White foam patches found in parts of the Sungai Skudai that were detected and made rounds on the internet back in early May, will not affect the water processing quality at the Sultan Ismail Water Treatment Plant (LRA) here that supplies water to more than 200,000 consumers.
According to the head of the Johor Tourism, Environment, Heritage, and Culture Committee, K Raven Kumar, investigations by the Johor Department of Environment (DoE) found that the foam did not affect the plant’s operation.
“The state government and the Johor Department of Environment will carry out extensive investigations to determine the source of the suspected pollution, particularly at the premises operating along Sungai Skudai, which has the potential to cause the foam,” he said in a statement dated 9th May 2022.
Raven Kumar stated that analysis of river water at the Sultan Ismail LRA revealed that the water quality was normal with dissolved oxygen (DO) 4.95 and pH 7.
“People can report pollution cases to the DoE through the toll-free line: 1-800-88-2727 or through eaduan at eaduan@doe.gov.my if they see any pollution,” he said.
Its deputy director Mohd Rashdan Topa was quoted as saying that the alkali (pH) level of the river water was recorded at a reading of 7 when the samples were tested.
A week afterwards, a metal factory in Senai was reported to have been directed to cease operations after it was suspected of polluting Sungai Skudai.
According to the Johor Department of Environment (DOE), the facility, located in Senai Industrial Area III, was thought to have leaked effluent into the river during its operations, resulting in the production of thick, white foam clusters that floated on the water.
“In addition to serving a stop-work order, we issued the factory eight compounds totalling RM16,000 for various violations of the Environmental Quality (Scheduled Wastes) Regulations 2005 and the Environmental Quality (Industrial Effluent) Regulations 2009.”
“We will continue to investigate the problem and check on other premises operating in the region to prevent potential pollution such as this from occurring again,” it said in a statement.
