Noisy and dirty swiftlet farms

Tuesday May 24, 2011

Picture -Too near for comfort: Disgruntled residents showing Chang (fourth from right) the shophouses that have been converted into swiftlet farms.

By ONG HAN SEAN
hansean@thestar.com.my

KUANTAN: Residents living behind a row of shophouses used as swiftlet farms near Jalan Dato Wong Ah Jang here can no longer tolerate the excessive noise and unhygienic conditions.

Businessman Lee Choo Goo, 53, said he could not stand the noise emitted from speakers installed at the shophouses to attract swiftlets.

“I cannot even sleep at night as it is too loud. After I confronted the owner, he turned down the volume but it is still on 24 hours,” he said.

Lee said there was only one such farm four years ago but seven more had sprouted recently.

Housewife Lau Hea Ling, 42, said although her family could put up with the noise, she claimed to have recently caught workers from the farm dumping bird faeces onto the road behind her home.

“They have gone too far. If we don't do something now, they will continue dumping into our backyard,” she said.

The residents met Teruntum assemblyman Chang Hong Seong to voice their grouses here yesterday.

Chang said the operators needed to follow existing guidelines set by the state government and cooperate with the residents, adding that any waste from the farms should be disposed of properly.

He also said the farms were only allowed to turn on their speakers from 7am to 7pm and that the volume must be less than 45 decibels.

Chang said the state government met the operators recently and reached an agreement with them that new swiftlet farms were not to be set up in residential areas.

“We will take action immediately if they are found to violate the guidelines,” he said.