Julaidi Rasidi
SIBU: Hotels with 38 rooms and above are now subject to the Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulations 2009, necessitating submission of monthly monitoring discharge report.
Head of the Department of Environment (DOE) here, Julaidi Rasidi said the new requirement would enable the 40-odd hoteliers here, Sarikei and Mukah to determine the quality of discharge from hotels and level of compliance.
The briefing yesterday was organised by Sarawak Central Region Hotels Association.
Julaidi said they had inspected several big hotels here, and issued directive to those not complying to make the necessary rectifications.
“Basically, hotels with 38 rooms or having 150 population equivalent (PE) are subject to the monthly monitoring discharge report which must be sent to us.
“We want to know the quality of discharge from sewage treatment plants from hotels and also for being them to monitor their discharge monthly on their part.
“In that way, we will be able to know the compliance level. Bear in mind that their discharge must comply with the stipulated standard under Environmental Quality (Sewage) Regulations 2009,” Julaidi explained.
For those hotels yet to comply, they had between two and three months to do the necessary rectifications.
Action would be taken after making the second round of inspection on hotels failing to make improvement despite issued with the directive.
“We will start issuing compounds if they still do not make efforts to carry out rectification works that are spelt out to them.”
He said although the requirement was applicable to airports and hospitals, their focus was now on hotels with 38 rooms or having 150 PE.
The association’s assistant secretary Roy Ting also spoke at the function. He said the briefing was held in response to some members receiving letters from the authority with regards to environmental matters.
He said a hotel here spend between RM8,000 and RM9,000 to engage a consultant to look into the matter.
“We must thank DOE for coming up with the briefing and explaining ways to go about complying with the new requirement which thus helps us to save between RM8,000 and RM9,000 to engage a consultant,” he said.