THE government will act against those found to be responsible for the chemical pollution in Pasir Gudang, said Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

Dr Mahathir said the incident, which is a repeat of a similar case at Sg Kim Kim in March, was unfortunate as it shows that polluters continue to act unchecked.

“We have to determine who is responsible for the environmental pollution and we will take stern action against them,” Dr Mahathir said today.

“It is rather unfortunate (that this has happened). Even after the Sg Kim Kim incident, there are still errant industries.

“We have to determine who is behind this.”  

Last week, pupils and staff from two schools in Pasir Gudang were treated for toxic inhalation.

The site is located some 7.5km from Sg Kim Kim, where poisonous gases caused thousands to be hospitalised in March.

More than 300 schoolchildren in the Pasir Gudang area have so far sought treatment for breathing difficulties and vomiting, and all schools have been shut until Thursday.

In the Sg Kim Kim incident, a Singaporean and two Malaysians were charged with dumping toxic chemicals into a nearby river, which made more than 5,000 residents sick.

This time, state authorities are checking 30 factories in the area from a total of 265. They believe some of these factories could be responsible for emitting toxic fumes. – June 25, 2019.