These factories neighbouring Bandar Sunway Semenyih are contributing to residents’ sleepless nights.
BANDAR Sunway Semenyih (BSS) residents have not had restful sleep for the past nine years because of noise from factories operating near their homes.
Phase 1 residents are the most affected as a service road separates the Kajang Jaya Industrial Park (KJIP) and BSS Phase 1 that has 141 double-storey houses.
Residents say they are disturbed by the sounds of machinery, sirens and periodic trundling of heavy vehicles.
Suppiah says the noise from the factories is amplified at night.
Retired policeman Suppiah Aya Kannu, 62, who has lived here since 2003, said the noises were louder at night until 4am.
Silvester Arasaratnam, 64, said he could hardly hear himself talk in his own house due to the noise.
Mohd Hafiz Azri, 37, felt that the factories’ proximity to the houses might be the reason why his house was always dusty.
“There is black dust all over. We would vacuum the house in the morning but there would be dust on the soles of our feet by afternoon.
“Since moving here, my three-year-old son’s health has also suffered.
“Last month, we took him to the clinic three times for cough and fever,” said the civil servant.
Mohd Farouk Abdullah, 53, gets whiffs of unidentified chemicals on windy days.
“Sometimes I smell glue. Other times, it smells like something is burning,” said the assistant operations officer at a Balakong factory.
BSS Jalan 1 Residents Association chairman Asmadi Adnan said there were eight double-storey terrace houses facing Jalan Sunway 1/1 and the KJIP factories were only a road-width away.
Though the factories operating nearest to Jalan 1/1 have built high walls, Asmadi said it was inadequate to cut out the noise coming from their operations.
“The factories are too close to the housing area.
“We have been complaining verbally about this to the local councillor since 2014 and submitted an online complaint to Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) last Sunday,” he said, adding that residents were worried about their safety and health.
“In 2010, an explosion sent a steel drum flying from a factory onto Jalan Sunway 1/1,” said Asmadi.
“Luckily, no one was around and the steel drum just bounced onto the road.
Asmadi: High walls around the factories nearest to Jalan 1/1 are not enough to cut out the noise.
“A police report was lodged. The police and fire and rescue personnel came to inspect the drum before taking it away,” he recounted.
Since the incident, residents have been questioning if the factories are adhering to their buffer zones.
Following complaints, Hulu Langat MP Sany Hamzan visited the area to assess the situation.
“We will hold discussions with the factories, MPKj and residents associations so that residents’ complaints are acted upon,” he assured.
When contacted, Kajang Jaya Industrial Area Factory Operators and Landowners Association president Sim Keng Han said he would immediately arrange a meeting with the factory operators neighbouring the housing estate.
“We will advise the factories concerned to carry out soundproofing measures and odour pollution control in accordance with the Environment Department’s requirements,” he said.
On the buffer zone issue, Sim explained that the area was gazetted as an industrial zone before the houses were developed.
