Phnom Penh municipal officials Nov. 8, 2012 dismissed the complaints of more than 60 families about a Russei Keo district ice factory’s levels of noise and bad fumes.

Following their inspection of the Om Rith factory, a manufacturer of Super Ice, officials from Phnom Penh’s Department of Industry, Minerals, and Energy yesterday found that the factory met municipal standards, Russei Keo deputy district governor Ly Rosami said.

“In the last three months, this ice manufacturer has replaced the substance NH4 (ammonium) with R24, which is a normal gas,” Rosami said.

She added that in a meeting earlier this month, factory representatives assured local authorities that they were in the process of building a soundproof fence around the premises and had canceled plans to begin plastic production following complaints by residents neighbouring the factory.

Heng Kimsrung, branch director of the Russei Keo district New York International School, which is adjacent to the ice factory, said that noise levels from the factory were low in the daytime but louder at night.

“A few times in the past, we smelled a foul odor that we could not tolerate, so the students were required to leave the classrooms due to concerns about fainting,” he said. “But we haven’t smelled that odor in the past three months.”

On October 26, more than 60 families filed a thumbprinted complaint with local authorities about the factory’s fumes and noise.

To contact the reporter on this story: Phak Seangly at [email protected]