KUALA LUMPUR: The absence of a buffer zone between the residential and industrial areas is seen as a weakness that contributed to the air pollution which affected the health of over 4,000 residents of Pasir Gudang in Johor over the past few months.
This was gleaned from the observation by Bernama reporters and photographers who have been covering the health issue, triggered last March in Sungai Kim Kim by the air pollution allegedly by factory-discharged chemical effluents.
The journalists came across one place where only a road separates the residential areas from the industrial areas.
An expert in urban planning and transportation, Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Zaly Shah Muhammad Hussein, said a 500-metre-wide buffer zone should be in place between the residential areas and factories, and wider still if the factories were engaged in heavy industries.
“Normally, trees are planted in the buffer zone to give the area a green effect, with the trees acting as a pollution filter, hence reducing the risk of harm to the well-being of the people staying near the industrial areas,” he said.
However, he said, it will be difficult to provide a buffer zone in Pasir Gudang as the town already has residential parks, commercial centres and various categories of industries.
“So, to provide a buffer zone may be costly as it may involve land acquisition,” said Muhammad Zaly Shah, a lecturer in urban planning and transportation at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and director of the university’s Centre for Innovative Planning and Development at its Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying.
“The Town and Country Planning Act 1972 requires any planning to include measures to improve the environment and living condition for sustainable development.
“Although a buffer zone is not specifically mentioned, it is in the provisions to improve the environment and living condition,” he said in an exclusive interview with Bernama.
Muhammad Zaly Shah also said that the incident which befell the people in Pasir Gudang should be documented to establish guidelines for the government and the relevant agencies in urban planning to prevent the occurrence of such an incident elsewhere.
“If the forensic results show weaknesses in terms of enforcement, then the standard operating procedures (SOP) for enforcement should be tightened and made more effective, and the relevant laws should be improved to curb industrial offences.
He expressed the need for all quarters, including the police, Fire and Rescue Department and the Department of Environment, to work together to address the issue.
“What needs to be done is to identify the short-, medium- and long-term plans.
“For the short-term plan, the government and relevant authorities and agencies should reduce the anxiety of the people by always giving feedback and providing the latest information on the situation.
“The medium-term plan is for the enforcement agencies to identify the actual cause of air pollution in the area, conduct the forensic activities as soon as possible and act against those who were irresponsible,” he said. - BERNAMA