YOURSAY | “Why bring race and religion into this discussion? Completely irrelevant.”

S’gor exco in charge of pig farms to have audience with sultan – MB

S’gor ruler suggests elected reps live near pig farms in Tanjung Sepat

Exile: The establishment of a local, centralised Anaerobic Digestion System (ADS) at Tanjung Sepat is a practical and environmentally responsible interim solution to address pig waste management issues in Kuala Langat, while the longer-term relocation of pig farms to Bukit Tagar is planned and implemented.

This approach prioritises immediate pollution control, odour reduction, and regulatory compliance without waiting several years for full relocation.

Tanjung Sepat hosts a dense cluster of pig farms generating an estimated 200–250 tonnes of pig waste per day, equivalent to approximately 80,000–100,000 pigs.

A local ADS located within or adjacent to the existing farm zone would treat waste at the source, where environmental impacts are most acute, while eliminating the need for long-haul tanker transport.

The proposed ADS would be a farm-independent, centralised facility receiving pig waste primarily via short slurry pipelines from nearby farms, supplemented by sealed tankers where necessary.

The system would use mesophilic continuous stirred-tank reactors (CSTR) with a hydraulic retention time of around 20–25 days, producing biogas for upgrading to biomethane (CNG) and stabilised digestate for use as organic fertiliser.

With fast-tracked approvals and strong project governance, the ADS could be operational within 16–18 months of project approval. This is significantly faster than the expected timeline for full farm relocation to Bukit Tagar, allowing environmental improvements to be realised much sooner.

The facility would be fully enclosed, with waste reception, digestion, and digestate handling conducted under negative air pressure. Exhaust air would be treated using biofilters and activated carbon systems to minimise odour emissions.

There would be no open lagoons or uncovered storage, and sealed drainage would prevent soil or water contamination.

Indicative capital expenditure for the ADS is estimated at US$5-6 million (RM22-30 million), with annual operating costs of US$700,000-1.0 million. These costs are partially offset by biomethane production, organic fertiliser sales, and tipping fees.

Importantly, the ADS would not become stranded infrastructure. After relocation to Bukit Tagar, it could be repurposed to treat other organic waste streams, ensuring continued environmental value.

KK Voter: I can understand concerns about existing farms and the three-year extension while waiting for the integrated farm to be completed.

However, complaints about the integrated farm make no sense, as it was built precisely to address the existing pollution problem.

The same logic applies to chicken, cow, and goat farms: people who consume these products also do not want to live near such farms because of the same pollution concerns.

So why bring race and religion, or majority and minority issues, into this discussion? Completely irrelevant.

Koel: Why target pig farming only? How about chickens, goats, cattle, and vegetable farms? The odour from all can be quite repulsive.

How about the use of chemicals in farming and carbide gas in ripening fruits? All these cause cancers, which are far more fatal to human beings. Is anyone raising concerns about these more worrying issues?

And while we are on the topic of farming, how about factory operations located on riverbanks, spewing poisons into waterways? Or the use of chemicals that seep into the soil and poison the earth, which then poison any fruits or vegetables grown on such soil?

As for this singular focus on pigs (which is probably a dying industry on the peninsula, given the shortsighted views of governance), the Selangor government can start importing from Sarawak, which has taken a more pragmatic approach to the industry.

MarioT: What is a suitable place then?

It cannot be completely isolated from people, so the question is, how to tackle this situation?

One side is sensitivity and foul smell, the other side is a staple food that needs to be maintained.

Chicken farms also have their contribution to foul smell.

VioletQuokka1493: With modern husbandry methods, there is very little or no smell. Small farms cannot afford such technology and have more smell pollution.

Large-scale farming allows cheaper production costs and enables the export of meat to other states and even to other countries.

See what pork-exporting countries are doing.

LimeMoose1462: Our farming techniques are poor. We need to improve standards and compliance.

Not only pig farming, but all types of farming.

GE1G: The smell and houseflies in Tanjong Sepat and Morib areas have been around for decades, so why the noise only now?

Yes, complaints about the dirty Klang River have been made many, many times, even by the royalty, His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah. But was any real action taken? Action was taken only when they were going to hold a royal wedding. After that, it became the town of crows again.

What is the point of celebrating when it turns into a bandaraya (city)? They only spent money to “beautify” the main road leading to the town (not city).

That money could have been better spent on improving infrastructure to make it easier to keep the town clean.

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