MB : Dire need for waste treatment plant now
JOHOR BARU, Sun. —
Menteri Besar Tan Sri Muhyiddjn Yassin today supported the Prime Minister’s call to speed up the construction of the central toxic waste treatment plant in Bukit Nenas, Negri Sembilan.
"There is definitely a dire need to hasten the development of the treatment plant to ensure that scheduled wastes are disposed of in a proper manner," he said.
"Unless and until we have a comprehensive plan to help solve the disposal of scheduled wastes, it will always be worrying for the State Government as the consequences could be disastrous," he said.
He said the centralised treatment plant would assist Johor factories, many of which were finding it difficult to continue storing their wastes on their factory premises.
Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad had said yesterday that the only solution to the illegal dumping of scheduled wastes was to have a centralised treatment centre set up soon.
For its part, Muhyiddin said Johor would look into the possibility of setting up a transhipment centre to store waste temporarily until it can be moved to the Bukit Nenas plant.
Speaking to reporters after attending a Han Raya gathering organised by the Johor State Economic Development Corporation here today, Muhyiddin said that for the moment companies would just have to bear with the situation until the plant is completed.
"We cannot now provide alternative storage space for wastes as things of this nature cannot be put just anywhere.
"However, factories must remember that though storage is a bit difficult at the moment, it is still illegal to dump waste," he said, adding that companies would have to provide sufficient space for their own disposal.
He said the State Government would hold discussions with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and would seek the ministry’s help to come up with an interim arrangement for the storage of wastes.
FMM officials had indicated on several occasions the difficulty of its members in continuing to store their wastes as they were running out of space.
On the possibility of companies renting space for waste storage, Muhyiddin advised companies to consult the Department of Environment (DOE) before doing so.
Meanwhile, in Shah Alam, Menteri Besar Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib said the Selangor State Government had directed the State DOE to carry out strict checks on industries to prevent irresponsible dumping of toxic and industrial waste.
He said the department has been asked to intensify its checks on factories in the State to ensure that they have proper storage for their waste and only disposed of them in a responsible manner.
The Government, he said, did not want the incident where drums of potassium cyanide were dumped near Pulau Pangkor to happen in Selangor.
In Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan Menteri Besar Tan Sri Mohamad Isa Abdul Samad has urged the consortium undertaking the waste treatment plant project to expedite its construction.
He said despite the State Government approving the location of the project in Bukit Nenas here early last year, the consortium, Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd, was "dragging its feet".
He also called on quarters opposed to the construction of the project to place national interest above others as there was an urgent need for the facility.
Mohamad Isa also said that opposition parties should also stop politicising the matter and to put aside their differences for the benefit of the nation.
Source : The New Straits Times 27 March 1995
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