Malaysia, Johor: Pasir Gudang air pollution: 16 schools ordered shut

AMANINA SUHAINI New Straits Times 24 Jun 19;

A TOTAL of 16 schools in a 6km radius of SA Taman Mawar here have been instructed to close for four days beginning today following back-to-back incidences of schoolchildren falling ill due to suspected air pollution.

The closure involves 20,180 schoolchildren and teachers from the 16 schools, the Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic, as well as 69 kindergartens and preschools.

On Thursday, 15 pupils from the school, as well as nearby SK Pasir Gudang 4, were hospitalised over suspected exposure to air pollution.

The incident worsened yesterday when 20 students from another school — SMK Taman Nusa Damai — displayed symptoms of air pollution exposure and were rushed to hospital.

The school is located about 5km from SA Taman Mawar. Checks at the school yesterday morning showed that at least six ambulances from Sultan Ismail Hospital were in the school’s compound.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the closure of the schools was agreed upon by the Technical and Scientific Committee as a precautionary measure.

It is understood that the two schools — SA Taman Mawar and SK Pasir Gudang 4 — are located about 7km from Sungai Kim Kim, the site of a massive chemical pollution, which left 5,848 people ill after inhaling toxic fumes from the river in March.

That month, 111 schools here had to be closed for two weeks.

The chemical pollution made thousands sick, with symptoms such as eye irritation, chest pain, vomiting and shortness of breath.

Khuzzan said the Department of Environment and other agencies, including the National Disaster Management Agency and National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, were identifying the cause of the latest incident.

“The schools were closed to prevent more people from becoming victims of the suspected air pollution here.

“Most of the victims are schoolchildren, who were on the third and fourth floors of their schools.

“This incident occurred randomly and it changed based on the direction of the wind, making it difficult to identify its source.

“Nevertheless, the Technical and Scientific Committee has narrowed down the number of possible sources in its investigation.

“We expect to identify the source of the pollution in the next day or two,” he said.

He said this at the Pasir Gudang Indoor Stadium here yesterday.

Present were state Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon.

On Thursday, 15 schoolchildren and two adults from SA Taman Mawar and SK Pasir Gudang 4 had breathing difficulties and were vomiting, before being rushed to Sultan Ismail Hospital.

Three schools and two kindergartens — SA Taman Mawar, SK Pasir Gudang 4, SMK Pasir Gudang 2, Pasti kindergarten and Pintar Bistari kindergarten — were subsequently ordered close yesterday, affecting some 3,000 students and staff members.

Yesterday, 20 students from SMK Taman Nusa Damai were rushed to hospital when they displayed symptoms of air pollution exposure.

Khuzzan said 13 people have been referred to the hospital, while 49 others have been treated at Pasir Gudang Health Clinic, as well as at the stadium which had been converted into a monitoring operations centre for the case.

“Blood tests on six people warded at the hospital turned up negative for toxic substances. The monitoring radius has been expanded since Saturday to ensure that safety is preserved.

“The public have been advised to seek verified information.

“Any inquiries can be directed to the Pasir Gudang Fire and Rescue Department at 07-2513444 or the state Fire Department’s operations movement centre at 07-3409999.”

Schools in Johor district closed till Thursday after air contamination
The Star 24 Jun 19

PASIR GUDANG: Schools and education centres with some 20,000 students and teachers within a 6km radius of Taman Mawar have been ordered closed until Thursday following the second case of air pollution to hit Pasir Gudang district.

The order issued by the Johor government affects all 16 primary and secondary schools here.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Com­mittee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the order also covered state government-­run religious schools, 69 kindergartens and preschools as well as Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan, which are all located within the affected area.

“These education institutions will be closed from Monday until Thursday as part of our precautionary measures to safeguard public safety.

Mohd Khuzzan added that the Department of Environment, together with other federal agencies, was working closely to locate the cause of the contamination which hit the area last Thursday.

“We have narrowed down the source but will give further details once we have confirmed it,” he said, declining to elaborate further.

The 16 schools are SK Bukit Dahlia, SK Taman Cahaya Masai, SK Felda Cahaya Baru, SK Kong Kong Laut, SK Taman Nusa Damai, SK Kopok, SK Kota Masai 3, SK Taman Cendana, SMK Taman Nusa Damai, SMK Pasir Gudang, SMK Kota Masai, SJK (T) Pasir Gudang, SK Taman Scientex, SMK Taman Scientex, SK Pasir Gudang 4 and SMK Pasir Gudang 2.

Two of the schools as well as three others run by the state government were ordered to close on Sunday and Monday.

They were SK Pasir Gudang 4 and SMK Pasir Gudang 2 as well as Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, Tadika Pasti and Tadika Pintar Bistari.

On Thursday, about 15 students of Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar suffered breathing difficulties and vomiting.

Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal said the state government would be discussing with the Federal Depart­ment of Town and Country Planning about forming a committee to look into the Pasir Gudang issue.

“This committee will re-study the proximity of the residential and industrial areas in Pasir Gudang,” he said.

Breathing difficulties: Another Pasir Gudang school affected
The Star 23 Jun 19;

JOHOR BARU (Bernama): Students in another school in Pasir Gudang here are reported to be experiencing breathing difficulties on Sunday (June 23).

The latest school was SMK Taman Nusa Damai, which is located about 5km from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, which was the first to be affected by the incident on Thursday (June 20).

A Bernama check at the school just now found at least six ambulances from the Sultan Ismail Hospital in the school compound.

To date, there was no confirmation on the number of students affected but it was understood that the incident took place during the morning session.

Prior to this, the stadium was used by the authorities as a Monitoring Operations Centre for the cases.

Meanwhile, efforts by Bernama journalists to interview the staff and teachers at the school proved futile because the media was banned from entering the school.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar, when contacted, said he would make an announcement on developments on the incident later after meeting the committee dealing with the issue. - Bernama

Johor govt still in the dark over latest cases of breathing difficulties, vomiting in Pasir Gudang
mohd farhaan shah The Star 23 Jun 19;

JOHOR BARU: The Johor government is still unsure what caused the latest air pollution incident, which occurred on Thursday (June 20) with 15 cases of breathing difficulties and vomiting, including 13 students from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar in Pasir Gudang.

Mentri Besar Datuk Dr Sahruddin Jamal (pic) said the authorities were still investigating the cause of the incident.

"We do not know why the students suddenly feel nauseous and fainted.

"However, we hope to get a clearer picture over what really happened when we obtain the blood test results by Monday (June 24)," he added.

Dr Sahruddin said this when met after officiating the topping-off ceremony of the Johor Baru City Council (MBJB) tower here on Sunday (June 23).

He added that the state government would also be discussing with Federal Town and Country Planning Department to set up a committee to study the location of residential and industrial areas.

"This committee will study the residential and industrial areas in Pasir Gudang as they are located nearby one another," he said.

It was reported that the state government had ordered three schools and two kindergartens in Taman Mawar to be closed for two days from Sunday.

They are Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar, SK Pasir Gudang 4 and SMK Pasir Gudang 2 as well as Tadika Pasti and Tadika Pintar Bistari.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said Saturday (June 22) that the move involved some 3,000 people, but it was necessary.

He also said the air quality readings recorded by the authorities over the previous two days had showed it to be normal but it will be monitored until Monday.

In March, the toxic pollution in Sungai Kim Kim resulted in more than 4,000 people falling ill.

In Kuala Lumpur, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told reporters that another two students from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar had been admitted to hospital after suffering breathing difficulties but were in stable condition.

This brings the total number of cases from the school to 18.