Published: 6 May 2015 7:02 AM
The Negri Sembilan Department of Environment has assured residents in Seremban that the Kualiti Alam Sdn Bhd’s toxic waste storage plant in Sendayan is not harmful.
Its director Ruslan Mohamad said the department was constantly monitoring the air quality in the vicinity of the plant.
“So far, from the data that we have, the level of emission is still within the safety limit,” he told The Malaysian Insider.
Ruslan said the plant had complied with all the regulations.
“We assure the public that there is nothing to worry about,” he said.
The Malaysian Insider had earlier reported that Seremban residents were urging the authorities to relocate the toxic waste storage plant.
Ruslan pointed out that according to the detailed environmental impact assessment conducted, the plant was not harmful to the public or environment.
“We have been getting expert and professional views, and studies carried out showed no alarming signs,” he said.
“Of course, we will constantly monitor the situation to ensure that the residents here are not put in a harmful situation,” he added.
When asked to comment on the fire at the plant last February, Ruslan said accidents could not be avoided.
“We cannot predict or avoid such accidents,” he said, adding that reports did not show the aftermath could cause any harm to those in the vicinity.
On February 28, four warehouses storing toxic waste in the plant caught fire.
The following day, Seremban DAP lawmaker Cha Kee Chin started a signature campaign, collecting a total 13,131 signatures from residents who called for the plant to be relocated.
The signatures were recently compiled and handed over to Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan with the aim of getting the state government's support to have the plant relocated.
Ruslan, however, refused to comment on the calls by the residents for the plant to be relocated.
“They (residents) have voiced this out to the Menteri Besar, it is now a government matter, I can not comment on this,” he said.
Meanwhile, he also revealed that the plant no longer had exclusive rights to store toxic waste from February this year.
"This means that any company can now apply to do so," he said, adding that Kualiti alam had the exclusive rights for more than 20 years. – May 6, 2015.
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Credit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/citynews/seremban/article/toxic-waste-storage-plant-not-harmful-to-residents-says-doe
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