The toxic waste pollution that has claimed thousands of victims in the industrial town of Pasir Gudang in the neighboring Malaysian state of Johor is not currently affecting Singapore, according to the authorities.
A joint statement put out by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the National Environment Agency (NEA), the Public Utilities Board (PUB) and the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) confirmed that the chemical incident at Pasir Gudang’s Sungai Kim Kim has not impacted the water and air quality here.
Considering the affected area is located outside of the Johor River catchment — from where PUB draws raw water daily — the spill has no impact on Singapore’s water supply. Even in the local fish farms, AVA has not detected any anomalies or fish mortality that could be related to the toxic waste pollution across the pond. Seawater quality within the vicinity of Pulau Ubin is within normal levels.
Malaysian authorities believe that the ongoing methane poisoning in Pasir Gudang was caused by illegally dumped toxic waste in Sungai Kim Kim (Kim Kim River). According to The Star, 3,555 people have been affected by the spill and seven remain in intensive care so far. Schools and kindergartens have been shut down in town. Still, the Malaysian government has yet to declare a state of emergency, citing the need to consider other options first.
Over in Singapore, authorities confirmed that air quality remains normal with no elevated levels of benzene or other volatile organic compounds.
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