The Johor government plans to appeal against the ruling of the Johor Baru Sessions Court, which fined a company RM320,000 for polluting Sungai Kim Kim in Pasir Gudang.
Johor state housing and local government committee chairman, Datuk Mohd Jafni Md Shukor, stated that Sungai Kim Kim, one of 14 polluted rivers in Johor, has now recovered to the Class 3 category.
Mohd Jafni expressed the government’s belief that the court’s decision regarding the fine issued to the company behind the pollution incident may need to be reviewed.
The government intends to appeal to the deputy public prosecutor to ensure that the fine is fair in relation to the government’s expenses and the impact of the incident on nearby residents.
Addressing reporters after the state assembly sitting at Bangunan Sultan Ismail, Kota Iskandar, Mohd Jafni emphasized the seriousness with which the state government views the issue of river pollution and the need for stricter enforcement to protect the environment for future generations.
Mohd Jafni also highlighted the establishment of the Johor River Committee, co-chaired by himself and Johor tourism, environment, heritage, and culture committee chairman K. Raven Kumar, to oversee river cleanup operations statewide.
The committee is joined by the Drainage and Irrigation Department, local councils, district offices, the Department of Environment, the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj), and Plan Malaysia, and meets monthly to monitor cleanup efforts.
Furthermore, the Department of Environment announced that a lorry driver has been fined RM100,000 for causing pollution through the illegal disposal of scheduled waste in Sungai Kim Kim at Pasir Gudang in 2019.
P Tech Resources Sdn Bhd, also faced eight charges under the Environmental Quality (Clean Air) Regulations 2014 and was fined RM40,000 for each charge, totaling RM320,000.
The 2019 pollution incident affected the health of more than 2,000 people and led to the closure of 111 schools in Pasir Gudang after toxic waste was dumped in Sungai Kim Kim on March 7.
A total of 947 victims received treatment at the Sultan Ismail Hospital, with nine requiring intensive care.
