JOHOR BARU, Sept 10 — The Johor government has ordered the closure of three schools in Kempas today due to the risk of exposure to fumes that caused a chemical odour yesterday.

The affected schools include the private primary and secondary institutions under Hidayah Islamic School in Kampung Sinaran Baru, and SK Kampung Maju Jaya primary school in Kampung Maju Jaya.

State Education and Information Committee Chairman Aznan Tamin said that the temporary closure is a precautionary measure to minimise the children’s exposure to any potential chemical odour.

He also said that the two schools under Hidayah Islamic Schools will be closed today, while SK Kampung Maju Jaya has been closed since yesterday.

"The three schools involved will implement home-based teaching and learning (PdPR) today,” he said in a brief statement.

This measure follows an incident where several areas in the district experienced an unpleasant chemical odour, believed to be from pollution.

Most public complaints came from Skudai and the neighbouring Kempas areas of Johor Baru.

Yesterday, SK Kampung Maju Jaya, which has an enrolment of 1,024 pupils and 64 teachers, was closed at 1pm as a safety precaution.

In June last year, Kampung Sinaran Baru and the adjacent Kampung Maju Jaya were also affected by fumes due to chemical contamination in a nearby river.

The Johor Fire and Rescue Department deployed its specialist Hazmat (hazardous materials) team after detecting chemical contamination, believed to be caused by industrial waste, in Kawasan Perindustrian Maju Jaya in Kempas.