Background of pollution
The incident started on 7 March 2019 after several students and canteen workers from two schools near the river began to fall ill and complaining of breathing difficulties. Both schools were ordered to shut down and all the victims were sent to Sultan Ismail Hospital while investigations being carried out by state health authorities over the cause. Twenty-one people are warded at the hospital with some being admitted into the emergency unit and intensive care unit (ICU). Some of the students brought at the hospital were already fainted and with symptoms such as vomiting while those who were not seriously affected were given outpatient treatment and allowed to return home. While recovering, some of the seriously affected victims shared their experiences of suddenly being ill after inhaling unpleasant odour in their school compound environment. The number of victims hospitalised over the toxic fumes rose to 76 by the following day and on 9 March, five police reports have been made on the issue with police began to investigating the case.
Further spread of toxic fumes and water pollution
On 11 March, the second wave of air poisoning took effect with further 106–207 victims been hospitalised before escalating into more than 1,000 victims with eight admitted into the ICU. The spread of the toxic fumes is aid by hot weather combined with strong wind that make more people to become sick. The Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department director-general Mohammad Hamdan Wahid explained that the further spread of toxic fumes might not have re-emerged if the illegally dumped chemicals found early were immediately removed since the authorities did not dispose the chemicals after concluding it is no longer reactive, allegedly due to the costs involved. Until 19 March, further 76 police reports have been made. On 20 June, a number of students from schools in the Pasir Gudang area began complaining of nausea, dizziness and experienced vomiting which eventually led to the temporary closure of the schools in the area. The authorities later confirmed it as the third wave of air poisoning resulted from the river pollution which are not fully cleared.
In August, residents in Acheh's Well Village who living near the Daing and Kopok rivers which is a tributaries to the Kim Kim River complaining that the waters in both rivers have turned black and oily with unbearable foul stench which are believed to have spread from the chemical pollution of the Kim Kim River. A resident interviewed on the issue said the rivers was once home to various crabs, freshwater fish and shrimps with children used to swim in the waters but everything has been damaged since the pollution turned worse in April.
Investigation, clearance works and arrestment of perpetrators
Through investigation, a lorry tanker is believed to have dumped chemical waste into Kim Kim River in early morning before the victims fallen ill. Agencies dispatched for the cleaning-up operation of the polluted river collected 2.43 tonnes of chemical waste on the day the incident was reported.The cleaning works however worsens the chemical reaction as the contractor engaged was not experienced in dealing with chemical waste. A Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) team from the 12th Squadron of the Royal Army Engineers Regiment of Malaysian Armed Forces were later dispatched to assist in the chemical cleaning efforts together with Hazmat team.
The Johor Department of Environment (DOE) arrest an owner of a chemical factory in Kulai on 10 March followed by another arrests involving shredded waste factory owner and one of its worker in Taman Pasir Puteh in the following day after a series of investigations. With the arrestment, the DOE completed its investigation papers that will be sent to the public prosecutor for further action with the investigators also have identified the illegally dumped chemical as marine oil that emitted flammable methane and benzene fumes with the oil is a scheduled waste and needs proper disposal due to its hazardous nature. On 17 March, further nine people were arrested by police in connection to the case; two arrested in Johor Bahru while seven were arrested outside Johor Bahru area. Two key suspects who are believed to be instrumental in arranging for the transportation of the toxic substances were arrested on 19 March, bringing the total to 11 with one suspect later released under bail after he is proven not related to the case. The cleaning operation of the 1.5 kilometre stretch of the affected river was completed in the same day with a total of 900 tonnes of soil and 1,500 tonnes of polluted water were cleaned.
Several other identified toxic gases were emitted following the interaction of the chemicals concerned with water and air include acrolein, acrylonitrile, ethylbenzene, hydrogen chloride, D-limonene, toluene and xylene which if inhaled, can cause headache, nausea, fainting and breathing difficulty. Two main suspects comprising a Singaporean and a Malaysian were charged at the Sessions Court in Johor on 25 March for disposing chemicals illegally into the river and their company, P Tech Resources was slapped with 15 charges to which they plead not guilty. Both have been charged earlier in the same court for conspiring with a lorry driver to dispose of scheduled wastes into the river.
Government and health authorities response
Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail urged for immediate action taken against the perpetrators involved in the pollution of environment that endangering public lives while expressing his appreciation for the medical teams which had been working tirelessly to treat affected victims in hospital. The Sultan has pledged a total of RM1 million (US$250,000) towards helping rescue agencies and authorities gather the necessary means and equipment to resolve the matter as well expressing his view that the incident shows the need for a government hospital to be built in Pasir Gudang. Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister Wan Azizah Wan Ismail who visited victims of the pollution at the hospital in Johor Bahru on 14 March said that the situation is "under control" where residents are not necessary to be evacuated from the area while telling there is possibility the country Environmental Quality Act 1974 need to be reviewed in light of the serious pollution. The federal government has approved an allocation of RM8 million for river purification works and has ordered various agencies including the police, military and Hazmat team to support the situation in the affected area where they explained there is no request for state of emergency received from the state government of Johor.
Johor's Menteri Besar Osman Sapian were in the opinion that the situation is under control without the need to declare a state of emergency in the area with the state government has approved an emergency allocation of RM6.4 million for the cleaning up of the affected river. Malaysia's Environment Minister Yeo Bee Yin stressed that investigation will be carried out to bring those responsible to justice and explained the RM6.4 million is mainly used to clearing the 1.5 kilometre stretch of the affected river with further cost is expected to balloon to over RM10 million. The state government also dismissed claims that its agencies were slow to react over the incident with the State Health Department had earlier warns the public over fake circulating news on deaths resulted from the pollution. On 1 June, Malaysia's Health Ministry formed a medical team to examine a total of 6,000 victims affected by the pollution with the team consisting of officers from the Institute for Medical Research and Johor Health Department. Malaysia's Water, Land and Natural Resources Minister Xavier Jayakumar Arulanandam urged every state governments to seriously take measures to overcome river pollution as climate change could result in the country experiencing long periods of drought in future with the ministry also will drafting Water Resources Bill to clamp down on water pollution.
Neighbouring authorities in Singapore continue to monitoring the situation following the reports of more illegal waste dumping sites have been found in Pasir Gudang. Various Singapore agencies have been conducting regular checks with a minister explained they were taking the matter very seriously as what happens in their neighbour of Malaysia can affect the latter significantly.
Criticism of government response and lawsuits
Johor's Crown Prince Tunku Ismail Idris taking the matter to Twitter to express his opinion that the government should have instead declared a state of emergency on the day it was firstly occurred and relocated residents to a temporary place until there was a guarantee that the area was safe. Former Prime Minister Najib Razak referring the state government slow response on the pollution and the refusal of the current Pakatan Harapan (PH) government to allocate more funds to clear the affected river were seen as they gives more importance to money compared to life and health of the people affected. Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Deputy President Mah Hang Soon said that the incompetent preventive measures escalate hazard levels in the involved area. In July, a boy are reported to developed Parkinson's-like disease of myokymia after been exposed to the pollution, although this was denied by Malaysia's Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye who said the boy had already born premature and had a history of fits since he was four. A group of 160 victims of the pollution then began to filed a suit and taking the Johor Menteri Besar along with the state government to court to seek monetary compensation for the boy and other damages caused by the illegal dumping of toxic chemicals.
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