Yeo Bee Yin: There Will Be No New Chemical Factories In Pasir Gudang
Short-term measures have also been put in place including factory closures and loading capacity analysis.
By Selena Chua — 02 Jul 2019, 12:33 PM
Minister Yeo Bee Yin has announced that the government will not approve any more applications for the construction of new chemical plants in Pasir Gudang
According to the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment, and Climate Change Minister, there are currently 2,005 factories in Pasir Gudang, with 250 of them being chemical plants, Bernama reported.
This comes after more than 100 students and teachers from over 30 schools had fallen sick due to exposure from poisonous gas
Schools were shut down on Tuesday, 28 June and reopened on Sunday, 30 June. However, within hours of schools reopening, over 100 children and teachers began suffering from breathing difficulties.
Despite this, schools remain open but many parents are not taking any risks and keeping their children at home.
This is the second time in three months that all schools in Pasir Gudang had to be closed due to pollution. The cause has yet to be determined.
Short-term measures have also been put in place, including building automatic gas monitoring stations in the area
Factories were also asked to provide their data on their release of water and air to allow the government to carry out loading capacity analysis. This data will let officials know if the air in the area will be able to cope with future demand.
"After that, we may impose stricter conditions for industries in Pasir Gudang," Yeo told Bernama.
Multiple factories have also been asked to cease operations since last week.
