JOHOR BARU, Aug 27 — The status of SK Tanjung Adang and SMK Tanjung Adang that have closed for two days due to a forest fire in nearby Gelang Patah will be determined this evening, said Johor Education Department deputy director (school management) Ab Rahim Lamin.
He said as of this afternoon, the two schools are scheduled to re-open tomorrow with precautionary measures.
“However, if the Department of Environment (DoE) says the situation is unsafe, we will resume the schools’ closure.
“Both the primary and secondary school’s status will depend on the air quality monitoring this afternoon,” said Ab Rahim when contacted by Malay Mail today.
SMK Tanjung Adang that has 245 students is located next to the site of the forest fire while SK Tanjung Adang, with 148 students, is located about 200m away.
Yesterday, Johor Regent Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim decreed that the two schools be closed over concerns for the health of the students.
Ab Rahim added that the department took precautions in the event both schools reopen tomorrow.
These include requiring all students to wear face masks and keeping students with asthma and other breathing problems at home until further notice.
Johor Fire and Rescue Department’s Zone 1 chief Mohamad Faizul Selamat said a “full flooding” technique would be employed to extinguish the remaining 30 per cent of the remaining burning area at the forest in Jalan Tanjung Kupang, Kampung Pekajang in Gelang Patah.
He said direct spraying techniques will also be used, in addition to fire breaks in which drainage ditches are created to prevent the fire from spreading to other areas during the firefighting operation.
Mohamad Faizul said there was heavy rain in the area today, compared to the past two days that only saw only light drizzle in the area.
“If there is continuous heavy rain for three hours or more, it can help the operation to extinguish the blaze,” he said.
Since the fire started, the Johor Fire and Rescue Department has deployed more than 140 personnel and 30 assets to contain the blaze. The department is also assisted by other agencies such as the Johor Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID).
