Some of the dead fish found at the Sungai Kulim riverbanks in mainland Penang.
According to Penang DoE director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab sedimentation caused by heavy rains had reduced the level of oxygen in the river. In a statement, Zakiah said the heavy rainfall recorded in the upstream section of the river, located in Kedah had likely caused the sedimentation in the river.She added that the fishes had died near Lunas upstream of the river and later floated to the river’s banks in Penang.Zakiah also revealed that a joint Penang-Kedah DoE investigation over the weekend did not find any industrial discharge in the river as earlier suspected.
Last month, a similar incident occurred where hundreds of dead fish were found on the banks of Sungai Perai, with the cause found to be untreated effluent discharged by a factory nearby.
It is highly unlikely for heavy rain to deplete dissolved oxygen in the river unless the rain brought surface run-off high in COD, BOD and bio-nutrients. It was common practices for factories to illegally discharged non compliant effluent during heavy rains. Do your job