling Jaya City Council sent a team of 10 men and an excavator to clean the pond.

The stench, however, failed to deter golfers at the nearby Seri Selangor Golf Club.

Golfers and club employees reported seeing a black milky substance in the water that became darker by the day.

A resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had noticed a layer of oil that could have come from the pond itself.

He was also shocked to see dead fi sh fl oating in the pond, a haven for migratory birds.