The misery of Kinrara Mas residents started two months ago when they detected a foul smell coming from a tree-filled parcel of land next to their housing area.

To their dismay, the vacant lot next to the residential area had turned into a dumpsite.

“My family and I have to endure the smell even inside our own home. I had to place tape over the gaps in the doors and now I have to wear a face mask to bed,” said a resident, who only wanted to be known as Loh.

“We could see construction waste, plastic materials, paint cans,” said the housewife who is in her 50s.

Loh claimed that her neighbours had suffered from sore throat, dizziness and flu because of the stench. According to the residents, lorries had been dumping waste there.

The residents also claimed that workers had dug a deep trench through which polluted water flowed into the main drain of the residential area.

During a visit to the site on Monday, The Star saw dark, foul-smelling water in the trench.

Another resident, who only wanted to be known as Sharon, said: “The neighbourhood was quite nice and quiet, but then the pollution started and it made our lives miserable.”

Sharon is a tuition teacher in her 30s who started living there last year.

A committee member of the residents’ association, who only wanted to be known as Jimmy, said they had complained to the authorities.

He said they had lodged reports with the Department of Environ­ment (DoE) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL).

The residents produced documents to The Star, which showed that DoE representatives had gone to the site on April 11 for an initial inspection.

On April 15, representatives from DoE, DBKL, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd and Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation Sdn Bhd (SWCorp) went to the area for a joint investigation. Jimmy said the residents had made a police report about the illegal dumpsite, adding that the developers had also lodged a police report on May 10, stating that an “unknown third party had trespassed” onto their land and conducted dumping activities without their consent or knowledge.

Jimmy claimed that there had been bulldozers at the site, but it appeared that the workers were burying the rubbish instead of disposing it.

“The stench has been horrible and we believe there are some toxic fumes in the air, as some metal parts such as our taps, padlocks and grilles have turned rusty or black.

“It was so bad that one resident had even decided to move out,” he said.

A notice by SWCorp, dated May 14, told the company to stop the leachate, which is the liquid that is drained from the landfill, from flowing into the main drain of the residential area.

The developers were told that the land had been turned into an illegal dumping ground by irresponsible parties. Yesterday, SWCorp said on its Facebook page that cleaning works at the site were being conducted by a contractor appointed by the land owner.

It said the contractor was also instructed to dispose of asbestos waste at the site due to its hazardous nature.

SWCorp Federal Territories director Mohd Zahir Shari made a visit to the site yesterday.

Noting that the smell had reduced significantly, he said that efforts had been ongoing to manage the waste there.

However, he added, because of the high cost of removing the waste, the company had appealed to the authorities to bury the garbage instead.

“SWCorp will be monitoring the site, including the cleaning works and other works to fill in the soil which will be done by the contractor.

“A decision by the National Solid Waste Management Department will be needed to determine the best way to dispose of construction waste, soil and mixed waste,” he said.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/06/05/paradise-lost-to-smell...