The department’s Perak director, Rosli Zul, said: “The waste management system of the factory must be upgraded because we found that the wastes were indeed treated before being disposed of into Sungai Bidor but it did not follow the stipulated specifications.”

An environmental group, the National Organisation For Ecosystem Conservation, had urged the department to take immediate action against the plant which had been dumping waste into Sungai Bidor for the past 12 years.

The group accused the factory of polluting the air and the river. “The waste has the potential to pollute the nearby river ecosystem as well,” it said.

A villager, Ahmad Fuad Shahrudin, 51, said he had submitted a complaint against the disposal of the waste several times since March last year.

The pollution problem had become more serious over the past year but no action had been taken until now thus affecting the income of the residents, especially fishermen.

“Some fishermen claim that fish and prawn catches have dropped and affected their income after the factory disposes oil palm waste into drains that flow directly into Sungai Bidor.

“Besides that, the residents of Kampung Selabak often notice foul odour from the factory every day and we also experience bodily itches,” he said.

Meanwhile, a source from the factory when contacted by Bernama said, the premises had just started operations last December after being closed since last February due to repair and upgrading work.

He said oil palm waste was fully treated by the factory. “We will thoroughly investigate the allegations of the residents on the cause of the pollution which is said to be coming from this factory,” he said.