Whatever Singapore has, Malaysia also has.
You might have heard that countless time, and so, now that Singapore beaches are filled with oil, Malaysia also kena liao.
Here’s what happened.
By now, you should know about the oil spill that led to beach closures in Singapore. If not, watch this to the end:
It has now reached the Johor shorelines, too.
Johor authorities were alerted to the presence of oil off Pengerang on 19 June, which is located less than an hour away by ferry from Singapore’s Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal.
About 1km of Pengerang’s shoreline has been impacted by the spill.
The Johor state government has activated coastal patrols and monitoring activities near the affected areas.
Clean-up efforts began on the morning of 21 June at Sungai Rengit and Teluk Ramunia beaches, coordinated by various agencies including the Johor Department of Environment (DoE), Kota Tinggi district office, Marine Department, and others.
While the Johor DoE expects minimal pollution impact to the state’s coast and waters due to current sea conditions and Singapore’s swift containment actions, they will continue to conduct monitoring activities to prevent any further contamination.
The DoE has stated there is no immediate threat to marine life from the spill in Johor waters.
However, the incident has affected the livelihoods of some local fishermen. Reports indicate that around 200 fishermen in Sungai Rengit have been unable to go out to sea for days due to the spill.
Many have had to discard oil-stained fishing nets, ropes and buoys, and the spill has prevented them from selling their catch in the market.
Apparently, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore had updated Malaysian authorities on June 17 about the potential of the spill reaching Malaysia’s waters and is sharing relevant information to facilitate Johor’s response efforts.