ALOR SETAR, July 9 — The Kedah state government has denied allegations that Bakar Arang in Sungai Petani was at risk of the same situation as in Pasir Gudang, Johor, despite the pollution by the recycling factories in the area.
State Chinese and Siamese Affairs, Science and Technology, Climate Change and Environment Committee chairman Simon Ooi Tze Min said so far the air quality in the area was still good and under control.
“The state government has always taken this issue seriously. We have directed the Sungai Petani Municipal Council to shut down and seal factories with ‘yellow tape’ tagging (unlicensed factories).
“The council and the Department of Environment (DOE) have also conducted operations in May and June to identify whether the plants are still operating or not,” he told a media conference at Wisma Darul Aman, here today.
He added that the council had also shut down and sealed 15 plastic waste recycling plants where the materials were imported from overseas and were operating without licences.
He said this in commenting on a media report last Friday which stated that Bakar Arang was at risk of suffering the same fate as Pasir Gudang due to air pollution from these factories.
Pasir Gudang has been in the spotlight for some months now due to the severity of air pollution in the industrial town. There has been two major incidents where the pollution has affected the health of residents. — Bernama
