DOE’s gas detectors not suitable for schools, says MCA
JOHOR BARU: The multi-gas detectors given to 111 schools around Pasir Gudang are not appropriate and a waste of funds, claims the Pasir Gudang MCA.
Its chief Tan Tuan Peng (pic) said the device was only good for indoor use and not in open areas such as schools.
He added that the device, estimated to be priced at RM10,000 per unit, could only detect one single gas at one time, adding that users must manually put in the kind of gasses they wanted to be identified before using it.
“The Department of Environment (DOE) is not professional for giving a device that is not useful to the schools.
“They should have given a gas analysis machine that is able to trace more than 1,000 gasses within the air at any given time,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Tan, who said he had more than 10 years experience in distributing personal protective equipment, dismissed the DOE’s claims that the detectors could operate round-the-clock.
“Instead of spending more than RM1mil for the detectors, it is better for the DOE to buy the gas analysis machine, which is priced between RM50,000 and RM200,000 a unit,” he said.
When contacted, state DOE director Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaafar said the claim made was not valid as the detectors were meant to function as an early warning system for schools once toxic gas was detected.
“What will happen is upon detection, the schools will then contact DOE where we will take the necessary action.
“The DOE teams are equipped with gas detectors-cum-analysers that can properly identify the gasses in the surrounding environment,” he said.
Source: TheStar
