SIBU: Sibu Rural District Council (SRDC) has given two weeks’ notice to the coffee shop operators in Sibu Jaya to rectify the chimney exhaust pipes installed and connected to the gutters following numerous complaints received from the public.
SRDC, in its statement yesterday, said that a dialogue session has been conducted on Friday (Sept 9) by its deputy chairman Wong Ching Yong together with the owners of the restaurants in Sibu Jaya at the Sibu Jaya library.
“These coffee shop operators years ago had installed and connected the chimneys to the gutters.
“However, according to one of the conditions of the Public Health Ordinance issued by the Sarawak Ministry of Local Government, connecting chimneys to gutters is strictly prohibited because the oily discharge from the chimneys will cause severe blockage in the gutters,” said the statement.
SRDC noted that very often, torrential rain will cause the rainwater and the oily discharge to overflow to sidewalks and into the ground floor of the commercial shops.
“The stench of the influx which lasts for days is completely unbearable to the business community and residents who have complained to SRDC requesting stern actions against these coffee shop operators,” it said.
SRDC said that after the said dialogue and subsequent sight inspection of these illegal chimneys, its councillors who attended the dialogue unanimously decided to notify the relevant coffee shops.
“They (owners) need to rectify the chimney exhaust pipes within two weeks after receiving the notice from the council.
“Otherwise, SRDC will compound them and will also recommend to relevant departments such as district office to cancel their business license,” it said.
