Sungai petani: The Kedah Department of Environment (DOE) has enforced Equipment Operation Seizure (POK) provisions against a factory in the Bukit Selambau Industrial Area, Sungai Petani, suspected of conducting unlicensed off-site scheduled waste storage and recovery activities. Kedah DOE director Sharifah Zakian Syed Sahab stated that the action was taken during an 'Op Gempur' operation from 9 am to 1 pm today, which revealed the facility was operating without Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval or a valid DOE licence.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, during the inspection, approximately 100 metric tonnes of used lithium batteries and around 317 metric tonnes of crushed used batteries, both classified as scheduled waste, were found. Additionally, about 20 metric tonnes of recovered metal powder were discovered on site.

Sharifah Zakian explained that the department seized the factory's production equipment under Section 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974, as they were being operated without pollution control systems or DOE approval. Investigations are ongoing under Sections 18(1), 34A(6), and 34B(1) of the same act.

She emphasized that DOE Kedah will continue to strengthen monitoring and enforcement efforts, particularly targeting illegal waste processing activities that cause environmental pollution and pose public health risks.