SUNGAI KIM KIM POLLUTED AGAIN
Two years after toxic waste incident, river has turned murky again with oily spots spotted upstream
TWO years after it made headlines following severe pollution caused by toxic waste, Sungai Kim Kim has again become polluted, this time with oily spots that emit a foul stench.
In the March 7, 2019, incident, residents near the river, including students, suffered breathing difficulties, nausea and fainting spells due to the pollution.
A recent check showed that the river, which had started to become cleaner and clearer after the Movement Control Order (MCO) was first imposed in March last year, had become murky with oily spots noted upstream.
Kampung Bukit Pulai village head Zulkifly Kassim said villagers noticed the pollution about a month ago, four months after the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) conducted maintenance work on the river.
“Over the last month, Sungai Kim Kim has become murky with oily spots flowing upstream. We are worried because March 7 is the second anniversary of the toxic waste pollution that affected numerous residents here.
“The latest pollution is bringing back bitter memories. Two years ago, students from three schools here fainted and suffered breathing difficulties. We are worried that with the current hot spell, the incident might happen again, considering that school has reopened,” said Zulkifly.
The 2019 incident affected 6,000 people in Pasir Gudang, especially students, forcing 111 schools in the area to be closed.
On the day of the incident, a strong chemical stench was detected at SMK Pasir Putih and SK Pasir Putih, where students, teachers and staff suffered from headaches, nausea, vomiting as well as fainting spells.
Following an investigation, a 1.5km stretch of Sungai Kim Kim was found to be polluted. A subsequent cleaning operation saw the disposal of 1,500 tonnes of river water and 900 tonnes of pollutants.
Villager Adi Suri Rabu claimed that the stench from the oily spots was similar to the one from the previous toxic waste pollution, although it is not as strong.
“The river had become cleaner and wildlife had started to return when the MCO was imposed last year. However, in the last month, it has become polluted and fishermen have complained that fish have disappeared.
“We hope the authorities will take action by conducting surprise inspections and surveillance to make sure no one is dumping toxic waste into the river.
“We could not find any sign of the culprits because we believe they conducted their activities late at night or in the early hours of the morning,” said Adi.
Meanwhile, the state Department of Environment (DoE) will be sending drones to monitor pollution sites, including Sungai Kim Kim.
Its director, Dr Famey Yusoff, said that to facilitate monitoring and enforcement, the department was also urging affected residents to provide information.
He said official complaints would enable the department to gather data, including the location of the alleged pollution.
“Contact our hotline at 1-80088-2727 so we can send our officers to the exact location to investigate.
“Sungai Kim Kim, for example, is very long, so if we don’t have the exact location, our officers will have to trek the whole river, making the monitoring less effective,” said Famey.