Disclose 71 conditions imposed by DoE on Penang South Island, urges group

GEORGETOWN - The Penang government has been urged to disclose the 71 conditions imposed by the Department of Environment (DOE) to approve the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the Penang South Island (PSI) project.

The DOE has further been asked to explain the reason behind approving the EIA report for the coastal reclamation project, which is surprising considering the high number of rejections from affected fishermen," said S Mageswari, the secretary of Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM).

"SAM was surprised and dissatisfied upon learning that DOE had approved the EIA report for PSI. We urge the DOE director-general to reveal the reasons behind the approval.

"In addition we also demand that the state government to disclose all 71 conditions imposed by the DOE as part of EIA report's approval. The people need to know the conditions," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Previously, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow announced that the DOE had approved the EIA report for PSI, as announced by Penang State Government Secretary Datuk Mohd Sayuthi Bakar, through a letter dated April 11.

Chow said the approval was subject to 71 conditions, including the continuation of the Social Impact Management Plan (SIMP) scheme and the PSI Ecology Offset Master Plan (PEOM).

Mageswari expressed her disappointment that both the state and federal governments had worsened the environmental and social injustice by proceeding with the reclamation project,

"We are disappointed that the new government seems to ignore food safety, environmental integrity and the true scale of negative and long term effects of reclamation activities.

"This carbon intensive and capital intensive reclamation project is against the current planning requirements of ensuring a climate-resilient development," she claimed.

Mageswari expressed her surprise that the EIA report for the mega project was approved despite concerns raised by various parties

"Many parties have expressed their concerns and objections to the project. This includes the Penang Fishermen's Association (PenMutiara), The Penang South Region Fishermen's Association (PNKSPP) and the surrounding village fishing units.

"SAM is a member of the EIA Technical Review Committee (EIATRC) and we have submitted our objection in support of the fishing community as well as our concerns for the environment.

"Other parties who object are in the EIATRC which includes the Penang Fisheries Department, Malaysian Fisheries Development Board (LKIM) and the Fisheries Research Institute," she said.

Mageswari said that the protesters had raised concerns about the impact of the reclamation work on the fisheries sector, fishermen's livelihood, and food security, as the site is known for its high marine biodiversity.

One crucial aspect that was omitted from the assessment of the project's impact is the effect of sand resources and other fill materials, such as stone. The proposed project comprises three reclaimed islands with a total area of 1,821 hectares, which would require an estimated 207 million cubic meters of fill material, she said.

PenMutiara deputy chairman Zakaria Ismail said he will submit an appeal to the DOE Appeals Board on the PSI project.

"Presently, the approval for the Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for the PSI project has not been obtained due to the difficulty of meeting the 71 conditions imposed for the EIA approval," he claimed.