KOTA TINGGI, Sept 9 — A total of 38 Orang Asli villagers from Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Intan have been temporarily relocated to the Sayong Pinang Orang Asli community centre after being affected by an unknown chemical odour last week.
The victims, from 10 families, were evacuated in stages starting last Thursday after many Orang Asli villagers suffered from various ailments such as sore throats, nausea, dizziness, sore eyes, vomiting, breathing difficulties, and fever.
Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Intan Tok Batin Hamdan Yusoff said the villagers were moved to temporary shelters at the community centre for fear that the situation would worsen.
“The chemical odour was detected last Wednesday followed by some villagers experiencing nausea, headache and breathing difficulties,” he said.
“The next day, after some villagers sought treatment at the nearby health clinic, Panti assemblyman Hahasrin Hashim initiated the move to a safer area at the Sayong Pinang Orang Asli community centre.
“The temporary move was timely for the residents as the odour became stronger over the next few days.”
Hamdan explained that the villagers believe the chemical odour came from the nearby Sungai Linggiu, which is only a kilometre away from their village.
He said that many villagers claimed there had been illegal dumping of chemical waste into the river, which caused the noxious odour.
Hamdan also said that villagers managed to stop a tanker that dumped an unknown dark liquid into the river several days before the incident.
He added that “the lorry driver and his attendant were then handed over to the police and the case is still pending.”
“We hope that the Department of Environment (DoE) and related agencies would take immediate action,” he said.
“This includes cleaning the affected river areas that are contaminated with chemicals.”
Checks by Malay Mail revealed that there was a case of illegal dumping in Kota Tinggi last week involving a lorry. The case has since been transferred to the state DoE as per jurisdictional protocol.
Earlier in Johor Baru, the Fire and Rescue Department and DoE were dispatched along Sungai Skudai following reports of a noxious odour late last night.
It was reported that residents from Impian Emas in Skudai to the Melana flat area in Perling had complained about a strong chemical smell.
Similar complaints were received last week in several areas, including Sungai Pandan and Sungai Plentong, which impacted various residential neighbourhoods.
Initial investigations suggested the odour was caused by an unidentified chemical substance.
