Singapore's air, water quality not affected by Pasir Gudang spill

Singapore

SINGAPORE authorities on Thursday said they have been closely monitoring the chemical spill incident in Pasir Gudang, and said in a statement that they have not detected any anomalies in the Republic's air and water quality.

Seawater quality within the vicinity of Pulau Ubin was within normal levels on Thursday afternoon, The Straits Times reported.

The statement was jointly issued by the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore's national water agency PUB, and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) .

The statement said: "The affected area is outside of the Johor River catchment, and there is no impact on Singapore's water supply. SCDF, NEA and PUB have not detected any anomalies in our local air and water quality. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority has been working with our farmers to monitor the situation and no anomalies or fish mortality have been observed at our fish farms."

The statement added that Singapore's 24-hr Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) since March 6, 2019 has been in the Good to Low-Moderate range.

And the one-hour PM2.5 readings remained in Band I (Normal). "NEA has not detected any elevated levels of benzene or other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) at our air monitoring stations.

"The ambient VOC levels along Singapore's coast remain within safe levels. The seawater quality within the vicinity of Pulau Ubin is within normal levels."

It added: " The authorities will continue to monitor the situation and will provide updates if there are any significant developments."

More than 2,000 people have been sickened from the chemical pollution of Sungai Kim Kim,The Star Online newspaper reported.

Johor Health, Environment and Agriculture Committee chairman Dr Sahruddin Jamal said that until 12pm on Thursday, there were 1,906 cases at two medical bases in Pasir Gudang, and another 869 victims who sought treatment in hospitals and clinics in Johor Baru.

Dr Sahruddin also said that besides the 111 schools that were directed to close, 94 kindergartens and pre-schools in the affected area were also told to close.

The District Disaster Relief Management Committee closed down the Dewan Taman Pasir Putih and Dewan Taman Mawar medical bases and patients and relevant government agency operations have been moved to the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (MPPG) Indoor Stadium, which has more space.

A lorry is believed to have dumped the waste in southern Johor state last week, sending toxic fumes across a wide area and causing those affected to display symptoms of poisoning such as nausea and vomiting.

Reports said it was unclear what type of poisonous gas had been emitted near the industrial town of Pasir Gudang.

A man suspected to have been involved in dumping the waste will be charged. He faces up to five years in jail if found guilty of breaking environmental protection laws.

Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said there is no need to declare Pasir Gudang as a disaster area and order it to be evacuated, as the situation had not reached the level that required such a measure.

He also assured the people that the government is doing their best in handling this issue, adding that this situation was "the first of its kind as it involves gases".

The Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Almarhum Sultan Iskandar wants Menteri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian to set up a special committee to identify several matters in tackling the issues of chemical pollution.

The sultan said the committee would be required to formulate a standard operating procedure (SOP), which must be adhered to by all quarters to ensure that the chemical pollution incident in Pasir Gudang, will not recur.

Sultan Ibrahim said other matters that need to be given attention was the development of an early warning system for air or water pollution incidents, the New Straits Times reported.

"With the system in place, and should there be any incident of air or water pollution, the authorities will be able to give an early warning to the residents.

"At the same time, residents will also be able to make early preparations, while the emergency rescue team or the relevant agencies can be mobilised quickly," the Sultan told the Royal Press Office (RPO) on Thursday.

Sultan Ibrahim also visited the victims of the chemical pollution at the Sultan Ismail Hospital.