ENVIRONMENTAL group Malaysia Nature Society has appealed to Putrajaya to urgently seek foreign expertise in detecting the source of the chemical pollution in Pasir Gudang “before someone gets seriously hurt”.

As school children continue to fall sick and suffer breathing difficulties on their return to school yesterday, the society’s vice-president Vincent Chow said Malaysia could seek help from Singapore or even the United Nations as they might have the necessary expertise and equipment.

Chow said what happened yesterday to the school children seemed to show that the equipment we have were either not working properly or were unable to detect certain types of gases.

“Maybe we are using old or obsolete equipment which needs to be updated. How can we announce a day earlier that the air is good and schools can reopen, but then many children fall ill the next day?

“Something is really wrong with our standard operating procedure or detection methods,” he was quoted as saying.

Chow said local agencies tasked with looking for the source of the chemical pollution could be looking at the wrong places.

Meanwhile, The Star reported its “security sources” is also calling on the government to immediately deploy a Hazardous Plume Dispersal Modelling Unit to Pasir Gudang.

The equipment, which no local agency has, reportedly could map out the area for any gases or chemicals lingering.

It was never purchased due to its cost, reportedly in the millions of ringgit, and there was never a need for it in the past. – July 1, 2019.