JOHOR BAHRU: Indah Water Consortium (IWK) has denied claims that the hundreds of dead fish found at the Taman Matahari Lake in Bandar Indahpura, Kulai, were caused by sewage or wastewater released from a nearby treatment plant.

In a statement today, IWK said its operations team conducted a thorough investigation at the Inderapura Sewage Treatment Plant adjacent to the lake.

It said results indicated that the effluent discharged from the plant complied with the regulations set by the Department of Environment.

“Taman Matahari Lake has two separate sections where the effluent discharged from the IWK Sewage Treatment Plant is directed to a separate part of the lake, which is not the reported contaminated area.

“Following further investigations, it has been confirmed that no dead fish were found at the location where the IWK plant effluent was discharged,” the statement read.

IWK said all treated effluents discharged from the IWK Sewage Treatment Plant meet the standards set by the regulating authorities.

“We are committed to addressing pollution cases and strive to provide efficient wastewater services, including maintaining the sewage treatment plants in optimal condition to ensure effective operations,” it said.

Yesterday, State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said that the incident was caused by damage to components in the sewage treatment plant system, resulting in sewage flowing into the lake.

Recently, a 30-second video went viral showing schools of dead fish floating in the lake. -Bernama