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Fish farms will be closed if no improvements made
The Selangor government will close about 10 large fish farms in Hulu Selangor if their operators do not take steps to ensure they do not pollute rivers.
The warning was issued by Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo Wednesday after it was found they were still dragging their feet on pollution control measures despite being advised.
He said the operators would be given between two and three months to rectify the situation and that the state government would not compromise on the matter thereafter.
"Although many feel Selangor will suffer monetary losses if the farms were closed, as they are major suppliers of fish for the Klang Valley, we will not compromise. We simply do not want our rivers to be polluted," he told reporters after chairing the weekly state Exco meeting here Wednesday.
Dr Mohamad Khir said the fish breeders should treat the water in their ponds before releasing it into rivers and not give the fish dirty food like offal.
The operators of the farms had cited costs for the delay although he felt that was not the case, he said.
Besides the 10 fish farms, a cattle breeder and a pig breeder in Hulu Selangor had also been ordered to do the same to prevent Sungai Selangor from being polluted as well as a cat, dog and pig breeder operating nearby Sungai Langat.
Dr Mohamad Khir said the pollution in Sungai Langat was also contributed by Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) which treats sewage, adding that action was being taken to overcome it.
He added that bamboo trees would be planted along the banks of Sungai Selangor and Sungai Langat once the clean-up programme for the two rivers was completed.
On leachate pollution from the landfill in Kubang Badak, Kuala Selangor, he said Worldwide Holdings Bhd which had expertise in the matter had been given the mandate to manage the problem.
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