KOTA BHARU: Kelantan menzahirkan penghargaan kepada kerajaan Persekutuan susulan kelulusan peruntukan bernilai RM6.6 juta bagi membaik pulih ceruh runtuh di Loji Rawatan Air (LRA) Bukit Remah, Tanah Merah.

Menteri Besar Datuk Mohd Nassuruddin Daud berkata insiden itu berlaku pada 26 November tahun lepas akibat hujan lebat sehingga menyebabkan berlaku pergerakan tanah sepanjang 130 meter dan mengakibatkan kerosakan struktur cerucuk keping di LRA berkenaan.

Beliau berkata antara kerosakan lain yang terjejas termasuk paip air mentah dan terawat pecah serta mengancam bangunan penting seperti bilik klorin, tangki bahan kimia dan sub stesen Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).

“Kerajaan Kelantan sekali lagi membuktikan komitmen terhadap kebajikan rakyat apabila bertindak pantas mengemukakan permohonan kepada kerajaan Persekutuan bagi menangani insiden cerun runtuh di LRA Bukit Remah, Tanah Merah.

Kerajaan Kelantan merakamkan setinggi-tinggi perhargaan terhadap kelulusan yang amat bermakna buat rakyat itu sekali gus bagi memastikan masalah berkenaan dapat diatasi segera.

JOHOR BAHRU: Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB) akan mengambil tindakan terhadap pemilik tanah di kawasan kebakaran stor penyimpanan lori serta minyak enjin di Taman Perindustrian Kota Puteri di sini, yang membenarkan lima kilang beroperasi tanpa lesen.

Datuk Bandar Johor Bahru, Datuk Mohd. Haffiz Ahmad berkata, pihaknya telah mengesan pelanggaran undang-undang tanah, alam sekitar, keselamatan, pelesenan dan pengurusan sisa.

Menurutnya, hanya sebuah kilang di dalam kawasan berkeluasan 1,000 meter persegi itu mempunyai lesen iaitu premis penyimpanan minyak kelapa sawit yang dikeluarkan MBJB dan Lembaga Minyak Sawit Malaysia (MPOB).

“Di sini, saya ingin menegaskan bahawa semua premis perusahaan perlulah mendapat kebenaran dari agensi-agensi berkaitan sebelum melaksanakan sesuatu bentuk perniagaan atau perusahaan.

“Kegagalan untuk mematuhi peraturan dan syarat yang ditetapkan bukan sahaja boleh dikenakan tindakan penguatkuasaan, malah turut mengundang pelbagai risiko keselamatan nyawa dan harta.

“MBJB dan agensi berkaitan tidak teragak-agak untuk melaksanakan tindakan penguatkuasaan yang lebih tegas bagi mengelakkan insiden seumpama ini berlaku lagi,” katanya dalam sidang akhbar selepas mempengerusikan Mesyuarat Penuh MBJB di Menara MBJB, di sini hari ini.

Dalam kebakaran pada 21 Jun lalu, sebanyak lima kilang dan 15 kenderaan musnah.

Mohd. Haffiz memberitahu, pihaknya akan menyelaraskan kerja kutipan pembersihan serta penyelenggaraan sisa minyak di saliran dan longkang utama.

“Sisa minyak disimpan di stor penguatkuasaan di Mount Austin sementara menunggu lokasi fasiliti pembuangan yang ditetapkan pihak JAS,” katanya.

Pihaknya juga akan menggerakkan pasukan petugas untuk menjalankan operasi pemutihan bagi mengesan kilang yang beroperasi secara haram atau tidak mematuhi peraturan yang ditetapkan dari aspek pengurusan sisa dan pembangunan. – UTUSAN

Air pollution doesn’t usually make headlines – at least not until the haze rolls in, flights are delayed, or schools are forced to close.

Even then, it is often treated as a temporary inconvenience, an issue forgotten once visibility improves.

The science is sobering.

Air pollution not only affects the lungs, but it is also now linked to heart disease, stroke, dementia, low birth weights, and even mental health problems.

According to the report, almost every organ in the human body can be affected. To make things worse, there is no known “safe” level of exposure, even low concentrations can do harm over time.

For Malaysians, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’re no strangers to hazy skies, thanks to a combination of local emissions and regional events.

What’s more worrying is how little we’ve done to treat air pollution as a health emergency, rather than just an environmental or seasonal issue.

A larger problem

The RCP estimates that in Britain, air pollution contributes to around 30,000 premature deaths each year and could cost the economy up to GBP50bil (RM288bil) annually.

While Malaysia lacks the same level of granular data, the scale of the problem is likely comparable when you factor in the haze, traffic congestion, industrial emissions and widespread open burning, not to mention indoor pollutants from poor ventilation.

What the report does well is connect the dots. Air pollution isn’t an isolated problem; it intersects with urban planning, housing, transport, education and health.

That means the solutions need to be systemic too. We must go beyond the obvious culprits like cars and factories.

Yes, reducing vehicle emissions is crucial, but we also need to confront agricultural burning, industrial waste disposal, diesel generators and poorly maintained construction sites.

The haze crisis, which has become an annual fixture, needs to be met with domestic accountability, not just finger-pointing across borders. Indoor air quality also deserves more attention.

In many Malaysian homes – especially in lower-income areas – cooking with gas in poorly-ventilated kitchens, exposure to damp and mould, and the use of toxic cleaning agents all contribute to chronic respiratory issues.

A national strategy on indoor air – from better ventilation standards to cleaner household appliances – is long overdue.

Another big point the RCP makes is about fairness. The reality is, air pollution does not affect everyone equally.

Children, the elderly and low-income communities often bear the brunt of exposure.

In Malaysia, this means we need targeted interventions, like HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters in schools and clinics, more greenery in dense neighbourhoods, and pedestrian zones that don’t double as traffic thoroughfares.

Involve healthcare ­professionals

Like the RCP report itself, we should bring more healthcare professionals into the picture.

Doctors and nurses can be ­powerful advocates, but they need the training and tools to understand, track and respond to the health impacts of pollution.

Imagine if every clinic recorded air pollution exposure the way they do smoking history; we’d be able to build a clearer picture of how bad the problem really is, and what’s working to fix it.

Of course, these solutions require political will and money. But these are not just costs, they are investments.

Cleaner air means fewer hospital visits, less time off work, and better educational outcomes for children. It’s good public health and smart economics.

The RCP report reminds us that the consequences of inaction are measured not just in emissions, but also in hospital beds, lost potential and lives cut short.

This is a moment to reset how we think about air. Not just as something that surrounds us, but as something that shapes our health and our lives.

Clean air should be a right, not a privilege. And certainly not a seasonal luxury.

HULU LANGAT: Kerajaan Negeri Selangor akan mendapatkan beberapa pakar dalam pelbagai aspek, termasuk perundangan, bagi merangka polisi baharu khusus untuk mengelak kejadian seumpama kebakaran paip gas di Putra Heights pada 1 April lepas, berulang.

Ringkasan AI

• Selangor menubuhkan Jawatankuasa Khas bagi merangka langkah pencegahan jangka panjang, termasuk cadangan perundangan baharu seperti undang-undang kecil, syarat OSC, enakmen atau akta, bagi mengelakkan kejadian serupa berulang.
• Jawatankuasa ini melibatkan kerjasama pelbagai pihak, termasuk kerajaan negeri, kerajaan Persekutuan, Petronas dan agensi teknikal seperti PDRM dan JKKP, yang telah melengkapkan siasatan teknikal pada 26 Jun 2025.
• Insiden 1 April 2025 menyebabkan kerosakan besar kepada 219 rumah, dengan 81 rumah musnah sepenuhnya dan 81 lagi separa musnah; laporan siasatan mengenal pasti faktor tanah lemah sebagai punca utama, bukan unsur sabotaj atau kecuaian.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari berkata ia merupakan proses pembelajaran dan tindakan susulan yang perlu diambil susulan insiden berkenaan.