Cement woes for schoolkids

A cement batching plant near a primary school has parents worried.

KUALA LUMPUR: Concerned parents are calling for the immediate relocation of a cement batching plant near a primary school here, claiming that dust from the facility has affected their children’s health.

The group of parents claimed that high levels of dust from the plant would be blown into SJK (C) Kuen Cheng 2, Bukit Petaling, causing their children to have breathing problems and constant coughs.

One of the parents, Cindy Choo, said the children would come home from school with their legs, knees and elbows covered in black soot.

“Fine dust from the plant may enter our children’s lungs,” she told reporters at the Federal Territory MCA office here yesterday.

Choo, who is also Bandar Tun Razak Wanita MCA vice-chairman, said the plant was situated less than 300m from the school.

“We only found out about the plant in February when we went to the school to investigate. We then sought help from the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and found out that the plant’s development order had expired,” she said.

DBKL shut down the plant on April 23 but it continued operations two days later, she claimed.

The plant was closed a second time on May 4. Although it has been shut down, the parents claim that the silos are still there and they are worried that the company has no intention to move.

Businessman Lee Quat Seng claimed that his 10-year-old daughter developed sinus problems due to the dust.

“All of my three children went to the same school and I used to buy two packets of wet wipes every month for each of them to wipe off the dust,” he said.

MCA public service and complaints Bureau Youth chief Chiew Lian Keng said he would forward the complaints to Deputy Education Minister Datuk Dr Wee Ka Siong and Federal Territories and Urban Wellbeing Minister Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin.

In a letter sent to the school’s parent-teacher association, Tasek Corporation’s subsidiary Tasek Concrete Sdn Bhd, said the company had agreed in principle to move elsewhere but relocating at the moment was “socially irresponsible” because its staff may have to quit their jobs.

The letter said the company would increase the number of dust collector units to reduce dust particles from the environment.

Dark matter: (From right) Chiew, Choo and Lee showing a signed anticement plant banner with parents and their children yesterday. Inset: Children come home with their shoes looking like this.