Group warns of more Sg Kim Kim incidents if Johor river pollution left unchecked

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) has urged the Johor government and authorities to address the issue of river pollution, warning that failure to do so will result in more incidents such as the 2019 dumping of chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim, which saw thousands hospitalised and the closure of over 100 schools in the area. 

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said the problem had been ongoing for a long time and was presenting an increasingly serious threat to the environment and the lives of the locals. 

"What worries CAP is that the river pollution in this state is not only caused by the dumping of garbage, but also chemical waste that can kill all living things in the rivers and harm human health," he added. 

He said Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi had recently expressed disappointment at the state of Sungai Skudai despite regular clean-ups. 

"Waste material such as garbage, plastic, chicken carcasses and disposable diapers have polluted the river water," he said, adding that Sungai Tebrau also suffers from severe pollution problems.

He also cited an incident in Kampung Sungai Tiram, Johor Bahru, where more than 1,500 residents had been affected by chemical odor pollution. 

"Many of them experienced difficulty breathing, nausea, sore throat, dizziness and vomiting after inhaling the toxic substances which might have been dumped in the village river," he said. 

"CAP believes that if the relevant parties fail to implement the law firmly and effectively, there will be a repeat of the negative incidents such as what happened in 2019 and 2021 due to the dumping of chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang, which affected the lives of more than 6,000 residents including school students." 

The government said then that the pollution was caused by leftover chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim that was supposed to have been cleaned up months earlier. 

Mohideen said the fishermen in the state might also lose their livelihoods if the pollution of rivers continued. 

"The Department of Environment needs to enforce the Environmental Quality Act 1974 more strictly and impose heavy punishments commensurate with the offence committed, not just compounds on those who violate the act," he said. 

He also proposed a special committee to study the level of river pollution in Johor and identify the causes of the government's failure to deal with the problem effectively.