The Penang government has formed a task force to specifically address river and marine pollution, following last week’s contamination of the Batu Ferringhi beach with a blackish substance containing the E.coli bacteria.

Announcing this yesterday, State Local Government, Traffic and Flood Mitigation Committee chairperson Chow Kon Yeow said the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) will act as the secretariat for the task force which will comprise representatives from various departments.

Members of the "River and Marine Pollution Task Force" include representatives from the Penang Island Municipal Council (MPPP), Seberang Perai Municipal Council (MPSP), Department of Environment (DOE), Public Works Department, Economic Planning Unit and the Fisheries, Agriculture and Veterinary departments.

"The task force is responsible to monitor the quality of all rivers but we will focus on the island first," Chow told a press conference.

"Task force members will visit and report to us on the sources of pollution, if any, like indiscriminate disposal of garbage from wet markets, industrial and commercial outlets," he added.

"The task force, after discovering the source of the pollution, will present the matter to the state government for further action."       

Accompanying Chow at the press event were Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng, Penang Town and Country Planning and Housing Committee chairperson Jagdeep Singh Deo ( left ) and State Health Committee chairperson Dr Afif Bahardin.

Asked why a task force is needed when there were already enforcement officers on duty, Chow said the new committee would strengthen cooperation among all departments.

"So we can provide better solutions to address the issue of environmental pollution in the state," Chow replied.

Last week, Penang was abuzz with reports that the Batu Ferringhi seaside was polluted with high levels of E.coli.

A report from DOE showed there were indeed high levels of the bacteria but the concentration reduced after the beach was cleaned up.

The Penang government has identified Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) as the cause of the black stinky discharge from a pipe at its Batu Ferringhi sewage plant, but IWK has denied that it was responsible for any pollution of the waters.