JOHOR BARU: The Johor Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia will use oil booms to control and check a chemical, which was believed to have been dumped into and polluted the Kim Kim River, Pasir Gudang, near here, from continuing to spread.
Its director Datuk Yahaya Madis said the department had a plan and measures to ensure the chemical pollution in the Kim Kim River, near Taman Pasir Putih, here, would not spread to other areas.
An oil boom is a special piece of equipment like a float which can absorb and check chemical pollution from spreading.
‘’We have installed oil booms in several spots along the river which are affected. Their function is to absorb the chemical and at the same time prevent it from spreading.
‘’The pollution covers an area of a 500-m radius in the 1.5 km long river,’’ he told reporters at the cleansing operations centre for the Kim Kim River, here today.
Yahaya said the department received an emergency call at 5.15 am from a member of the public from a nearby housing area.
‘’We are still trying to identify the chemical and believe it is a combustible material. In addition, the department’s forensic division have also taken water samples in the affected area to identify the chemical,’’ he said.
He said 30 department officers and firemen were sent to the site of the chemical pollution.
‘’Among those involved in the operation include the Emergency Medical Retrieval Service, Forensic Division and the Hazardous Materials and Waste Management Unit,’’ he added.
He regarded the incident as being the first in the state thus far. — Bernama
