JOHOR BARU: The District Disaster Management Committee has been activated to clean up illegally dumped chemical waste at Tiong Nam Industrial Park and the Desa Tropika Industrial Area.
"The Johor government takes these pollution cases seriously and the committee was activated under the directive of Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi," said state Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon in a Facebook post on Tuesday (Sept 10).
"The committee will deploy the relevant agencies and coordinate the clean-up of illegal chemical waste and undertake remedial measures at the two locations," he said.
He also said the committee filed a police report on Monday (Sept 9) to facilitate an investigation, leading to the arrest of two suspects on Monday night.
Meanwhile, Panti assemblyman Hahasrin Hashim announced that 38 residents of Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Intan in Kota Tinggi who were relocated to a temporary evacuation centre due to the chemical pollution last Thursday have been allowed to return home.
"I was informed by the Kota Tinggi Health Office that they were instructed to return home Tuesday morning," he told Bernama.
Earlier, Johor Baru Selatan district police chief ACP Raub Selamat reported that a lorry driver and his assistant, suspected of being involved in the chemical odour pollution cases in Johor Baru and Kota Tinggi, were arrested at an apartment complex here.
A spate of odour pollution has been reported in various locations in Johor since Sept 3, including Kampung Melayu Pandan, Taman Daya, Taman Istimewa, Taman Mount Austin, Desa Tropika Industrial Area, Kampung Maju Jaya, Kampung Tawakal, Kampung Plentong Baru and Kampung Orang Asli Pasir Intan.
Illegally dumped chemicals were also found along the banks of the Sungai Plentong tributary in the Desa Tropika Industrial Area and Sungai Pandan in Tiong Nam Industrial Park. – Bernama
