KUALA LUMPUR: The Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Ministry (MESTECC) is looking into the setting up of special research centres in residential areas near industrial zones to monitor pollution.
Its Deputy Minister Isnaraissah Munirah said the measure was mooted following research findings on the air pollution cases in Pasir Gudang and Sungai Kim Kim in Johor this year.
“Currently, environmental quality monitoring and enforcement are conducted by the Department of Environment (DOE) while the study on pollution is carried out by the Malaysian Science and Technology Information Centre (MASTIC),” she was during question time at Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
She was replying a question by Datuk Shabudin Yahaya (PH- Tasek Gelugor) who wanted to know whether the government was proposing to set up special research centres to monitor, study and overcome the problems of river and air pollution in housing areas near industrial zones.
The ministry through DOE has implemented environmental monitoring programmes to monitor the level of air, river water and seawater where residential areas are located near industries.
“Environmental quality monitoring data is monitored by and coordinated by the National Environmental Data Centre.
“DOE will be requiring industries to declare their air emission by linking their system to DOE monitoring system to prevent pollution,” she said. — Bernama