KUCHING: Miri Sessions Court slapped a frozen food supplier with a RM20,000 fine, in default of six months’ jail, after the company pleaded guilty to discharging excessive amounts of effluent into a watercourse there. Judge Awang Kerisnada Awang Mahmud fined the management after they pleaded guilty to a charge under Section 16(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act.
As a licensee, the company had failed to comply with the licence, and had been found discharging effluent containing substances in concentration exceeding the limits under Compliance Schedule of the Contravention Licence, as required by Section 25(1).
The offence carries a fine not exceeding RM25,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years, or both.
The offence was committed at Jalan Krokop Utama at 12.30am on Nov 3 last year.
In another case, an oil palm company was fined RM10,000 in default of six months’ imprisonment after the management pleaded guilty to two charges of discharging excessive amount of oil palm effluent into the inland river.
The management of the company admitted they had failed to comply with conditions in the licence, and had discharged untreated effluent from the cleaning of kernel into a storm drain.
The inland river is not an approved discharge point as specified under Regulation 14(2), Environmental Quality (Prescribed Premise) (Crude palm Oil) Regulations, 1977.
The offence was committed at about 12.15pm and 12.33pm at their premises in Jalan Miri-Bintulu on Oct 27, 2009.
The offence comes under Section 16(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and punishable under Section 16 (2) of the same Act.
The company was also charged under Section 16(1) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and punishable under Section 16(2) of the same Act.
On Monday, another company was fined RM7,000, in default of three months’ imprisonment for discharging industrial effluent into the inland water.
The company was charged under Section 25(1) of the Environmental Act 1974 and punishable under Section 25(3) of the same Act concerning restriction on inland water pollution.
Section 25(3) carries a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or both.
They committed the offence at their premises located at Senadin Light Industrial Zone at about 9.40am on Jan 27.
Prosecution officer for the Department of Environment, Zuhariah Jan and Sivanathan Subramaniam prosecuted.