PORT DICKSON, July 8 — The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) is committed to strengthening air quality monitoring across the country, including through the Continuous Emission Monitoring System (CEMS), which is done directly, said Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.
He said this is to ensure industry players comply with regulations related to air emissions from their premises and to protect the safety and health of residents, especially those premises that are close to residential areas.
“Currently, the Department of Environment (DOE) is conducting direct monitoring through CEMS, which is mandatory to be used on premises with air emissions... This is one of the steps taken to monitor air quality.
“Air pollution in the country is under control. We are monitoring this matter closely, and there will be further discussions not only on a general level but also concerning health. At the government level, we will monitor it diligently,” he told reporters after visiting a crude oil refinery here today.
He urged premises owners to always adhere to the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and its regulations, adding that strict action would be imposed if they were found to commit offences that pollute the environment.
Nik Nazmi said industry players should be more proactive and hold engagement sessions with residents regularly to provide explanations on the operations of their premises.
“Industrial premises used to be located far from residential areas, but now the population has increased, and factories are getting closer (to residential areas). Therefore, proactive actions from premises owners are necessary. Compliance with the law is crucial, but (good) communications with residents are also important,” he said.
On the release of black smoke from an oil refinery causing air pollution that affected residents in Taman Toh Kee Kah and Taman Mewah detected on June 19, he said it was due to an issue with its flare unit stabilisation process and purely unintentional.
He clarified that the premises were in the process of resuming operations after repairing the boiler unit, which is expected to be completed by today.
“For safety purposes, the flare unit in the crude oil refining process is used to burn high-pressure gas within the plant’s system to prevent incidents such as fires or explosions,” he added.
Nik Nazmi urged the public to report any activities that cause pollution through the 24-hour toll-free hotline at 1-800-88-2727 or via email to [email protected] as well as through the DOE e-complaint portal at https://eaduan.doe.gov.my. — Bernama
