RESIDENTS along Sg Kim Kim in Johor fear a repeat of toxic waste pollution after sighting black, oily patches in the river that appeared recently.

The current pollution is almost exactly two years since a massive pollution incident that caused toxic fumes, affecting more than 6,000 people in the Pasir Gudang area.

During that incident, schools had to shut down, families were temporarily relocate and many were hospitalised.  

The residents are now calling on the Johor Department of Environment and the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council to investigate and and explain the new pollution in the river.

Taman Pasir Putih pro-tem committee deputy chairperson Rafee Abdullah said they fear there a repeat of toxic waste pollution in the area.

“We are even more concerned now as schools have recently opened.

“We hope the authorities can give us an explanation on what is happening,” he told The Malaysian Insight.

He said the affected area in Kg Bukit Pulai was about 500m from the site of the 2019 pollution.

Yesterday, Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man had instructed the related departments to investigate the pollution in Sg Kim Kim.

He said water samples have been taken and drones have been deployed to monitor the affected river stretch to identify the source of the black patches.

DoE offices were sent to the site on Monday after receiving reports of a complaint on Sunday.

According to the New Straits Times, another resident in the area said the latest pollution began about a month ago.

Rafee, meanwhile, said he smelled unpleasant odour coming from the river as far back as November.

He said the river had become cleaner over the past year during the movement-control order, which caused factories and industries nearby to cease operations. The authorities had also been working to rid the area of pollution.

“Since the MCO, the river has been cleaner as no factories were operating during that time.

“But, in November, we did get some smell from the river. We were not sure what it is.”

It is difficult to spot illegal activities or waste-dumping in the area, he said, as such activities would mostly likely be carried out at night.

Taman Pasir Putih pro-tem committee member Sujatha Ettickan meanwhile said she is concerned about the latest signs of pollution.

“My mother is living here and my two children ages seven and eleven are studying at SK Taman Pasir Putih.  

“We are concerned about the wellbeing of the children here.”

Sujatha said since the authorities had promised to check on the river regularly, they ought to give an explanation soon.

March 7 was the second anniversary of the country’s worst toxic dumping incident which affected thousands of schoolchildren and the community in Pasir Gudang.

There are schools located near the river and students and teachers experienced nausea, dizziness and vomiting after they were believed to have inhaled toxic fumes caused by chemicals dumped into Sg Kim Kim.

The pollution resulted in the temporary closure of 111 schools in the Pasir Gudang area, affecting several industries and the lives of the community in the area for about two weeks. – March 9, 2021.