Dr Wee Wants Selangor Govt To Shut Down Battery Plant Discharging Hazardous Waste

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PETALING JAYA: The battery plant discharging hazardous waste that has polluted the drainage and waterways in Kampung Jenjarom in Kuala Langat, Selangor, must be shut down immediately, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong
Lambasting the Selangor government and the Environment Department for taking a lackadaisical attitude towards the issue, the MCA president said there was no point serving the factory with stop-work notices since the owner took no heed of it
"Shut the factory down. What else is there to wait for
"Drag the factory owner to court and charge them under the Environmental Quality Act 1974
"It is all scheduled waste!" he said in a Facebook post Sunday (April 21)
On Friday (April 19), Kampung Jenjarom residents held a protest and called for the Selangor government to move a factory manufacturing batteries out of their neighbourhood in Kuala Langat
The residents want the factory relocated as they said it is discharging hazardous waste that has entered the drainage and polluted waterways.They also claimed that they were exposed to dangerous levels of lead
Dr Wee said that the Pakatan Harapan government cannot blame others on this as the incident happened in Selangor - a state that has been administered by the coalition for more than 10 years
"There is clear evidence to show that the pollution has posed danger to the people
"This is a scenario between life and death and the truth cannot be denied," he said, adding that environmentalist and activist Dr Maketab Mohamed, who has been helping residents monitor the lead levels, has confirmed that there are signs of lead poisoning among the residents and factory workers
"Dr Maketab is helping the NGOs and victims on the scene. He investigated after receiving complaints from villagers, who complained of acid pollution in the village's drainage and groundwater
"Findings showed that lead content in the area was very high after hair samples of the workers and residents around the plant were taken for lab tests," he said
Dr Wee added that residents and NGOs had to use their own money to conduct the tests at accredited laboratories to prove the pollution that has taken place
"Pakatan government, listen to Dr Maketab's call. Do not regret later," said Dr Wee
In a Facebook post on Saturday (April 20), Dr Maketab said that test results of the hair sampling for lead showed that there are some residents with red readings of over 10mcg/g (micrograms of lead per gram) in their hair
"It is recommended that blood samples be taken to confirm the blood Pb level (BLL) for Chelation Therapy to take place," he said, adding that the source of the pollution should be moved away from the village

-Star

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