Semenyih: Dumping of fish waste from nearby areas is suspected after the discovery of hundreds of dead fish in a flood retention pond at Taman Desa Mewah in Semenyih, Selangor.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS) stated that the pond has three inlets connecting residential and commercial areas in Taman Desa Mewah and Bandar Sunway Semenyih. 'It is likely that fish waste dumped into nearby drains entered the pond through its three inlets, causing the incident,' LUAS mentioned.

LUAS reported that water sampling tests showed a Water Quality Index of 72.2, placing it in Class III, with overall pond water quality remaining good, alongside high dissolved oxygen levels. The agency confirmed that it will conduct ongoing monitoring to ensure the issue does not happen again.

Meanwhile, local activist Hamdan Abu noted that dead fish have been discovered in the flood retention pond three times since May. 'We spotted a few dead fish around 3 pm to 4 pm on Aug 3, but dismissed it as normal. But by the next morning, hundreds of fish were floating dead in the pond,' he told BERNAMA.

Hamdan previously raised the issue with multiple authorities, including LUAS, the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, the Department of Environment, Indah Water Konsortium, and the National Water Services Commission. He added that the incident raised safety fears among locals, given that the pond is widely used by anglers and stocked with fish such as tilapia.

Hamdan warned that because the pond drains into Sungai Semenyih, any contamination could pose a much broader threat to the local water supply.