Pasir Gudang fish farms to be monitored after chemical dump

The Johor State Fisheries Office has set up a special action committee to investigate and monitor samples and water quality parameters for fish farms around Pasir Gudang following the contamination of Sungai Kim Kim.

Fisheries director-general Munir Mohd Nawi said fish samples were being sent to the Fisheries Department and private laboratories for detailed analysis to determine if fishes in the area are safe for consumption.

"The results will be informed in the near future," Munir said in a statement here today.

On the viral video showing hundreds of dead fish in the river allegedly due to the pollution in Pasir Gudang, he said checks in the area found no such phenomenon so far.

"The Johor State Fisheries Office would like to stress that it (the video) is fake news, and no such incident as depicted in the video had occurred in Sungai Kim Kim or any other area in Pasir Gudang," he said.

Munir said shortly after the incident on March 7, his office had contacted the Environment Department and the Johor State Chemistry Department and sent samples of fish to check for contamination.

"The DOE has taken immediate action by preventing the flow of chemicals using oil containment booms,” he added.

According to Munir, preliminary reports from the Chemistry Department found that the water samples were found to contain methane, hydrogen chloride, acrylonitrile, acrolein, ethylbenzene, aldrich toluene, xylene and limonene.

He said there were eight fishermen's piers near the area affected by the toxic chemical contamination, involving 342 fishermen and 181 breeders around Teluk Kabung and Kampung Perigi Acheh.

- Bernama