In a statement, IWK said its operations team conducted a thorough investigation on Tuesday at the Inderapura plant, the sewage treatment plant near the lake.

“The findings revealed that the effluent discharged from the plant fully complies with the regulations set by the environment department (DoE).

“More importantly, the investigation confirmed that the discharged effluent did not enter the area of the lake reported to be polluted,” it said.

IWK said the Taman Matahari lake comprises two distinct sections and that the effluent discharged from the Inderapura plant is directed to a separate section of the lake, different from the one that was said to be polluted.

“Following additional investigations, it has been confirmed that no dead fish were found at the location where the effluent was discharged,” it added.

Images of hundreds of fish found dead in the Taman Matahari lake had been circulated on social media platforms.

In response, Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the state’s DoE was carrying out investigations following public complaints on the matter.

According to the Malay Mail, Ling said initial investigations found that the fish had died due to water pollution caused by a dark-looking effluent released from the drain of a nearby sewage treatment plant.

He also said that further investigation by Johor DoE found the plant’s component treatment system was damaged and had failed to function properly.

“The plant is also suspected of discharging sewage effluent directly, bypassing the required filtration process,” he added.