By: Zaki Salleh
The installation of a closed circuit camera (CCTV) succeeded in scaring off illegal garbage dumpers when the roadside area at the Taman Pengkalan Jaya Public Market here was found to be clean.
That was after the Ipoh City Council (MBI) put up banners informing that the area was monitored with CCTV.
Previously, the roadside area was used as a place to dump rubbish by irresponsible parties even though it was prohibited.
Although warning signs were installed by MBI, they were ignored.
This situation has ruined the beauty of the surroundings in addition to the piled up garbage being rummaged through by stray dogs.
A resident, Hashim Yahya said, the piled up garbage has given the area a bad image.
Thus, he praised MBI’s actions in installing the banners and suggested more CCTVs be installed in public places.
“We admit that CCTV helps to be the eyes and ears of the authorities.
“The issue of illegal garbage has become worse in Ipoh because we can see many such areas,” he said.
As for the trader who wants to only be known as Wong, he wants the MBI to take legal action against the illegal garbage dumpers.
He said, in order to overcome the issue of dumping garbage at illegal sites, enforcement action must be taken.
“We see the installation of CCTV as one of the appropriate measures to avoid the same problem from recurring in addition to closing the locations that are illegal sites in garbage disposal,” he said.
Previously last December, the state government announced plans to identify locations for CCTV installations.
This is to monitor the location of illegal waste disposal thus ensuring the safety aspects are guaranteed.
This is really an eyesore and disgrace. Imagine this year Perak is picked as a tourism destination and how this would portray in the mind of visitors. Just as when I was in Paris many years back.
Really MBI could have been much tougher with these litter bugs long time ago. But late is still better never. Maybe a change in local Government EXCO could be for the better now onwards…….Hopefully.
Ipoh is a beautiful city with a lot to offer visitors and residents alike. But there is one thing that really spoils the city for me: the amount of litter that people throw out of their cars.
I’ve seen it all: food wrappers, plastic bottles, cigarette butts, even used diapers. It’s disgusting and it’s making our city look like a dump.
I know that not everyone who lives in Ipoh litters. But the ones who do seem to have a real sense of entitlement. They think that they can just throw their garbage out the window and it will magically disappear.
Well, it doesn’t. That garbage ends up on the streets, in the gutters, and in our parks. It’s unsightly, it’s unhealthy, and it’s just plain disrespectful.
I’m not sure what it’s going to take to get people to stop littering. Maybe we need more public education campaigns. Maybe we need to start fining people who are caught littering. Or maybe we just need to shame them into behaving better.
Whatever it takes, we need to do something about this problem. Ipoh is a great city, and it deserves to be clean and free of litter.