Water pollution from paint-carrying lorry accident in Selangor prevented, says Luas

PHOTO CREDIT – Facebook/Luas

ACTION taken by the Selangor Water Management Authority (Luas) and Plus Malaysia Berhad following an accident involving a lorry carrying paint along the North-South Highway prevented a potential water pollution incident in Selangor.

In a statement, Luas confirmed that the accident occurred at around 6.30am on Saturday (Jan 13) at the KM381.7, which resulted in paint entering the drainage system.

“Luas coordinated rapid response action to safeguard the raw water source following the paint spill, which could have impacted the Bernam River Headwork (BRH) water treatment plant, located about 30km from the site.

“Prompt communication with Plus management there were ensured immediate spill control and clean-up measures. The paint was swiftly contained using sawdust and barriers, preventing further contamination of nearby drains.”

Luas stated that the initial assessment by on-site teams confirmed that the spillage was restricted to the highway’s central drain and did not flow into rivers.

At 4pm on Saturday (Jan 13), over 80% of the clean-up was completed, with the remaining repairs to the damaged highway barrier expected to continue in the following days as it necessitates a temporary road closure.

Luas stated that it would continue to monitor the area, adding that the dried paint spilt on the grass poses no risk to water operations and the BRH water treatment plant operations and treated water supply remains uninterrupted.

“The Selangor government and Luas extend their gratitude to Plus for controlling the incident’s risk of water source contamination and their commitment to maintaining the continuity of raw and treated water supply.”