CASES of environmental pollution are only discovered after they have been occurring for a while and only after people begin falling sick, often making it difficult to completely clean up the contamination, said environmentalists.

This is why the government should come down hard on officials who have been negligent in their duties, they said.

Malaysian Nature Society vice-president Vincent Chow said the pollution incidents in Pasir Gudang, Johor, were not something that happened overnight. 

“It was festering and made worse by local officials who were being wilfully ignorant,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

Chow said the inaction of these officials robbed local residents of clean water and air.

“They (officials) did not take any action to clean up the area. This isn’t a mere allegation because you can no longer see fish in (Sg Kim Kim). The fish are all dead.

“I no longer dare to step into the water because it has gotten so bad,” he said.

Chow said even though the Department of Environment (DoE) cleaned up the area, residue is bound to remain due to the length of time the waste has accumulated there.

The residue could also cause a recurrence of health problems among residents on hot days that could set off chemical reactions, he said.

Chow urged the government to ensure that DoE officials have the relevant qualifications and expertise to ensure smooth and effective operations.

For example, he said the Johor DoE was once led by an official with an electronic engineering degree, throwing into question its ability to manage environmental issues and respond to pollution incidents.

The fact that industrial areas are so close to residential neighbourhoods is a failure on the part of several government departments, including the local council, land office and DoE, he said.

Johor South SME Association consultant Teh Kee Sin said the DoE has been slow to act in the latest pollution incident, which did not inspire confidence, and that the authorities were also slow to disseminate information.

Teh, who has lived in Pasir Gudang for years, said many residents living near industrial areas moved out after the first Sg Kim Kim pollution incident, tolerating the long commutes for the sake of their families’ safety.

“They would rather move back but they are worried that they’ll be affected. They don’t know exactly what are the effects are, either.

“The DoE was slow to respond, so the people didn’t know what to do.”

Teh added that a better alternative would be for the factories to move elsewhere.

He also said the number of people moving away had affected local businesses and urged the government to address the issue quickly.

If the pollution incidents continue, Teh said, developers would also stop building new homes in the area.

“If people stop buying homes, then developers cannot survive either.” – July 17, 2019.