Resort Holiday Ruined By Food Poisoning Sewage Pollution

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Stills from a video clip purportedly showing raw sewage being pumped out to sea.GEORGE TOWN: A two-night trip to Pulau Perhentian Kecil turned into disaster for six friends who said they suffered food poisoning and were taken ill after swimming in waters believed to have been contaminated with untreated sewage.
Vilasini Kengartharan, 31, one of the six women who visited the island off Terengganu, said she suspected something was wrong when a resort employee told them to eat only at the hotel because of “rising cases of food poisoning”.
However, one of her friends, who took the hotel worker’s advice and had her meals exclusively from the hotel, had also fallen ill.
She said all six of them started vomiting on the last night of their trip. “I had the same issue when I last visited six years ago. It looks like it is a permanent feature of this island,” she said.
Vilasini Kengartharan said it was the second time she suffered from food poisoning on Pulau Perhentian Kecil.A representative of the resort where Vilasini and her friends stayed told FMT that their hygiene levels were up to standards set by the law.
The representative said their kitchen was recently given an “A” rating by health department food safety officers and gave assurances that they were not discharging sewage into the sea.
“We have our own sewage treatment facility. We are not sure about others,” the representative said.
Fears of untreated waste being dumped
There are about 50 resorts on Pulau Perhentian Kecil. Several resorts contacted refused to say if they treated their waste water according to the law.
One resort operator who did not want to be named said many irresponsible operators took the easy way out by dumping untreated sewage into the sea.
Ads by Kiosked“Most resorts, hotels or chalets here do not have a proper sewage treatment system. We do not even have a proper power supply. All of us run on gen-sets (generator sets). All this hardship when we are not even far from the mainland,” he said.
The group of six women who visited Pulau Perhentian Kecil prepare to go snorkelling. (Vilasini Kengartharan pic)The island lies about 22km off the coast of Kuala Besut, about 45 minutes by boat.
Holidaymakers who have visited the island have left negative reviews on several popular travel sites checked by FMT, and claimed to have suffered from vomiting and diarrhoea after their stay on the island.
Another resort operator showed FMT a video clip of what appeared to be untreated sewage water being pumped out directly to the sea – a clear breach of environmental laws, according to a wastewater expert who viewed the video clip.
‘Beachfront must be cleared’
G Parameswaran of the Malaysian Water and Wastewater Quality Safety Association said the environment department must carry out sampling immediately throughout the coast.
Ads by KioskedG ParameswaranThe entire beachfront should be cleared of any visitors until checks showed the beach was clear of any contamination with e. coli, salmonella, and other bacteria.
“From the videos shown to me, this can be a ticking time bomb, as it can cause serious diseases, including fatal ones,” he said.
“The authorities must carry out a wastewater audit on all resorts, hotels or any structures along the coast to see if they are flushing down waste directly into the sea,” he said.
FMT has contacted Terengganu executive councillor in charge of health, environment and local government Dr Alias Razak for comment and has yet to hear back from him. - FMT

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