JUST three months ago, thousands of people were taken ill because of pollution in Sungai Kim Kim, Johor.
The handling of the situation by local authorities then was slow, deliberate. And, it was not just the local authorities, but also the state authorities who came under pressure.
One of the fallouts of the episode was that the Sultan of Johor was unhappy with certain members of the state executive council, leading to a change in the line-up of the executive branch.
At least, this is what is generally accepted. But the lessons, it seems, were not learnt. And now again, in Pasir Gudang.
Even the prime minister has had to weigh in on the matter, saying that the authorities are identifying those responsible for the latest pollution. It was unfortunate, and should not have recurred following the incident in March, he acceded.
Now, as it was then, several schools have been ordered shut. And, the authorities have identified 30 chemical factories which may have caused the air pollution.
While Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is absolutely right that it should not have recurred, and that it seems the factories there have neglected environmental safety, it bears remembering that this was preventable. All it takes is monitoring.
All measures taken seem to be completely reactionary. There seems to be no evidence, not one, of any proactive steps taken, or of monitoring, to ensure a no-repeat of Sungai Kim Kim incident.
If factories were responsible for the pollution, then their management is directly at fault. But, where then was the monitoring of factories in the area? The local authorities and the Department of Environment, then, must also be held culpable.
Several measures must be taken now. Identify the source and the culprits. In the long haul, there are a number of things which must be considered if we do not want a repeat, anywhere in Malaysia.
There have been calls to not have industrial zones so close to schools and residential areas. This may be for the future. Another is relocating schools and residential areas which are near industrial zones, but doing this now would cause an uproar. Relocating industrial zones may be viable, but costly. Town planners may want to consider for future planning that industrial zones are not built near residential areas or schools.
But all these would not matter much unless factory operators follow the right practices. Should industrial waste not be disposed of properly, or leach into the ground, should emissions not follow certain standards, then pollution — air, water or ground — can still affect people for kilometres around.
If one were to recall as far back as 1984, one of the worst industrial accidents of the 20th century was the Bhopal gas leak tragedy from a pesticide plant in Madhya Pradesh, India, which caused the deaths of thousands of people. After three decades, survivors are still fighting to have the site cleaned up.
If we are not diligent in efforts to prevent a recurrence of an industrial disaster, no matter the scale, Malaysia may just be added to the statistics.
So, act now. Have regular inspection and monitoring of industrial companies and their practices. Measures taken must not be reactive, but proactive, and for the long term.