PETALING JAYA: The 192 illegal landfills set to be closed down by the Local Government Development Ministry is just the tip of the iceberg as this a very old problem and has been years in the making, said the Consumers Association of Penang (CAP).
Its president Mohideen Abdul Kader blamed the failure of local authorities’ and state governments to tackle the problem, resulting in illegal landfills mushrooming and posing a public health hazard due to irresponsible parties dumping all kinds of waste at such sites.
“Local authorities should conduct patrols and take immediate action when they find an illegal landfill. They should not wait until it becomes an issue. Investigations should also be conducted to determine the parties responsible so that they can be brought to book.
“Illegal landfills have flourished because there are companies and people who want to find an easy way to dump their waste, instead of doing it properly and according to the law.”
He said Selangor has been hit hard as companies and people find that throwing waste into rivers is an easy way to get rid of it, adding that the public ultimately suffers as drinking water becomes polluted.
In welcoming the action taken by the ministry, Mohideen stressed that illegal landfills are not a new issue. He said successive state governments have ignored the problem although it poses a public health threat.
It was reported yesterday that the ministry, through the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp), aims to close down 192 illegal landfills by the end of April.
Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said the closures, to be implemented under the Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Act 2007 (Act 672), will involve locations that have been identified in seven states, namely Johor (with 45 sites), Kedah (26), Malacca (52), Negeri Sembilan (20), Pahang (20), Perlis (11) and the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya (18).
“We are determined to clean up all these hotspots (illegal landfills), but the only snag is that after the authorities have cleaned them up, the problem will recur.”
He added that his ministry will continue to monitor and carry out regular enforcement at illegal landfills, including the installation of 35 mobile closed-circuit television cameras at 22 locations.
SWCorp said it first needs to identify who owns the illegal landfill, as the owner will have to bear the cost of closing it. Also, before it closes the landfill, it has to identify the waste that has been disposed at the site and follow the necessary procedures required by law when it comes to waste disposal.
SWCorp said while it has identified 192 illegal landfills thus far, there is always the possibility of discovering more.
Association of Water and Energy Research Malaysia president S. Piarapakaran said closing an illegal landfill is not as easy as filling it with sand, as what has been dumped into it has to be identified first.
He said if it contains scheduled waste, then it could seep into the groundwater or waterways, and that can pose a serious health hazard to humans, animals and the whole environment.
“Certain types of rubbish dumped into landfills can create leachate, which is harmful if the groundwater is used for drinking or agricultural purposes.
“Tests must be done to identify the level of contaminants, and modelling done to see how it moves in the ground.”
Leachate is the liquid formed when waste breaks down in the landfill and water filters through that waste. This liquid is highly toxic and can pollute the land, groundwater and waterways.
Piarapakaran said there are rules set by the Department of Environment for closing landfills, and they must be monitored to ensure there is no pollution from the contaminants in them.
