(July 5) JOHOR BAHRU: According to R. Vidyananthan, Chairman of the Johor State Health and Environment Committee, the chemical discharge in Sungai Sengkang near Kulai yesterday was a premeditated act by irresponsible individuals. According to him, the examination of chemical distribution and flow, as well as monitoring by the Johor Department of Environment (DOE), found no leaks in the area’s intermediate bulk container (IBC) tanks.
Bulk liquids and powders are stored and transported in IBC tanks.
According to him, a comprehensive assessment of the area revealed 116 IBC tanks storing a variety of acid and alkali-based compounds in solid and liquid forms.
He stated a black chemical leak with an awful odor was discovered in one area thought to be the source of the river pollution.
He said the state DOE had identified the landowner and his tenant, and that the tenant had been given a mandate to perform water flow mitigation and cleaning operations on the property.
“JASNJ, with the help of Ranhill SAJ, the Johor Water Regulatory Body (BAKAJ), and the Department of Irrigation and Drainage, has been monitoring the rivers suspected of being polluted, as well as taking measures to limit the chemical spill,” he said in a statement released today.
He stated that the Environmental Quality Act of 1974 would be used to prosecute the culprits (Act 127).
Two women were reportedly brought to the hospital last night after experiencing vomiting as a result of inhaling chemical fumes from a leaking product from a storage warehouse that ran into the river near their home in Jalan Besar Kampung Baru, Sengkang, Kulai./n
