Impose stricter action against illegal pig farmers

SEREMBAN- The Negeri Sembilan government will take more stringent action in dealing with the issue of Sungai Rambai in Lukut that has been classified as the most polluted river in the country.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the state government was aware of the existence of illegal pig farms in the area and the pollution that happened was upsetting.

He said because of that, the state government will issue a notice to stop illegal farming and slaughtering activities in the area.

In fact, he said the state government together with the exco will meet farmers within this week to advise farmers to move their livestock from the area or face strict action.

"This issue is quite sensitive in this situation but we think about the public's interests.

"I am confident that even if action is taken, it is our responsibility as the state government to ensure that we are able to handle the problem faced by the people properly.

"We do not want to keep demolishing the farms. Although we follow the rules, we also take into account the humanitarian spirit and togetherness with residents. We must emphasise this," he told Sinar Premium after chairing the Weekly Exco Meeting at Wisma Negeri on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Aminuddin admitted that the state government has never remained silent on the Sungai Rambai pollution issue.

He said previously, a notice of cessation of farming and slaughtering activities were served to farmers, but there were residents who had disobeyed the notice.

"After the African Swine Flu appeared and pigs have disappeared in the area, the exco's observation found that the water there seemed clean at that time.

"However, the lastest we checked, there were still more illegal slaughtering taking place.

"Most residents were afraid to breed pigs after the outbreak. Thus, maybe there were a part of the community that live in Tanah Merah Site A had bred, butchered and sold pork.

"Therefore, we will take stricter action so that our rivers are not dirty because it does not only involve the river in the area but also the Sepang River and the water will flow into the sea," he said.

On Sept 12, Sinar Harian reported on the status of Sungai Rambai which was the only river in Malaysia that was in class five or polluted in the country.

Laboratory tests carried out by a Sinar Harian reporter together with water experts at a private laboratory found that there was pig DNA in the water in Sungai Rambai.

What was more shocking was that during the investigation in the area, the reporter was stopped by a group of individuals, and even the reporter's car was being closely followed by a lorry to drive away the crew from the location.

Meanwhile, Aminuddin said the area in Sungai Rambai was part of the Malaysia Vision Valley Development Project 2.0 (MVV 2.0) and the state government's plan to establish a Pig Farming Area (PFA) after the pig farms were shut down.

"PFA is a modern system where the farms are closed and the waste in the sewage and water that flows directly into the river will be processed first,” he said.