102 residents affected by Sg Tawakal pollution allowed to return home

JOHOR BAHRU, Sept 16 -- All 102 residents of Kampung Baru Sri Aman who were affected following the Sungai Tawakal pollution incident in Seelong here on Tuesday, were allowed to return to home yesterday.

Johor Fire and Rescue Department Zone 1 chief Senior Fire Superintendent I Mohd Tilmizi Mustapha said all the residents from 25 families were allowed to return at noon, and the Kampung Sinaran Baru Community Hall which temporarily housed the residents had also been sanitised by the fire department.

"The situation has improved and become safe, therefore the residents were allowed to return yesterday, however, the Johor Department of Environment (DOE) will continue to monitor the situation there," he told Bernama when contacted today.

Meanwhile, Johor DOE Senior Assistant Environmental Control Officer Muhammad Faiz Mohd Shafie said 38 individuals from the department as well as non-governmental organisations (NGOs) conducted a clean-up operation at the riverbank area near the residents' houses at about 9 am today.

"River barriers have also been setup to slow down the flow of the river to trap any scheduled waste," he said.

Meanwhile, some of the residents when met by Bernama today said the oil residue on the river surface had substantially reduced, and there was no more foul smell.

Othman Abdullah 62, who has lived at the village for the past 30 years, said he hoped the authorities could investigate the incident to ensure it does not recur, and was thankful that so far, no lives were lost.

The incident at about 10 pm on Tuesday had caused four women to suffocate while 102 residents from 25 families were temporarily evacuated to the Kampung Sinaran Baru Community Hall due to the foul smell from the river.

Yesterday, Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man reportedly said that the DOE and other related agencies were completing the investigation, and so far, nine men involving five locals and four foreigners aged 30 to 50 had been detained.

-- BERNAMA