DOE probes viral orange smoke incident in Pasir Gudang industrial area

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 — The Department of Environment (DOE) acted swiftly to investigate following a viral report on social media regarding the release of orange smoke, believed to have occurred in the Jalan Keluli area of Pasir Gudang yesterday morning.

Immediately upon receiving the information at around 9:45 am, an enforcement and investigative team from the DOE Pasir Gudang Branch was deployed to the location to conduct monitoring, an investigation, and an initial assessment of the incident.

According to a statement issued by the DOE today, patrols carried out around Jalan Keluli revealed that there was no longer any orange smoke being emitted from any premises in the area.

“However, based on information obtained on-site, the emission is believed to have originated from an industrial premises in the Pasir Gudang Industrial Area.

“The DOE investigative team arrived at the identified premises at around 11:10 am and found that the orange smoke emission had stopped. Nevertheless, there was a noticeable odor in the area of the premises while the inspection was being conducted,” the statement read.

Following the incident, the DOE took several immediate actions, including conducting on-site monitoring and investigations in the complained area, as well as coordinating with the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (JBPM) and the Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) for further action within their respective jurisdictions.

The statement also explained that the DOE had requested a safety assessment from JBPM before conducting a detailed inspection inside the premises, in addition to carrying out air quality monitoring in potentially affected sensitive areas.

As a precautionary measure, the Johor State DOE also conducted air quality monitoring at two identified sensitive locations, namely Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Taman Pasir Putih and Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Pasir Gudang 3.

“Through the monitoring conducted, the air quality readings at both locations were at normal levels and did not show any readings exceeding the established limits.

“The DOE wishes to emphasize that further investigation is underway to identify the actual cause of the incident and to determine if there was any emission of pollutants that violates the provisions of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 [Act 127],” the department said. 

The DOE stressed that if the investigation reveals an offence has been committed under the enforced legal provisions, appropriate enforcement action will be taken against the responsible parties.

The department will continue to monitor the situation in the affected area and work closely with relevant agencies to ensure that public safety and environmental quality are always preserved.

In the meantime, the public is advised not to speculate regarding this incident and to always refer to official information issued by the authorities. — Bernama