PASIR GUDANG, June 27 — The Johor Department of Environment (DoE) has issued a total of 37 compounds, excluding three notices and three stop work orders, against industrial premises found guilty of infringing the Environmental Quality Act 1974.
Johor Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar said the enforcement’s action was to ensure that all factories complied with regulatory requirements under the law.
He explained that a total of 27 compounds were issued under scheduled waste offences, while the remaining 10 were issued for the discharge of industrial effluents.
“The Johor DoE had also taken action with issuing three notices as warning and another three to stop operations for factories that did not dispose of their scheduled waste,” said Mohd Khuzzan.
He said this during a media conference held at the operations control centre at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council in Menara Aqaba here today.
Present was Johor Local Government, Urban Wellbeing and Environment Committee chairman Tan Chen Choon.
On the status of the schools that have been temporary ordered closed due to the air pollution issue, Mohd Khuzzan said that there will be an announcement this Saturday on whether the schools will be reopened on Sunday.
Johor’s official rest day for schools and government departments in the state is on Friday and Saturday.
Mohd Khuzzan added that as of 12pm today, no new cases were reported in relation with the alleged air pollution incident that has been officially termed as a health hazard.
He added that only four patients, aged between 13 and 17 were still warded and receiving treatment at the Sultan Ismail Hospital (HSI).
Yesterday, Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin said the authorities have yet to ascertain the cause of last week’s health hazard here.
She said laboratory tests on samples from eight patients for cyanide and volatile organic compound (VOC) have turned out negative.
