Nusa Dusun Orchard Resort: Illegal sand dredging affecting water supply

Thursday October 11, 2007
MYT 8:26:00 PM

Illegal sand dredging affecting water supply

By SARBAN SINGH

SEREMBAN: Illegal sand dredging activities along Sungai Linggi, the state's main water catchment source, has affected water supply to several areas including the resort town of Port Dickson.

Drinking water quality to some 500,000 consumers has also been affected as the treatment plant could not effectively filter water drawn from the river, which already has the dubious distinction of being the most polluted in the state.

State exco for energy, water and communications Datuk Mohamad Rais Zainudin said the illegal sand dredging activity should have been stopped as the excavators were less than 500m away from the water catchment area.

"I had briefed the exco on this Wednesday and the district office was supposed to have issued a stop work order," he said after visiting the Sg Linggi treatment plant on Thursday.

Several excavators were seeing dredging sand during his visit. The plant produces some 140 million litres of water daily.

Mohamad Rais, who was surprised to see sand dredging activity near the plant, then called district officer Mohd Bahrudin Mahfuz on his mobile for an explanation.

Mohamad Rais said new guidelines issued by the Drainage and Irrigation Department last year had stipulated that sand dredging activities could only be carried out at designated areas.

"This means that the activities being carried out near the plant are illegal," he said.