HULU LANGAT: The Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) collected 82,850 tonnes of solid waste from six states affected by the floods recently, says Datuk Seri Dr Ismail Abd Muttalib.

       The Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister said a total of 48.589 tonnes were collected in Selangor, followed by Pahang (32,000 tonnes), Negeri Sembilan (1,400 tonnes), Kuala Lumpur (630 tonnes), Melaka (131 tonnes) and Johor (almost 100 tonnes).

       "Most of the waste consists of bulky items destroyed in the floods. They include electrical appliances that cannot be repaired such as television sets,” he told reporters after participating in the SWCorp Bersamamu programme at Taman Sri Nanding here Monday (Jan 10).

       The programme, which was aimed at repairing post-flood electrical equipment, was also attended by Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Awang Hashim and SWCorp chief executive officer Ismail Mokhtar.

       Elaborating on the programme which is running from today until Jan 16, Ismail said some 600 electrical appliances comprising washing machines and refrigerators would be repaired rather than disposed off, thus reducing the estimated losses by almost RM1mil.

       He added that the programme also received cooperation from various parties, including the Human Resource and Youth and Sports Ministries.

       "Some 150 volunteers are involved in the programme today and they are divided into 30 groups consisting of four to five volunteers each to enable wider access,” he said, adding that 300 houses in Taman Sri Nanding are expected to benefit from the programme.

       Meanwhile, Awang said among the volunteers involved in the programme are from skills agencies under the Manpower Department such as the Centre for Instructor Training and Advanced Skills (CIAST) and the Industrial Training Institute (ILP).

       He hoped the initiative would reduce the burden on residents following the floods, as well as providing exposure to trainees of skills training institutes involved in the field and cultivate the practice of volunteerism. - Bernama