KUCHING, June 23: The stench is unbearable and the flies so numerous that their homes are no longer a sanctuary for ten families affected by a nearby chicken farm at Jalan Rundim 3B, Kampung Quop, here.
Habitat for Indigenous and Urban Programme (Hidup) founder and chairman George Young Si Ricord Junior highlighted the issue to DayakDaily after some of the affected residents informed him of their predicament.
According to George, the chicken farm at Jalan Rundim 3B has been in existence for almost three decades and that numerous attempts to address the issue were made in the past by the affected villagers, but the issue has not been resolved as there seemed to be no follow up.
“Residents of Jalan Rundim 3B have been living next to a poultry farm for nearly 30 years. There are approximately 10 households living along Jalan Rundim 3B, Kampung Quop and their complaints and letters to the poultry operator and local authority have gone unheeded,” George told DayakDaily during a site visit today.
One of the affected residents informed George recently the farm is not only a nuisance but also a potential health hazard as her house is plagued by large swarms of flies.
“The affected families have to constantly close their doors and windows to deter the files and prevent odour coming into the house. These families have been exposed to swarms of flies every day of their lives for the past over 20 years,” said George.
George, who also hails from Kampung Quop and has relatives living in the affected area said he was perplexed as to how did the authority approve the location for such a farm when the residents were living there long before the poultry farming started.
“Sometimes the villagers would come across stray dogs occasionally feeding on chicken carcasses that were not properly disposed off by the workers and they would find these remains all over their compounds.
“During hot weather, their throats start to hurt as the dry chicken dung smells like ammonia, and sometimes, just smell like rotting meat,” he said.
George added that occasionally the villagers would experience dust particles in the air, making it hard to breathe and the situation could be even acute during the hot dry weather.
“Thus, I would like to urge the local authorities and the Natural Resources and Environmental Board (NRED) to monitor the air emissions of this farm and other poultry farms that seem to be sprouting all over Kampung Quop,” George said.
He also hoped that that the relevant authorities would enforce additional requirements on poultry producers in the area.
“There’s always room for improvement and I would like to suggest that maybe the poultry farmers can try to use more buffer zones or tree-planting to reduce the impact.”
When contacted, Padawan Municipal Council chairman Lo Khere Chiang said he would find out more about the situation at Jalan Rundim 3B, Kampung Quop. — DayakDaily
