Malaysia, Johor: ‘Most Pasir Gudang factories have broken the law’

nelson benjamin The Star 3 Jul 19;

JOHOR BARU: Most chemical factories in Pasir Gudang have committed offences under the Environment Quality Act, according to State Health, Culture and Heritage Com­mittee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar.

He said out of the 90 factories inspected by the authorities, 81 were found to have committed at least one offence under the Act.

“The Department of Environment (DoE) has issued 71 compounds, four notices and six warnings to them to cease operations.

“The inspection is ongoing,” he told a press conference yesterday.

There are at least 252 chemical factories in Pasir Gudang.

Mohd Khuzzan said the authorities were still baffled by what was causing students in Pasir Gudang to experience vomiting and dizziness despite some of the detectors showing no toxic chemicals in the air.

He said the 85 detection teams deployed at the affected schools on Monday found no major chemicals in the air.

“In some schools it was zero, but there were still cases of students with the symptoms.

“Even all the urine and blood samples taken from the students have turned out to be negative.

“However, we will still continue the detection at the 85 schools,” he said, adding that some of the students were affected more than once.

Mohd Khuzzan said on Monday that a total of 310 students and three teachers from 31 schools had the symptoms.

Out of that number, 127 were sent to nearby clinics and three warded.

He added that there were 11 cases from seven schools until 11am yesterday.

He said the Health Ministry was continuing its psychological support to the schools involved.

Mohd Khuzzan added that all 111 schools in Pasir Gudang would be adopted by the chemical factories as part of their corporate social responsibility and would be equipped with a gas detector.

Police will continue with the four roadblocks set up around Pasir Gudang.

Seri Alam OCPD Supt Ismail Dollah said 60 officers from four police stations had been assigned to man the roadblocks.

“The roadblocks are to monitor and prevent any attempts by irresponsible industries or individuals to transfer materials that can harm public safety,” he said.


Expert: Issue temporary suspension order to all factories, chemical plants in Pasir Gudang
Kalbana Perimbanayagam New Straits Times 3 Jul 19;

PASIR GUDANG: The Department of Environment (DOE) and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) should issue a temporary suspension order to all factories and chemical plants operating in Pasir Gudang, said an expert.

While this move may cause factories to incur huge losses, it is also an option that will potentially help the government narrow down the cause of the recent ongoing air pollution affecting 111 schools in the district.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Chemical Engineering Department's Professor Datuk Dr Wan Ramli Wan Daud said the pollution in Pasir Gudang is possibly caused by past improper disposal of toxic waste through burying or concealing under the soil that has brought about the current air pollution.

He said past disposal methods, over time, could have caused underground water in the area to be saturated with residue of volatile toxic waste before it seeped through the ground to the surface to form the toxic fumes.

"The disposal of chemicals in Sungai Kim Kim is not the only source of toxic gas which the authorities have already dealt with. I suspect that there are chemical wastes buried in several parts of Pasir Gudang for years now," he said.

Wan Ramli, who is also a former Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) Consultant for the Oil, Gas and Petrochemical Industry said the government through the DOE and DOSH should issue a temporary suspension of operation to all factories and chemical plants for a start.

"This way we can ascertain if the toxic gases are actually being released from the factories or otherwise. Then they should revisit these factories' chemical discharge and disposal records at each plant to find any discrepancies and subsequently get the perpetrator," he said.

In his statement, he also revealed that he had conducted a QRA consultation on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the proposed factories in Pasir Gudang back in the 1980s.

"Pasir Gudang was originally for small and medium-sized industries, but due to lack of response, the state government offered land to heavy industries such as the ones we have today.

"This is despite our QRA study that found it unsuitable for chemical plants, because any toxic leakages incidents could cause dangerous toxic and flammable gas pollution to nearby residents, it went ahead," Wan Ramli wrote.


Pasir Gudang pollution: NGOs want temporary closure of factories
Audrey Dermawan New Straits Times 2 Jul 19;

GEORGE TOWN: Two non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have thrown their weight behind a suggestion for the temporary closure of factories which are suspected of being responsible for the latest health scare in the district.

Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), commenting on the call by Pasir Gudang member of parliament Hassan Karim, said it was clear that the health scare in the district was due to chemicals in the air, with at least some of them already detected.

"Although the exact source of the air pollution, meaning which particular factories, have yet to be determined, it is highly probable that the pollution must be coming from the chemical factories.

"We agree with Hassan that the onus is on the factory operators to show that they are not responsible for the environmental problems in the area.

"It is indeed unacceptable that students, including young children and teachers, have to suffer the continued pollution while waiting for the authorities to find the actual source of the problem.

"Parents and teachers of the schools must be living in fear and anxiety and it is most unfair to subject them to such mental torture, suffering and to endanger their health," they said in a statement.

Under Regulation 24 of the Clean Air Regulations 2014, the director-general of the Department of Environment (DoE) has the power to order the closure of any premises from further operations until remedial measures are put in place, in the event of an ‘undesirable occurrence,’ which includes pollution that seriously threatens the environment, or public health and safety that warrants an immediate halt.

According to CAP and SAM, the purpose of the provision is to safeguard public health, safety and welfare.

"Given the significant number of victims impacted by the pollution, it is urgent for the director-general of Environment to act accordingly," they added.

Moreover, they claimed, the frequent closure of schools would affect the performance of the students in their studies.

"The public have suffered enough. It is time for some drastic action.

"We call on the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change (MESTECC) Minister and the DoE director-general to act urgently and close the chemical factories temporarily, until remedial measures are in place and ease the anxiety and suffering of the public.

"We must put public health and safety ahead of the profits of companies who endanger the environment and public health," they said.

Based on reports, there are 250 chemical factories and 111 primary and secondary schools in the Pasir Gudang area.

It was reported that three pupils, aged between 10 and 12, had been warded from 273 who had fallen sick following a second wave of pollution detected just hours after school started on Sunday.


Malaysia will not allow new chemical plants to be built in Pasir Gudang, says minister
Channel NewsAsia 2 Jul 19;

JOHOR BAHRU: The Malaysian government will not approve any more applications for the construction of new chemical plants in Pasir Gudang to ensure a more sustainable development in the area, said Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Yeo Bee Yin.

The matter has been discussed with the Johor government, she told reporters on Monday (Jul 1).

The decision comes as authorities grapple with a pollution problem in Pasir Gudang which has sickened dozens of people.

Schools in the area were ordered to close last Tuesday, but just hours after reopening on Sunday, some students and teachers suffered breathing problems and nausea.

Authorities are still trying to determine the cause of the pollution and what's making residents ill.

There are currently 2,005 factories in Pasir Gudang, with 250 of them chemical plants, Ms Yeo told reporters after a town hall session with industry players to get feedback on immediate measures to be taken to address pollution problems in Pasir Gudang.

Following discussions, chemical factories agreed to adopt the schools nearest to their premises and provide them with gas detectors.

“We will also ensure the Department of Environment makes it mandatory for factories to provide gas detectors,’ Ms Yeo said.

The industry players, she said, were also asked to provide the necessary data on their release of water into the air and river. This is to allow the ministry to carry out loading capacity analysis on industrial areas in Pasir Gudang.

“The loading capacity analysis will take four to six weeks. After that, we may impose stricter conditions for industries in Pasir Gudang,” Ms Yeo added.

Source: Bernama/ic(gs)

Eight Pasir Gudang factories ordered shut, RM166k in compounds issued in pollution probe
nelson benjamin and remar nordi The Star 3 Jul 19;

JOHOR BARU: At least eight factories have been ordered to close down and some RM166,000 worth of compound notices have been issued to factories in Pasir Gudang.

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said that so far, the authorities have checked 153 premises out of the 252 chemical factories in the area.

"We expect to check all the factories within a week," he said, adding that some 102 notices were issued to the owners for various offences under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

At least eight premises handling toxic chemicals and recycling were also ordered to be closed.

When asked if this latest chemical incident could be an act of sabotage to make the government look bad as so far, no source of the pollution has been found, he just said that they were focusing on monitoring and enforcement before looking at other aspects.

He added that on Tuesday (July 2), some 100 schools were monitored and most of the readings were normal.

"Despite this, we had 38 students from nine schools down with symptoms. Nobody was admitted to hospital though," he added.

Since June 20, more than 700 students and some adults have sought treatment after falling ill in the area.

Meanwhile, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said she was unperturbed by the lies and slander thrown against her, following the Pasir Gudang pollution incident.

She said that her immediate priority was to handle the case that was affecting small children.

"I am not afraid. I plan to take those responsible for the lies and slander to court," she added.

Yeo described this as "ugly politics" by those trying to attack the government.

"There are hundreds of officers carrying out checks and monitoring.

"I also have tens of chemists carrying out blood and urine samples; how can I control them?" she asked.

She was asked to comment about personal attacks against her, following a Facebook posting alleging that her husband, IOI Properties Group Bhd chief executive officer Lee Yeow Seng, owns three chemical factories in Pasir Gudang.