The Department of Environment (DOE) has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the contentious Penang South Island (PSI) reclamation project.
This was revealed by Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today, who said the project is expected to start in the third quarter of this year.
According to Chow, the DOE approved the EIA in a letter dated April 11.
The approval, he said, was subject to compliance on 71 conditions including the implementation of a social impact management plan, and an ecology offset master plan.
Plans to comply with the 71 conditions will be outlined in the environmental management plan (EMP).
Once the EMP is approved by the DOE, development will start, Chow said.
“We will start with reclamation works for Island A first, which will feature a green tech park,” the chief minister was quoted as saying by Malay Mail.
Formerly known as the Penang South Reclamation (PSR), the PSI is a state government project involving the reclamation of three islands to build industrial zones, tourist attractions, education hubs, and housing projects, including affordable housing.
The artificial islands will span 1,821ha, equivalent to the size of 2,550 football fields.
The state government has promised that the project will be developed sustainably, touting its ability to create jobs and spur the economy.
However, local fisherfolk are staunchly against the project, citing concerns about its impact on both the environment and their livelihoods.
The fisherfolk had initially succeeded in torpedoing the first EIA for the project, prompting the state government to submit a fresh plan which is the one approved by the DOE.
One of those who are in support of the fisherfolk and want the PSI project canned was former Permatang Pauh MP Nurul Izzah Anwar.
The fisherfolk had also been lobbying to meet with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on the matter.
‘Disappointing’
Meanwhile, environmental group Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) expressed dismay that the DOE approved the EIA.
SAM - who was on the EIA technical committee - said those who had raised concerns and objected to the PSI include fisherfolk associations, the Fisheries Department, the Fisheries Development Board, and the Fisheries Research Institute.
“They raised their concerns that the reclamation will affect the fisheries sector, fisherfolks’ livelihood, and food security as the reclamation area has high marine biodiversity.
“We are disappointed that the new government is ignoring food security, environmental integrity, and the actual scale of negative and long-term impacts caused by the reclamation.
“This carbon-intensive and capital-intensive reclamation project runs contrary to today’s planning imperative, which calls for climate-resilient development,” said SAM honorary secretary Mageswari Sangaralingam in a statement today.
Mageswari also claimed that the factor of sourcing for sand and other fill material such as rocks had been omitted when assessing the scale of the project’s impact. - Mkini
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