Saturday, February 21, 2015

Move to clean up Ipoh - The Star - 18 Feb 2015



THE Ipoh City Council is very concerned over the city’s cleanliness, in particular the issue of illegal dumpsites around Ipoh.
Mayor Datuk Harun Rawi’s special officer Mohd Shahrizal Azmi, said the council, and especially Harun, were very committed to addressing these issues, and that several measures have been taken to improve the cleanliness of the city.
“We have sub-contracted drain clearing works at five areas, which are Buntong, Kampung Simee, Ipoh Garden, Bercham and Tambun.
“We have also outsourced 75% of domestic and industrial waste collection operations, whereas the remaining 25% is done by the council.
“In addition, we are also facilitating the implementation of gotong-royong programmes in all zones under the council’s jurisdiction, as well as adding and replacing old vehicles and machinery with new ones,” he said in a media statement recently.
However, Mohd Shahrizal noted that these efforts require the support from all citizens in Ipoh.
“We urge citizens to dispose of their rubbish responsibly, and make maintaining the cleanliness of their houses and the environment a shared responsibility.
“Without a change in attitude, it makes it even more difficult for the council to rectify the situation we have at hand,” he said.
Based on observations by council members, Mohd Shahrizal said illegal dumpsites mainly comprise disposals done by various groups of people.
“This includes residents, who dispose of their domestic waste, garden refuse and bulky waste, and irresponsible business owners who throw away food remains, plastic, bottles and so on.
“Contractors are at fault too due to their disposal of construction materials,” he said.
In view of this, Mohd Shahrizal said the council was currently researching on appropriate measures to curb this issue.
“We will continue to clear illegal dumpsites during weekends, and re-coordinate our enforcement so that necessary action would be taken against litterbugs.
“We are also looking into hiring contractors for regular garden refuse collection and clearing waste in markets and hawker centres,” he said.
He added that close cooperation between the council and the people is vital to ensure that Ipoh is a clean city.

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