Why would I waste diesel when I can sell it, says workshop owner

Polluted: The blackened oil spill booms used to contain the diesel in Sungai Selangor. 

(The Star) – Mok, 55, said he repaired his own lorries at the workshop on the 1.21 ha of agricultural land, claiming that he was a sub-contractor for the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) where his lorries were used to transport solid and industrial waste.

The owner of the workshop at Jalan Batu Arang in Rawang, allegedly responsible for the diesel spillage into Sungai Selangor, has blamed his workers for the spill.

The owner, who wanted to be known only as Mok, said he had sacked four workers for being “irresponsible”.

“Why would I deliberately pour diesel into the river when I could have sold it? This is the first time such an incident has happened in the 13 years since I started operating,” he said yesterday.

Mok said he was sorry for the negligence but denied it was a deliberate act.

“I was shocked when I read the news that the diesel spillage was the cause of the water disruption that affected millions,” he said.

However, he was sceptical that the spillage was the main reason for the water disruption.

“I feel I have been wronged as the blame has been put entirely on me,” he said.

He claimed that the diesel leaked from his lorries and flowed into the drain in the factory’s compound.

“When the Department of Environment (DOE) came to check, my workers then unclogged the drain. However, by unclogging it, the diesel flowed into the main drains which seeped into the river,” he claimed.

Mok, 55, said he repaired his own lorries at the workshop on the 1.21 ha of agricultural land, claiming that he was a sub-contractor for the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) where his lorries were used to transport solid and industrial waste.

He said he also repaired roll-on/roll-off containers and waste compactors there. He added that the two tankers, taken as evidence by DOE, were actually used to store the diesel that the workers had tried to clean up from the drain.

When asked if he was operating the workshop illegally, he said: “There is no need to apply for a licence as I do not conduct any business activities there. I only repair my own lorries. It is not as though I am running a business to repair lorries.”

He denied that he had been collecting waste engine oil and reprocessing it as stated by MPS. He said he would meet with MPS today to discuss the next course of action and plans to lodge a police report to explain his side of the story.

“I will leave the place within three months as I had earlier sold the land,” he said.

It was reported yesterday that Selangor state secretary Datuk Mohammed Khusrin Munawi had said they would take the sternest possible action against the culprit responsible for spilling diesel into Sungai Selangor.

He said they were even looking at the possibility of seizing the land (on which the business is sited) if the law permitted it.

MPS president Mohd Azizi Mohd Zain had alleged that the owner had been collecting waste engine oil and reprocessing it, adding that they had seized 20 items, consisting mainly of heavy machinery.

The council has previously slapped the owner with 14 compounds amounting to RM34,000.