JOHOR BAHRU (July 3): The Department of Environment (DOE) is confident of completing checks on 250 factories in Pasir Gudang which process scheduled and chemical waste within two days, following a spate of health issues in the area since June 20.

Its director Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar said as of today, the department had conducted 234 inspections, with several actions taken under the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

The inspections were conducted on factories that could potentially cause pollution, he said.

"It can be settled in another two days, and we want to continue this momentum. If possible, we want to cover all the plants in Pasir Gudang and not just these 250," he told reporters after an integrated operation to check six factories in Pasir Gudang, last night.

He said so far, the department had issued 119 compounds for scheduled waste management, 10 compounds for industrial effluent offences, one compound for sewage plant, 55 directives, 11 cessation of operations notices and three court action recommendations.

Meanwhile, Wan Abdul Latif said the operation last night involved 75 personnel from the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council (PGMC), Civil Defence Force, Immigration Department and the police.

During the operation, the PGMC ordered one foreign factory found to be operating for three years without a licence to shut down, while the Immigration Department detained three foreign men at the plant as they did not possess valid permits or documents.

He said last night's operation focussed on factories handling scheduled wastes and chemicals.

"We found that there were also offences committed by the factories under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, for which we can take action, but we will look at the results of the overall report and review by the investigating officer.

"This operation is also a process for us to eliminate the sources of pollution and if there is any (scheduled wastes remaining) we want it to be disposed of. So far, they (factory owners) have adhered to our directives," he said.