PORT DICKSON, A poultry farm in Bukit Pelanduk is suspected of causing pollution and affecting the water quality in the surrounding and coastal waters. State Entrepreneurship, Human Resources, Climate Change, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman S. Veerapan said that following complaints from local residents, the state Water Regulatory Authority has collected water samples from the drains at the farm for further investigation. He said an inspection found the poultry farm, situated on a 2.02-hectare open plot, to be poorly maintained, with black, fly- and maggot-infested water in the drains and ditches. 'The state Department of Environment (DoE) visited the site and uncovered water pollution at the farm, suspected to originate from animal waste. The investigation also found that a broiler chicken farm with a capacity of 30,000 chickens has been in operation at the site for 20 years,' he told reporters today. According to Veerapan, farm workers use water from two ponds on the site to clean the chicken coop floors approximately every two months, and there is no water treatment facility available. 'After cleaning the chicken manure, the floors are washed and the wastewater flows through the drains into nearby ditches,' he said. He added that the farm has been ordered to temporarily close, and the State Veterinary Services Department has issued a compound and a notice, requiring the owner to carry out the necessary cleaning. Source: BERNAMA News Agency