DoE’s admission on Penang islands project justifies stopping it, says NGO

 

The Penang South Islands project was given the final approval by federal environmental regulators last week. (SRS Consortium pic)

PETALING JAYA: An environmental group says the department of environment’s (DoE) admission that the Penang South Islands (PSI) project will cause “irreversible damage” to the ecosystem should be a good enough reason to stop it.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said the department’s former director-general had also warned that the project would damage the fishing grounds, the turtle landings and part of the coral reefs at Pulau Rimau, among others.

The DoE had also said the site was an important ecosystem to the fisheries resources.

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“I am not saying it. The department of environment is saying it. That this (project) will cause irreversible damage and significant negative impact to the fisheries resources and threaten the country’s food security.

“And this is enough justification for the project not to proceed,” SAM president Meenakshi Raman said in an interview with Astro tonight.

She also said that the 71 conditions imposed on the project would not ease the public’s concerns as they were “all about mitigation”, adding that they comprised “offset programmes”.

The programmes include setting up artificial reefs and fish aggregating devices which Meenakshi said could not replace a complex ecosystem.

“This is not a trade off, but a write off.

“It won’t assuage those who have read the report,” she said, referring to the environmental impact assessment report.

Last week the project was given the final approval by federal environmental regulators, which led to criticisms from various quarters.

Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow said the approval was given by the natural resources, environment and climate change ministry with 71 conditions under an elaborate environmental management plan.

The RM10 billion reclamation project is a state government initiative to finance the RM46 billion Penang Transport Master Plan through the reclamation of the three islands covering 1,620ha off Permatang Damar Laut.

Meenakshi also denied that the group was against development.

“This is about the destruction of an environmentally sensitive area and the justification for the project.” - FMT