Summary of Malaysian Industrial Effluent Regulation 2009
Updated: May 31, 2022
What is the Malaysian Industrial Effluent Regulation?
These Regulations apply to any premises which discharge or release industrial effluent or mixed effluent onto or into any soil, or into any inland waters.
Any work that may result in a new source of discharge of industrial effluent must be authorized by the Director General according to the provisions set out in the text.
The Regulations set forth procedures for the design and construction of industrial effluent treatment systems, and acceptable conditions of the discharge of industrial or mixed effluent.
The Regulations further provide for: monitoring of discharge of industrial effluent or mixed effluent; point of discharge of industrial or mixed effluent; containment measures for spills or accidental discharge of industrial or mixed effluent; prohibition of discharge of industrial effluent containing certain substances; restrictions on the discharge of sludge onto land or into inland waters; licence fees; penalties; etc.
Download the full document of Industrial Effluent Regulation 2009 here:
What is Standard A & Standard B?
Standard A is applicable to discharge into any water within any catchment areas, and standard B is applicable to discharge into any other inland waters or Malaysian waters.
You can identify if your location follows standard A or B by looking at the table in the document. You can also contact the Department of Environment to get further explanation.
Industrial Effluent Regulation 2009 Limits
The limits are as below:
Standard A
No | Parameter | Limit |
1 | Temperature | 40 °C |
2 | pH Value | 6.0-9.0 |
3 | BOD 5 at 20°C | 20 mg/L |
4 | COD | *see section below |
5 | Suspended Solids | 50 mg/L |
6 | Mercury | 0.005 mg/L |
7 | Cadmium | 0.01 mg/L |
8 | Chromium, Hexavalent | 0.05 mg/L |
9 | Chromium, Trivalent | 0.20 mg/L |
10 | Arsenic | 0.01 mg/L |
11 | Cyanide | 0.05 mg/L |
12 | Lead | 0.10 mg/L |
13 | Copper | 0.20 mg/L |
14 | Manganese | 0.20 mg/L |
15 | Nickel | 0.20 mg/L |
16 | Tin | 0.20 mg/L |
17 | Zinc | 2.0 mg/L |
18 | Boron | 1.0 mg/L |
19 | Iron (Fe) | 1.0 mg/L |
20 | Silver | 0.1 mg/L |
21 | Aluminium | 10 mg/L |
22 | Selenium | 0.02 mg/L |
23 | Barium | 1.0 mg/L |
24 | Fluride | 2.0 mg/L |
25 | Formaldehyde | 1.0 mg/L |
26 | Phenol | 0.001 mg/L |
27 | Free Chlorine | 1.0 mg/L |
28 | Sulphide | 0.50 mg/L |
29 | Oil and Grease | 1.0 mg/L |
30 | Ammoniacal Nitrogen | 10 mg/L |
31 | Colour | 100 ADMI |
Standard B
No | Paramater | Limit |
1 | Temperature | 40°C |
2 | pH Value | 5.5-9.0 |
3 | BOD 5 at 20 °C | 50 mg/L |
4 | COD | *See section below |
5 | Suspended Solids | 100 mg/L |
6 | ​Mercury | 0.05 mg/L |
7 | Cadmium | 0.02 mg/L |
8 | Chromium, Hexavalent | 0.05 mg/L |
9 | Chromium, Trivalent | 1.0 mg/L |
10 | Arsenic | 0.1 mg/L |
11 | Cyanide | 0.1 mg/L |
12 | Lead | 0.5 mg/L |
13 | Copper | 1.0 mg/L |
14 | Manganese | 1.0 mg/L |
15 | Nickel | 1.0 mg/L |
16 | Tin | 1.0 mg/L |
17 | Zinc | 2.0 mg/L |
18 | Boron | 4.0 mg/L |
19 | Iron (Fe) | 5.0 mg/L |
20 | Silver | 1.0 mg/L |
21 | Aluminium | 15.0 mg/L |
22 | Selenium | 0.5 mg/L |
23 | Barium | 2.0 mg/L |
24 | Fluoride | 5.0 mg/L |
25 | Formaldehyde | 2.0 mg/L |
26 | Phenol | 1.0 mg/L |
27 | Free Chlorine | 2.0 mg/L |
28 | Sulphide | 0.50 mg/L |
29 | Oil and Grease | 10 mg/L |
30 | Ammoniacal Nitrogen | 20 mg/L |
31 | Colour | 200 ADMI |
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) Limits
COD limits are determined according to industry.
Trade/Industry | Standard A (mg/L) | Standard B (mg/L) |
Pulp Mill | 80 | 350 |
Paper Mill (recycled) | 80 | 250 |
Pulp and Paper Mill | 80 | 300 |
Textile Industry | 80 | 250 |
Fermentation and Distillery | 400 | 400 |
Other Industries | 80 | 200 |
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions regarding monitoring of discharge of industrial effluent.