SHAH ALAM: The state government today passed amendments to the Selangor Water Management Authority (LUAS) enactment providing stiffer penalties to those polluting rivers used by treatment plants.
The amendments include a mandatory jail sentence for those found guilty of such acts.
Speaker Ng Suee Lim announced the decision after the bill was read for the third time today, followed by a voice vote in which the majority of the assemblymen approved the amendments.
Last week, Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari (PH-Sungai Tua) said the state government intended to increase the fine from RM100,000 to RM1 million.
Currently, any person found guilty of polluting water sources will face a maximum RM100,000 fine or a maximum three years in jail.
The increase in fines would serve as a deterrent against those who polluted water resources, Amirudin said.
The amendments will also give police officers above the rank of inspector the power to seize assets without a warrant if they have reason to believe the assets are related to an offence under Section 99A.
The authorities are also given powers to forfeit the assets under Sections 99C and 99D.
Informers will also be rewarded if they provide information to state authorities.
Last month, LUAS said four water treatment plants had to be shut down after odour pollution was detected in Sungai Selangor. The shutdown disrupted water supply to 1.19 million households.
Earlier, in September, pollution in Sungai Gong forced closure of these same water plants, disrupting supply to over five million users in Klang Valley.