translation The Melaka Islamic International College (KTIAM) in Alor Gajah is concerned that pollution from neighbouring pig farms would affect its student intake.

There are more than 80 pig farms in the district, namely in Paya Mengkuang and Bukit Beruang.

KTIAM public relations officer Fazura Mustaffa said many students and parents have complained about the stench emitting from the waste which flows into a stream near the college.

"They (the students and parents) are not comfortable with the environment and our college has asked those concerned to find a solution as soon as possible," he told malaysiakini recently.

He said there was no point for the college to have state-of-the-art facilities when the stench in the area is unbearable.

KTIAM has 2,200 students and will take in another 1,000 new students, including those from abroad, next month.

Fazura said last month, the state irrigation department (JPS) had cleaned the stream but the stench still persisted, and becomes worse when it rains or there are strong winds.

The college is worried that if the problem is not resolved the intake of students would be affected, he added.

Regular cleaning

Meanwhile, JPS said it is working with the Alor Gajah Municipal council to clean the stream which flows in front of the college.

According to JPS river unit head Nora Ibrahim, the cleaning works are carried out as and when it is required.

As for the pollution in Sungai Tuang - a river located near the pig farms, she said JPS will not close it down.

If the river is closed, she noted that the waste from the farms will overflow into a nearby village.

"What JPS is doing is cleaning the river so that the waste can flow quickly into the Melaka straits," she said, adding that the procedure is to clean the river every three months.

According to Nora, the department previously used a filtration technique but this had to be stopped due to the high cost and the pig farmers refused to pay for it.

Villagers living nearby have also complained about the pollution, claiming that the stench has reached a nauseating point.

They have called on the state government to either move the farms or shut them down.

The pig farmers, on the other hand, have asked for compensation as they have invested millions of ringgit into their business.

Click on the link for the original story .

This is the final part of this article. Below are the links to the first two parts.

Part 1: The battle over pig farms

Part 2:

Pig farmers: Pay us, and we'll move