DoE probes orange smoke emissions in Pasir Gudang

PETALING JAYA: The environment department is investigating the orange-coloured smoke emissions at an industrial premises in the Pasir Gudang industrial area in Johor, that was reported this morning.

The department said its officers were deployed to Jalan Keluli at about 9.45am after receiving reports of the incident, which went viral on social media.

Investigators arrived at the identified premises at about 11.10am and found the orange smoke had stopped, although a strong odour was still detected in the area.

“Investigations are under way to identify the true cause of the incident and determine whether there was any pollutant discharge in breach of the Environmental Quality Act 1974,” it said in a statement.

“If violations are found, enforcement action will be taken against the responsible party.”

The department said it was working with the fire and rescue department and the Pasir Gudang city council, and are awaiting a formal safety assessment before carrying out a detailed internal inspection of the premises.

As a precaution, it said air quality monitoring was conducted at SMK Taman Pasir Putih and SMK Pasir Gudang 3, located near the affected area.

“Readings at both schools were within normal levels, not exceeding prescribed limits,” it said.

Pasir Gudang has been the site of previous industrial pollution incidents, most notably the 2019 chemical waste dumping in Sungai Kim Kim, which led to school closures and hundreds of hospital admissions.