Penang: The Penang state government has taken several measures to address sewage pollution from pig farms in Kampung Selamat, near Tasek Gelugor, including requiring all farms in the area to send their wastewater to a biogas plant in Ampang Jajar. State Local Government and Town and Country Planning Committee chairman Jason H'ng Mooi Lye said the move is part of the state government's efforts to prevent livestock farm sewage from being discharged directly into drains or rivers in the area.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the matter was discussed at a meeting with the state Veterinary Services Department and the state assemblyman for the area in April. Since May, the state government has required all pig farms in Kampung Selamat to send their sewage waste to the biogas plant in Ampang Jajar. The Veterinary Services Department conducts weekly monitoring, while officers investigate any complaints received. Surprise inspections are also carried out in the absence of complaints, but so far, no farms in the area have been found discharging sewage directly into drains or rivers.

H'ng commented on media reports about Tasek Gelugor MP Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan's call for the government and authorities to take immediate action to address sewage pollution from pig farms in Kampung Selamat, which he claimed had burdened residents for decades. Wan Saiful was reported to have said that he and the Tasek Gelugor Action Committee were seeking to gather scientific evidence of the pollution, including through sampling in the Parit Cina area.

H'ng stated that the state government is also considering the issue of sediment and old sewage waste that had accumulated in the area's drains over the years. Once the clean-up of the old waste is completed, the state government plans to allocate funding for the Drainage and Irrigation Department to carry out desilting work on the drains. He mentioned that the state would adopt a similar approach to that taken in Kampung Valdor, Sungai Bakap, where desilting work, coupled with stronger monitoring and enforcement, had helped improve the river's condition.

H'ng emphasized that the authorities would not hesitate to take action against farmers who breached the regulations, including by releasing sewage waste directly into drains or rivers, stressing that offenders would be issued with summonses and their cases referred to the courts.