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.”