THE Johor Department of Environment (DOE) has given its assurance that Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang is free of any chemical contamination following a thorough cleanup.
Department director Dr Mohammad Ezzani Mat Salleh said tests indicate the air in the area is safe to breathe.
The illegal dumping of chemicals into the river two-weeks-ago has had a deleterious effect on the health of more than 1,000 people, mostly students attending school near Sg Kim Kim.
The DOE said 20 tonnes of chemical waste could have been dumped into the river that triggered the environmental and public health crisis.
A total of 111 schools in Pasir Gudang were ordered closed since the crisis, which came to light on March 7 when schoolchildren fell ill. Schools were also closed in the last week for the mid-term school holidays and are due to open tomorrow. – March 30, 2019.
The sun rises over a cleaned-up Sg Kim Kim, which was treated as a dumpsite for chemical waste that also proved to hazardous to health. More than 1,000 people fell sick as a result of breathing in the toxic fumes, and many have yet to recover. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.Children play on the beach about 5km from Sg Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang, Johor. The Johor Department of Environment (DOE) has assured the public that Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang is free of any chemical contamination following a thorough cleanup. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.Teachers and police officers join in the cleaning up in the aftermath of chemical waste dumping, at SMK Pasir Putih, in Pasir Gudang Johor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.Nur Satria, a part-time fisherman, rides his boat on Sg Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang, Johor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.Fishermen check their vessels at a jetty near Sg Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang, Johor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.A volunteer hoses down the grounds at SMK Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang. The school is among 111 schools in Pasir Gudang that were ordered closed due to the disaster. Classes are due to start tomorrow following a massive clean up. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.School reopens tomorrow in Pasir Gudang, after a two-week closure necessitated by chemical waste dumping in Sg Kim Kim. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.SMK Pasir Putih gets a thorough cleaning preparatory to classes starting tomorrow, in Pasir Gudang. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.A worker mops up at a restaurant in Taman Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang, Johor. –The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.Teachers and police officers lend a hand in getting SMK Pasir Putih cleaned up in time to reopen tomorrow, in Pasir Gudang, Johor. – The Malaysian Insight pic by Nazir Sufari, March 30, 2019.
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