NATION The Star 2 Nov 17;
KOTA ISKANDAR: A poultry farm and a chicken manure processing factory in Layang-Layang have been ordered to stop operating after high ammonia content in Sungai Johor caused a shutdown of water supply to some 1.8 million consumers last week.
The factory was also responsible for the high ammonia found in the same river in December last year and in August.
State Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said in the latest incident, authorities had to shut down operations at three water treatment plants – Semanggar, Sungai Johor and PUB Tai Hong, which processed raw water from Sg Johor.
Hasni said both the farm and the factory were believed to be owned by the same person, who had requested for a change in land status. Following the latest incident, that application has been cancelled.
Johor Agriculture, Agro-based Industry, Entrepreneurial and Cooperative Development committee chairman Ismail Mohamed said the farm had been operating for over 20 years.
“I have visited the farm and it is able to produce over 40 tonnes of chicken manure daily,” he said, adding both the farm and the factory were located about 900m from each other.
Enough is enough, Johor orders poultry farm and a fertiliser processing plant to shutdown
Halim Said New Straits Times 1 Nov 17;
KOTA ISKANDAR: The state government has ordered the closure of both the poultry farm and a fertiliser processing plant which caused a major ammonia contamination in Sungai Johor recently.
It is also contemplating taking further legal action, under the state's Water Supply Enactment 2014, which could result in the owner being issued with a compound of up to RM250,000 or being summoned for up to RM500,000, depending on the severity of the offences.
State Public Works and Rural and Regional Development Executive Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammed said the decision to close both premises comes after the failure of the owner to take preventive measures.
This is in regards to stopping further contamination from the fertiliser processing facility despite having been issued with three notices from the Veterinary Services Department (DVS) to do so since Dec last year.
According to Hasni, the poultry farm operator was identified as Lew Peng Enterprise while and the fertiliser plant is managed by United Propel Sdn Bhd, both of which are under the same ownership.
They were found to have committed the offences once in Dec 2016 and twice in 2017, which was in August and October this year.
"This is the third incident involving the same poultry farm owner and the state government can no longer tolerate this as we have given the owner ample time to rectify their operations," he said.
He said the poultry farm was found to be producing 40 tonne of chicken manure daily and their waste management system could not cope with the volume as one of the machines had broken down for the past one month.
"We also have rejected the company's application to change the status of the land, which is currently meant for rubber plantation, to industrial land to enable them to run the fertiliser processing plant as the operation had clearly caused severe damaged to the environment," said Hasni.
He said the state government is taking this action as a serious step to prevent future river contamination incident from ever recurring in state's rivers.
Last week, ammonia contamination in Sungai Johor caused SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd to temporarily shut down the operation of three water treatment plants, the Sungai Johor, Semangar and Tai Hong plants.
The temporary shutdown affected the water supply to 360,000 account holders, comprising about 1.8 million consumers, in Johor Baru, Kulai, Iskandar Puteri and Kota Tinggi.
Following the incident, the Lingiu Dam, located downstream, released 900 million litres of water into Sungai Johor to flush the ammonia contamination.
"We are also in the midst of identifying poultry farms operating along rivers or raw water sources, mostly in Muar, Tangkak and Pontian, for possible relocation to proper areas," said Hasni.
He said farms which do not pose any environmental threats despite operating near river will be allowed to continue with their operations but farms which flouted the regulation will be relocated.
The state government had also come to a decision not to renew any licenses of poultry farm owners who fail to comply to the environmental regulations as directed by the DVS.
"We will also not allow activities such as sand dredging along the rivers and tributaries to be carried out if they are found to cause damages to the rivers," said Hasni.
However, he said sand dredging activity which do not cause damage or affect the river condition and the surrounding environment will be allowed to continue with strict monitoring.
"Any activities which affect the quality of the raw water from the river will no longer be compromised as severe action will be taken on a case by case basis," he said.
Johor Veterinary Dept told to inspect all livestock farms near rivers
Halim Said New Straits Times 31 Oct 17;
JOHOR BARU: The state Veterinary Services Department has been instructed to inspect all livestock farms operating near rivers to ensure adherence to environmental regulations.
State Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the move was necessary to prevent further contamination that could threaten the eco-system of rivers in the state.
He said the latest case of ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor on Friday, which led to the shut down of three water treatment plants and caused water disruptions affecting 1.8 million users, should serve as a lesson to all enforcement agencies to be more vigilant.
The ammonia pollution was traced to a poultry farm, which opened up a second plot of land to illegally process fertiliser from chicken manure in Kampung Murni Jaya in Layang-layang.
"I am not pointing fingers at any department or agency, but they must be thorough in their checks to prevent untowards incidents such as the pollution in Sungai Johor," he told the New Straits Times.
Ayub said there was also a need to check and revise the list of all livestock farms near Sungai Johor and other rivers in the state.
"I will table this proposal with representatives from the State Veterinary Services Department, Land and Mines Office, District Offices, state Department of Environment and Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) to re-affirm our commitment to protect the state's rivers, which also function as water catchment areas," he said.
He said measures must be taken to ensure that farms operators adhere to the law, especially if they are located near water catchment areas.
Johor Veterinary Services Department director Dr Aida Muhid said the state has over 778 livestock farms which are licenced, which come under the Grades A to C categories under the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices.
Another 21 livestock farms are in the Grades D and E categories.
On the state government's request to check on all livestock farms located near rivers, Dr Aida said that she will cross-reference the department's list of existing farms with that of the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj) and DID.
She said the department database did not specify if the farms were located close to any river or body of water.
She said the guidelines for livestock farm operations, which is contained in a state enactment that is enforced by the Veterinary Services Department was only introduced in 1997.
"Some of the farms have been operating for 30 to 40 years and these farms mostly apply the convential farming methods which can pose a risk to the environment. They can possibly cause river pollution, and lead to stench, noise and health issues," she said.
Dr Aida said that when these problems occur, the department issues a temporary stopwork order to the premises under the Poultry Farming Enactment 1997, which is enforced at the state-level.
"A stopwork order can be up to three months as the poultry farm needs to ensure all provisions of the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices is observed accordingly.
"They must observe all those requirements before they resume operations, or else they will be asked to shut down," she said.
Citing the example of a poultry farm, it must operate 500m away from residential homes. Farms that were opened before 1997 must make sure that their premises are 200m away from residential homes.
"This is to prevent inconveniences to residents due to smell coming from the farm or any other issues such as noise and health wise problems," she said.
During NST's visit to the farm, a villager said that the houses closest to the farm were located about 200m away.
Dr Aida said other than this, the provision also include no open rearing and must be carried out indoor.
"The indoor facility must be equipped with bio-security measures such as proper ventilations and farm animal waste control to ensure there is no biological threats to the environment," she said.
Checks by NST revealed that the poultry farm has also been causing hardship to nearby villagers.
Kampung Murni Jaya village head Mohd Azam Saadon said residents such as himself put up with stench, and they have seen how heavy rain caused flooding at the fertiliser plant.
"The most recent flood a few months ago caused a ledge to collapse in front of the stockpile ponds, which contained chicken manure.
"The collapse ledge at the plant's perimeter fencing, caused the chicken faeces inside the stockpile ponds to spill over to a canal which flows into nearby Sungai Sayong," he said. The farm has stopped operating since the Friday.
Malaysia shuts down chicken farm and fertiliser factory that polluted Johor River
Sumisha Naidu Channel NewsAsia 1 Nov 17;
JOHOR BARU: The Johor government has shut down a chicken farm and fertiliser factory that caused pollution in the Johor River thrice since December 2016, forcing water treatment plants to shut down two of those times.
It said these were the only incidents where chicken manure fertiliser caused ammonia pollution in the river to this degree due to the sheer volume of product being processed.
Three water treatment plants, including PUB's Johor River Waterworks, were closed over the weekend due to the ammonia pollution in the Johor River.
The state says the 20-year-old farm and factory ignored prior warnings, leading to 360,000 account holders in Malaysia being affected as plants waited until ammonia levels were back to normal before starting up again.
Singapore's PUB said water supply in Singapore was not affected as the shortfall from the Johor waterworks was topped up from other sources, including desalination.
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Water supply has since been restored for all the affected water treatment plants, including the Johor River Waterworks, which, according to the state government, was the least affected given its distance from the source of contamination.
"The water treatment plant for PUB is located at the furthest south end of Sungai Johor (Johor River), and Linggiu Dam, as the balancing dam, discharged 900 million litres for two days into Sungai Johor to dilute the level of contamination," said Johor executive councillor Hasni Mohammad at a news conference on Wednesday (Nov 1).
"(The Singapore plant) is located further downstream and is safer than the (Malaysian) plants."
Even though supply has been restored, the state says it is monitoring three other chicken farms located around the Johor River.
"I suppose with this incident authorities will have to look at their SOP and make good if there are any incidents here and there but the intention is to make sure incidents like this don't happen," said Mr Hasni.
To that end, Johor says it will no longer grant permits to companies to mine sand near water treatment plants, as this could cause a build-up of silt and muddy discharge, leading to polluted rivers.
It has also asked the state's water regulatory body to survey main areas around the Johor River and take strict action against any offenders.
Johor decides to shut down poultry farm that polluted river
Straits Times 1 Nov 17;
KOTA ISKANDAR - The government of Johor state in Malaysia decided on Wednesday (Nov 1) to shut down the fertiliser factory and poultry farm allegedly responsible for ammonia pollution in the Johor River last Friday.
According to national news agency Bernama, the Johor Public Works and Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said the decision was made at the weekly meeting of the state executive council.
He said the state government was deeply concerned by the pollution issue, even though the factory operator had recently applied to change the conditions for which the land can been used.
He also said that the meeting decided to use the Water Supply Enactment 2014 to take legal action against the factory operator by imposing a fine.
"We will refer to the state legal officer to determine the quantum of the fine or summons," he said at a press conference on Wednesday.
Last Friday, ammonia pollution in the Johor River forced three water treatment plants to shut down, leaving almost two million people in the Johor Bahru, Kulai and Kota Tinggi districts without piped water supply for a day.
Johor has also instructed its veterinary services department to inspect all livestock farms operating near rivers to ensure they adhere to environmental regulations.
"I am not pointing fingers at any department or agency, but they must be thorough in their checks to prevent untowards incidents such as the pollution in Sungai Johor (Johor river)," said State Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat on Wednesday, according to the New Strait Times.
He said measures must be taken to ensure that farm operators adhere to the law, especially if they are located near water catchment areas.
According to Johor veterinary services department director Dr Aida Muhid, there are nearly 800 licensed livestock farms in the state .
"Some of the farms have been operating for 30 to 40 years and these farms mostly apply ... farming methods which can pose a risk to the environment. They can possibly cause river pollution, and lead to stench, noise and health issues," she said.
She said when these problems occur, the department issues a temporary stopwork order to the premises under the Poultry Farming Enactment 1997.
Johor orders inspection of all livestock farms to prevent contamination of rivers
Straits Times 1 Nov 17;
JOHOR BARU - Johor state has instructed the Veterinary Services Department to inspect all livestock farms operating near rivers to ensure they adhere to environmental regulations.
This is to prevent further contamination that could threaten the eco-system of rivers in the state, the New Straits Times (NST) reported on Wednesday (Nov 1).
The report quoted State Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee Chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat as saying the latest case of ammonia pollution in Johor River last Friday should be a lesson to all enforcement agencies that they must be more vigilant.
The pollution led to the shut down of three water treatment plants and disrupted water supply to 1.8 million users.
The pollution was traced to a poultry farm in nearby Kampung Murni Jaya, which illegally process fertiliser from chicken manure.
"I am not pointing fingers at any department or agency, but they must be thorough in their checks to prevent untowards incidents such as the pollution in Sungai Johor (River Johor)," the NST quoted Ayub as saying.
He said measures must be taken to ensure that farm operators adhere to the law, especially if they are located near water catchment areas.
Johor Veterinary Services Department Director Dr Aida Muhid said the state has over 778 livestock farms which are licenced and come under the Grades A to C categories under the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices, according to the report. Another 21 livestock farms are in the Grades D and E categories.
"Some of the farms have been operating for 30 to 40 years and these farms mostly apply ...farming methods which can pose a risk to the environment. They can possibly cause river pollution, and lead to stench, noise and health issues," she said.
She said when these problems occur, the department issues a temporary stopwork order to the premises under the Poultry Farming Enactment 1997.
"A stopwork order can be up to three months as the poultry farm needs to ensure all provisions of the Malaysian Good Agricultural Practices is observed accordigly.
"They must observe all those requirements before they resume operations, or else they will be asked to shut down," she added.
One requirement, for example, requires a poultry farm to operate 500m away from residential homes, according to NST. Farms that were opened before 1997 must make sure that their premises are 200m away from residential homes.
"This is to prevent...smell coming from the farm or any other issues such as noise and health wise problems," Dr Aida was quoted as saying.
Another requirement states that rearing must be done indoor.
"The indoor facility must be equipped with bio-security measures such as proper ventilations and farm animal waste control to ensure there is no biological threats to the environment," she said.
An NST team visited the farm in Kampung Murni Jaya and found that it had affected villagers nearby.
Village head Mohd Azam Saadon said residents such as himself put up with the stench, and they have seen how heavy rain caused flooding at the fertiliser plant.
"The most recent flood a few months ago caused a ledge to collapse in front of the stockpile ponds, which contained chicken manure,'' he said, adding that the chicken faeces spill over to a canal which flows into nearby Sungai Sayong.
Malaysian authorities push for legislation change after Johor River pollution
Sumisha Naidu Channel NewsAsia 2 Nov 17;
JOHOR: Federal and state authorities in Malaysia told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday (Nov 2) they would like to fast track legislation to de-conflict jurisdiction when it comes to tackling water pollution.
This comes after a chicken farm and its fertiliser factory disrupted water supply to an estimated 1.8 million people in Johor for the second time in less than a year.
Three water treatment plants near the Johor River, including PUB's Johor River Waterworks, were forced to shut down last weekend due to high ammonia levels caused by improperly stored chicken manure fertiliser which was being produced at a rate of 40 tonnes a day, according to officials.
Authorities at both the state and federal levels said they had issued several warnings before the state government announced the closure on Wednesday.
According to Dr Zaki Zainuddin, a quality and modelling specialist, the delay in firm action by the government was due to an overlap in jurisdiction and a "disconnect" in pollution management across Malaysia.
The problem of issuing permits for manure processing facilities is one example.
Johor's Veterinary Services Department director Dr Aida Muhid told Channel NewsAsia on Thursday that while the chicken farm that was forced to shut had a permit to operate, the fertiliser factory had not been issued one.
Dr Aida said that it was not clear whether the authority to issue the permit to the factory belonged to the Veterinary Department or the Agriculture Department.
"It's quite difficult to differentiate that because it's considered quite a grey area ... That has not been resolved yet," she told Channel NewsAsia.
Dr Aida intends to resolve this by fast tracking planned legislation so that the licensing of manure processing plants will fall under her department within six months.
MINISTRY "THREE-QUARTERS" DONE WITH LEGISLATION CHANGES
Meanwhile, at the federal level, the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told Channel NewsAsia he was "three-quarters" done with legislation that would authorise his ministry to shut down polluters without going through multiple state departments.
"Most things like rivers, water, land resources all belong to the state under the constitution," he said.
"We are not taking over their authority but it's just having a law so we don't have to tell them, 'please go and take action against this'. The idea is that we don't have to ask permission from people - we'll do it ourselves," he said.
"We should have the laws, we should have a way to impose penalties, we should have the authority to close all the factories in the illegal areas, in the places where they have no permission (to operate) from the state authorities," he added.
Mr Wan Junaidi had said in a statement earlier this week that the Department of Environment, which falls under his ministry, had directed the illegal chicken farm to relocate its operation away from the river in July last year due to water pollution - but this was ignored. Under current laws, the department said it did not have the power to take further action.
Dr Zaki, who is a consultant for the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, said the federal ministry does not have the scope at the moment to deal with pollution from fertiliser factories.
"The overarching legislation when it comes to pollution control is the Environmental Quality Act which the Department of Environment enforces," he told Channel NewsAsia.
"But pollution sources governed by the act is in the range of 25 to 30 per cent only. So you have these other sources which are not regulated under that act, sources like poultry farms, chicken farms. .. It's a tricky issue."
Dr Zaki added that one way to deal with this is for states to adapt their own legislation to expand the scope of environmental officials - something that has already been done in states like Selangor.
In the case of Johor, Dr Aida says her department will be playing closer attention to chicken farms during the annual inspections later this year and new standard operating procedures are being rolled out.
Her officials will also aim to map out the locations of the 778 poultry farms across the state by next year to identify which ones are close to water sources and need to be monitored more closely.
Johor should seek views of relevant people to curb river pollution
Ahmad Fairuz Othman New Straits Times 3 Nov 17;
JOHOR BARU: Johor government has been urged to engage with all stakeholders including villagers, Orang Asli, and non governmental organisations (NGOs) to prevent a recurrence of pollution in Sungai Johor and other rivers.
Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) vice-chairman Vincent Chow said a proper plan was needed to curb pollution at water intake points.
He said this could start with better engagement with the people who had a first-hand experience of pollution.
"When it comes to major issues affecting the environment, the state government should call for a meeting with stakeholders on a regular basis.
"Stakeholders such as villagers, Orang Asli, village headmen and NGOs should be involved. NGOs that deal with environmental issues will be more familiar with what's happening on the ground," he told the New Straits Times.
Chow said eye-witnesses’ accounts of river pollution were crucial to help authorities take suitable action against polluters.
He urged the Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Ministry to expedite plans to formulate regulations for fertiliser farms, as it was a fertiliser farm that caused the ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor last week.
Excessive levels of ammonia in Sungai Johor on Oct 27, prompted SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd to temporarily shut down the operations of its plants at Sungai Johor, Semangar and Tai Hong.
This disrupted water supply to 360,000 households involving 1.8 million consumers in Kulai, Iskandar Puteri, Kota Tinggi and here.
The pollution was traced to an illegal fertiliser processing plant near Layang Layang in Kulai, which was subsequently ordered to be shut down by the state government.
Johor government has also ordered the shut down of the nearby poultry farm, which were run by the same owner.
The same farm had also caused ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor in December last year and in August this year.
Meanwhile, state Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat denied that the state authorities did not engage with stakeholders on the issue of river pollution.
"There have been meetings involving the state government, agencies and related stakeholders conducted under my portfolio.”
Ayub said regulations regarding pollution at water intake points came under the Johor Water Regulatory Body.
He said the status of land also lay under the District Land Administrative Office.
"Even if there is no law against fertiliser farms, there are other related laws," said Ayub.
