COMMENT | River pollution and class action in rakyat's interest

COMMENT | The latest in a string of unscheduled water disruptions in the Klang Valley was due to odour pollution caused by an illegal catfish pond! The people are at the mercy of inexcusable and repeated pollution of Sungai Selangor, which is our main water source.

The people suffer most when the water disruption drags on longer. The most notorious was the one that polluted Sungai Gong in Rawang and caused a major water supply disruption affecting 1.2 million households.

An estimated five million rakyat in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur suffered that water nightmare for many days. It was reported that four company directors and a factory manager were charged under section 430 of the Penal Code and section 25 of the Environmental Quality Act (EQA) 1974.

“Mischief by causing a diminution of the supply of water for agricultural purposes, or for food or drink for human beings, for cleanliness…” is an offence under section 430 of the Penal Code. If found guilty, the accused can be punished with imprisonment for a term of not less than five years and not more than thirty years or with a fine or with both.

The Penal Code (Amendment) Act 2014 actually makes it mandatory imprisonment of at least five years. The punishment under section 25 of the EQA, however, for pollution of inland waters, is disappointingly low...