Mohd Arshad: Illegal garbagge dumping, who cares

...AND BURNING! When will it stop and we could live long healthily in an unpolluted environment? When will the local authorities wake up and make it worth their salt to act?

No one could ever answer these questions until, probably, when all those running the councils are either replaced or their mind set changed to do their jobs efficiently. Garbagge disposal now seems unchecked and management inefficient.

The garbagge dumping shown here was about 3km from the JHEOA towards Janda Baik along the Gombak Road, Selangor.

(Pic: This fire has already burnt most of the garbagge on the road's curb and was spreading along the slop when I took this photo.)


Multiple complaints from nearby residents and those who love nature and care for the future generations had been voicing their dissatisfactions with the authorities, that is the local councils, the environment, the Drainage and Irrigation Ministry without any response.

I have been writing many times in this paper and a few others, getting the attention of the authorities but even that has fallen on deaf ears.

The High and Mighty Ministers, their followers, those with vested interests and some of their stooges have high class mansions in Janda Baik but not one from their group could notice the rampant dumping of garbagge along the road shoulders from Gombak to Janda Baik or Sempah Genting; maybe we should rename the road from ‘Sempah Genting to ‘Sampah Genteng’.

Perhaps the VIPs have no time by road to reach their ‘heaven’ and most probably take their preivate planes or helicopters. Recently it was discovered that logging activities was detected after operating for many years. Of course after so many years as by that time nothing would have been left to log and maybe a short air-field is also located nearby Janda Baik. I am aware of one mansion with a private helipad some where in Ampang.

(Pic: Just about 50m from the flames towards Janda Baik, was this dump, perhaps next to be torched.)

What was up to the early seventies, beautiful wooden Malay houses with typical Malay dishes in cute, clean warungs now is replaced by shanties and some semi-permanent shacks, barely perched on one end along the road and mostly hanging/dangling precariously over the very steep slope that dip into one of the Gombak River tributaries.

Most of the residents now, judging from their ways and language are foreighners; there is no need to be alarmed as to how they got here, and also do not be alarmed further if they showed you blue ICs with children in the local schools or have completed schooling and the children working in some local companies.

Many drive cars, motor cycles, trucks (own), are contractors or manage warungs at their shacks. Nothing is impossible for these dwellers. Who does not know that it is very easy to acquire Malaysian visas, Passports or ICs? Sabah especially is full of these migrants with acquired legal papers, HOW? I would not want to answer that here! Perhaps some polititians could answer that.

(Pic: Further down, was this, just about ready to be, perhaps, bulldozed on the roads' edge and burned later on.)

Our local Councils do not listen to the residents or suggestions from anyone on how they could prevent the illegal dumping not designated for such purpose; at times the council’s staff would snap back that they have their ways of checking illegal activities. But so far nothing has come out of their ways. Maybe I am wrong in saying that for someone might have forked some ‘lubricant’ to dump garbagge nearby and not at designated sites that could be too far or at inconvenient places. So, something could have been done there; cash changed hands!

Dumping garbagge as seen in the pictures here not only polluted our rivers but also induce dsoil erosion and landslides along the road’s edge that slope steeply into rivers. Wild animals comsume left over from food; they could be poisoned by food not meant for them. Animals, water and air spread diseases by their movenent, mingling and deaths.

(Pic: Along with the garbagge dump are a few 'camps' where litter was found along the river's bank.)

I was wondering about our Health Ministry that at one time used to check on food-outlets and their disposal means of left overs. Has this section of the Ministry been abolished or has just slumbered itself into oblivion?