For the first time in the country’s history, an irresponsible act has not only harmed the environment but also jeopardized the well-being of people, affecting the health and income of Pasir Gudang community.
Even education was not spared, as a total of 111 schools had to be shut down after students suffered a spate of nausea, vomiting, breathlessness, and dizziness - a condition dubbed as the ‘Kim Kim Symptom’ - believed to be due to inhaling the toxic fumes.
The dumping of chemical substances on March 7 caused 5,848 people to seek medical treatment after inhaling toxic fumes from the river.
More than 70 people including many students have sought treatment after being exposed to toxic fumes, according to The Star newspaper. The symptoms included breathing difficulty and vomiting.
The incident opened the eyes of all parties, especially about the pollution at the river, which had been taking place for almost a decade, without retribution.
On 11 March, the second wave of air poisoning took effect with further 106–207 victims been hospitalised before escalating into more than 1,000 victims with eight admitted into the ICU. The spread of the toxic fumes is aid by hot weather combined with the strong wind that makes more people sick.
Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail urged for immediate action taken against the perpetrators involved in the pollution of the environment that endangering public lives while expressing his appreciation for the medical teams which had been working tirelessly to treat affected victims in hospital. The Sultan has pledged a total of RM1 million towards helping rescue agencies and authorities gather the necessary means and equipment to resolve the matter as well expressing his view that the incident shows the need for a government hospital to be built in Pasir Gudang.
Johor's Sultan, the government and the non-government were taken action to ensure everyone is safe. this show that we Malaysia is helping each other and will work together to ensure our country stay harmony.
The person who did this is so irresponsible. can you imagine just because of them, the schools had to be shut down and students suffered! this is incident is long term case and become our history.
Through investigation, a lorry tanker is believed to have dumped chemical waste into Kim Kim River in the early morning before the victims fell ill. Agencies dispatched for the cleaning-up operation of the polluted river collected 2.43 tonnes of chemical waste on the day the incident was reported.
On 17 March, further nine people were arrested by police in connection to the case; two arrested in Johor Bahru while seven were arrested outside Johor Bahru area. Two key suspects who are believed to be instrumental in arranging for the transportation of the toxic substances were arrested on 19 March, bringing the total to 11 with one suspect later released under bail after he is proven not related to the case. The cleaning operation of the 1.5 kilometre stretch of the affected river was completed on the same day with a total of 900 tonnes of soil and 1,500 tonnes of polluted water were cleaned.
News about the pollution of Kim Kim river in Pasir Gudang, Johor has shocked the nation after thousands of people fell sick due to the illegal dumping of chemicals. To prevent other people from getting sick as well, clean-up efforts on the chemical dumping have been going on for days as these unsung heroes tirelessly work for 24 hours a day to ensure that the river is safe again.
This incident actually should not happen. We as a Malaysian and live in this world, we should appreciate our nature. Other countries face many challenges while we in Malaysia we stay harmony and can go to the office and school every day. we should together ensure our environment clean! Sungai Kim Kim is one of the cases that we need to see the impact. They can't go to school and office and can't do their daily activity. There are many ways we can do to ensure our environment clean and this incident should not happen.
How can we keep the environment clean?
1. Plant more trees as carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is readily absorbed by trees and plants.
2. Since vehicles are a major contributor to toxic gas emissions and smog, walk or bike whenever possible. Use public transport or a park-and-ride facility if convenient. Make use of community carpools to minimize the number of vehicles on the road.
3. Avoid disposing of hazardous materials in normal household trash.
4. Use canvas bags that can be re-used for shopping instead of paper or disposable plastic bags. This will minimize the amount of waste that goes to landfills.
5. Use organic alternatives to garden and lawn chemicals when possible. Avoid the use of garden chemicals before a storm to prevent stormwater pollution.
6. Use non-toxic or biodegradable soap, free of phosphates, to wash the car. Wash the car in a gravel driveway or over the lawn. Soap and grime will be neutralized in the ground before it can pollute streams and creeks. Better yet, make use of a commercial car wash where water is recycled.
I hope we can try our best to ensure our environment clean.
let's together ensure our environment clean!
