Zahari (seated) talking to affected fishermen in Kampung Pasir Putih after the Sungai Cupak oil spill.
A TOTAL of 108 fishermen and mussel farmers around Kampung Pasir Putih in Pasir Gudang, Johor, have been affected by an oil spill in Sungai Cupak.
The Oct 30 incident forced them to temporarily stop operations, causing significant losses to their daily income.
Fisherman Mansor Muda, 75, said many of them were worried about the potential impact of the contamination on marine produce taken from the waters.
“When the oil spill happened, fishermen and mussel farmers here did not go out to sea because we were concerned the catch might be unsafe for consumption,” he said.
Mansor said the community relied heavily on daily sales of fresh seafood.
“On average, mussel farmers can earn around RM2,000 a day, while fishermen usually make between RM200 and RM500 daily.
“It’s been more than a week since we stopped operations, and our estimated losses have exceeded RM10,000,” he said.
Mansor also said that many of the affected fishermen were small-scale operators who depended solely on daily income to sustain their families.
Kampung Pasir Putih Fishermen’s Association head Hamzah Allahditta, 64, said the community was frustrated as oil spills were not new to them.
“I have lived and worked as a fisherman here for over 45 years.
“I can recall more than 10 cases of oil spills happening in these waters in recent years,” he said.
Hamzah said the repeated incidents raised long-standing concerns about environmental management in the area.
“We have lodged complaints many times to the relevant authorities, but this keeps happening.
“At the end of the day, it is the fishermen who suffer,” he said.
Based on previous incidents, Hamzah said the water condition could take up to two weeks to return to normal.
Johor agriculture, agro-based industry and rural development committee chairman Datuk Zahari Sarip urged the relevant agencies to strengthen routine monitoring activities.
“Regular checks can help detect early signs of pollution and allow immediate action before the ecosystem and fishermen’s livelihoods are affected,” he said.
Zahari said inspections should not only be carried out after pollution has occurred, but consistently done as part of preventive oversight.
“We do not want investigations to begin only after spills have happened.
“There must be scheduled inspections of users along the waterway and nearby port facilities,” he said.
“The Environment Department is conducting follow-up action, and any further measures would depend on the outcome of ongoing investigations,” he said.
Zahari said the state government’s visit to the area focused on assessing pollution levels and discussing immediate assistance for affected fishermen.
