Water collected from Sungai Subak.
MIRI: Some 6,000 people from five villages in Sibuti are said to have been living in a hellish environment for the last 10 years due to a sanitary landfill nearby.
After having to breathe stench day in and day out for years, some of the villagers decided to bring their problem to PAS Miri.
It is understood that the villagers had aired their problems to the relevant authorities concerned and they (authorities) promised to move the landfill elsewhere, but nothing had been done thus far, nor when the landfill would be moved.
The five affected villages are Kampung Subak, Kampung Kejapil, Kampung Keluru Tengah, Kampung Opak and Kampung Satap.
State PAS Youth chief Mohammad Arifiriazul Paijo told a press conference yesterday that besides the foul smell lingering in these villagers due to the landfill, leachate from the dumpsite had also polluted the river.
“The villagers, especially those living in Kampung Subak, can no longer use a river for their daily needs or to fish,” claimed Arifiriazul.
He said he was told by Kampung Subak folk that the river was crystal clear before the landfill was built more than 10 years ago. It is now murky.
“PAS has collected a sample from the river and we will send it to the laboratory for tests. We believe the river is polluted and pose a danger to the villagers.”
Arifiriazul claimed the leachate treatment plant (LTP) at Sibuti sanitary landfill had stopped working for over a year.
“Because the LTP is out of service, water from the landfill seeps into the river in Kampung Subak untreated.
“As a result, Sungai Bekenu is affected, too.”
He urged the authority concerned to act fast for the benefit of those affected.