Pasir Gudang factories directed to install equipment to monitor emission

All factories in Pasir Gudang have been ordered to install special equipment to enable direct data monitoring of emissions from its chimneys over a 24-hour period.

Johor Environment Department (DOE) director Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar (above) said the equipment must have the latest technology capable of providing data directly to the department for online monitoring.

“At the same time, we will also be on the ground (factories) to verify the emission data, meaning that the factories must also have a good record-keeping system for verification,” he said at a town hall session on current issues in Pasir Gudang held at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council indoor stadium in Johor Bahru today.

The event was attended, among others, by representatives from schools, parent-teacher associations, and non-governmental organisations.

Wan Abdul Latiff said such measures (direct data emission monitoring) had to be done as there is always the possibility of factories manipulating their emission data if continuous monitoring was not done.

He also called on factory owners to take an honest approach in ensuring their emission data meet the required standards.

“This is important as the department has caught several of them (factories) attempting to save costs by dumping their waste illegally. I have seen this happening in the other states too.

“Medium scaled factories, for example, have to spend about RM30,000 to RM80,000 per month to clean up their waste. That is why when there is a chance to save costs, some of them will try to do that, and that is why we need to raise awareness with the industries, besides conducting strict enforcement,” he said.

Earlier, Wan Abdul Latiff said that along with the Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry, the DOE was making efforts to procure more advanced equipment to handle pollution incidents in Pasir Gudang.

This includes the possibility of putting up 30 automatic air quality monitoring stations in the area.

- Bernama