KOTA BARU: Johor Fire and Rescue Department team will continue to monitor the air quality in Pasir Gudang three times a day despite recent improvements.
Department's director-general Datuk Mohammad Hamdan Wahid said the team including the state's Hazmat (hazardous materials) team had been told to conduct the checks three times a day at different locations within a 15km radius.
"Before this, we sought assistance from Hazmat teams from Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan, but they have returned to their respective states when the situation was stable and posed no threat to human lives.
"At the moment, only the Johor fire and rescue department is there to continue monitoring the air quality in the state," he told reporters after attending the Hari Raya open house organised by Kelantan Fire and Rescue Department in Tunjong here today.
Also present were state Fire and Rescue Department director Md Salleh Sarbini and several senior officers.
"Our focus now is to determine the cause of the pollution in Pasir Gudang. Those involved will continue to take samples of the air and conduct the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) checks," he said.
On another development, Hamdan said he had directed all the fire and rescue stations located in the`hot-spot' areas to organise campaigns to educate the public on the danger of swimming in some of the beaches, where drowning cases were recorded.
"Between last year and so far this year, 500 drowning cases have been recorded in the country and most of the victims were outsiders,” he said.