Since Monday (9 Sept) morning, residents in Johor Bahru (JB) have complained of a foul smell in the air.
In a Facebook post on Monday morning, Mr Jimmy Puah, an MP for Tebrau district in JB, said he was alerted to the odour across two kampungs that morning.
It was so bad that it caused some of the villagers to vomit, he added.
Source: Jimmy Puah 潘伟斯 on Facebook
The stench is “most likely” to be from a nearby river, Mr Puah said.
He contacted the fire department to investigate the cause and aid villagers, if neccessary.
In a subsequent post, he said he visited the affected areas with the fire department, police, and village chiefs.
Source: Jimmy Puah 潘伟斯 on Facebook
He also contacted the Education Minister, who ordered schools in the area to be closed immediately for the safety of teachers and students.
The MP urged the authorities to investigate the matter and take stern action against those responsible.
Also on Monday morning, Ms Marina Ibrahim, member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly for Skudai, said on Facebook that she’d received reports of a foul smell in Skudai, another town in Johor.
A resident complained to her of a headache, sore throat and vomiting due to the stench, she later posted.
Source: Marina Ibrahim on Facebook
The resident resorted to opening the windows and turning on the fans to eradicate the smell.
Meanwhile, Ms Amira Aisya Abd Aziz, member of the Johor State Legislative Assembly for Puteri Wangsa, said in a Facebook post of her own that she had received reports of the foul smell from the suburb of Bandar Dato Onn, Kampung Maju Jaya and Kampung Tawakkal in JB.
She advised residents to “keep calm” and seek medical treatment if they show symptoms such as vomiting or coughing.
In another post that afternoon, she said the foul smell was caused by “the disposal of chemical waste in River Tebrau”.
Source: Google Maps
She advised residents in the affected areas to take precautionary measures by wearing face masks and avoiding the affected area.
The matter has also been escalated to Mr Ling Tian Soon, chairman of the Johor State Health and Environment Committee.
Source: Amira Aisya Abd Aziz on Facebook
Mr Ling, known as “Ah Soon”, said in a Facebook reel on Monday that the “chemical smell” wafting through JB was “unacceptable”, adding:
There are still irresponsible and unethical people who choose to dispose of chemical waste in this odious way.
The state government cannot tolerate this, he said, asking law enforcement agencies to take strict action against those who damage the environment and destroy the ecology.
Monday wasn’t the first time a foul smell emerged in JB.
On 3 Sept, a chemical odour was detected in three housing estates, reported the New Straits Times (NST).
Numerous calls from residents of Arc@Austin Hill, Taman Mount Austin, and Taman Istimewa were received by the authorities in the wee hours of the morning.
This prompted a team from the Hazardous Material unit to be deployed.
Also read: Foul Odour In Woodlands Suspected To Be From Lim Chu Kang Farms, NEA Conducts Inspections
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Featured image adapted from Marina Ibrahim on Facebook and Jimmy Puah 潘伟斯 on Facebook.
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