JOHOR BARU, June 24 — With the latest Pasir Gudang air pollution incident not showing any signs of improving today, Pasir Gudang MP Hassan Abdul Karim has demanded that the federal government immediately take over from the state government to overcome the problem that stems from fume leaks.
He called for the authorities to act on chemical factories that emit gases to stop operating until conditions have improved and the air quality is guaranteed safe.
“At the same time, schools in the affected areas should close until they are safe,” said Hassan in a statement.
Hassan said that as a federal lawmaker, he hoped the situation would be closely monitored as the current situation could escalate and become worse than the previous Sungai Kim Kim incident.
He said that as the situation worsens, the state government must be prepared to take the necessary precautions, including declaring Pasir Gudang as a disaster zone.
Hassan, who is also the Johor PKR chief, said special teams from the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma), together with other agencies and universities should conduct monitoring and air quality analysis to find out the cause of the air pollution.
“I hope there will be no efforts to cover this up or to protect any factories that are involved in flouting environmental laws,” he said.
Unofficially, it was reported today that more than 70 students from eights schools were affected by chemical fumes as they suffered from breathing difficulties and nausea.
The affected schools are SMK Tanjung Puteri Resort, SMK Pasir Putih, SK Taman Pasir Putih, SMK Megah Ria, SK Pasir Gudang 2, SMK Bandar Seri Alam, SK Taman Rinting 2 and SK Pasir Gudang 1.
The students are reported to have received treatment at the operation centre in the Pasir Gudang Indoor Stadium and also the Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI).
