JOHOR BARU, June 21 — Some residents in Taman Mawar, Pasir Gudang said the air there had a “diesel” smell yesterday but did not suspect anything until several students from a nearby school experienced vomiting and shortness of breath.
A vehicle workshop owner, Wee Chin Long, 54, whose workshop is located just 200 metres from two schools where students had to be sent to a hospital due to severe air pollution, told Bernama today that he wondered “why the air was different".
A 17-year-old student from Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Pasir Gudang 2, Marzuki Majidi, said he sniffed the smell while he was at the school’s field.
“Yesterday, the air smelt different but I did not think of anything because normally for us at Pasir Gudang, (an industrial area) we are exposed to various kinds of smells,” he said.
Another resident, S. Nagenrao, 36, he said he smelt some strange odour yesterday but it did not bother him because it was not unusual in the area due to nearby factories.
“I did not suspect anything because my housing area (Taman Mawar) is close to a chemical factory and that factory often releases an unpleasant smell,” he added.
Thirteen students aged between seven and 12 years and two staff from Sekolah Agama Taman Mawar and Sekolah Kebangsaan Pasir Gudang 4 had to be rushed to the Sultan Ismail Hospital after experiencing symptoms of vomiting and shortness of breath believed to be due to the “dirty air”.
The incident was reported to have taken place during the learning session and Aidilfitri open house programme, respectively.
Meanwhile, state Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon in a statement today said the school authorities also claimed that there was a smell similar to Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) since three days ago, and they later informed the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council. — Bernama
