PUTRAJAYA: The authorities have confirmed that the airborne contaminants, which left a number of students in Pasir Gudang hospitalised since last week, was due to excess toxic waste from Sungai Kim Kim, which first affected residents back in March.
Housing and Local Government Minister Zuraida Kamaruddin said this was the information obtained from the Fire and Rescue Department, who were conducting investigations in the area.
“I have received information from the department that the case appears to be a repeat of the Sungai Kim Kim incident. I was made to understand that a contractor had previously been tasked with cleaning up and removing the harmful substances from the river.
“However, the substances were not 100 per cent removed. As such, the substances, left in Pasir Gudang exposed to the elements such as wind and rain, began spreading,” she told reporters after attending a ministry event here on Monday.
She said works to clean up and dispose of the substances have to be done as soon as possible.
She said the Department of Environment (DoE), as well as the Johor state government, have been informed of the development to ensure that the items are disposed of properly.
“We have confirmed that this was the remnants of chemical substances which had previously polluted Sungai Kim Kim,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fire and Rescue Department director-general, Datuk Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said the area’s air quality is still poor despite being located a distance from Sungai Kim Kim.
“The fire department will work together with the DoE, the local authorities as well as the state government on this issue.
“We will give our full cooperation on this. We will also continue to render assistance to the Health Ministry. I believe that many of the victims who were sent to hospital are in stable condition,” he said.
Last Thursday, a number of students from schools in the Pasir Gudang area began complaining of nausea and dizziness and experienced vomiting. This eventually led to the temporary closure of the schools in the area.
This latest incident comes a mere three months after the discovery that Sungai Kim Kim was the site of severe toxic pollution, which affected more than 6,000 residents.