EIA experts must be registered
PUTRAJAYA: The Department of Environment will decide which companies are eligible to carry out environmental impact assessments (EIA) under a new ruling that will come into effect next month.
The move is deemed necessary to weed out environmental consultants who are “unqualified, irresponsible and incompetent.”
Announcing this, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Azmi Khalid said of the 300-odd EIA reports sent to the DOE annually, 25% were rejected, as the department was unhappy with these studies.
“Some reports had a lot of weaknesses, including inaccurate information on the environmental situation of the development area.
“They also presented non-scientific impact assessments and proposed preventive measures that were not effective,” he told reporters after launching a seminar on the registration of environmental consultants here yesterday.
“I am sad to say that some irresponsible consultants deliberately hid critical facts and altered information in their reports.
“They just want to ensure their EIA report is approved, even when they know the project is not suitable.”
Under the new ruling from June 1, all environmental consultants must register with the department.
The consultants need to also meet certain criteria, including at least seven years’ experience in general environmental management and must have worked on at least five successful projects.
Azmi said the government was also looking into amending the Environment Quality Act to make consultants more responsible and liable for their reports.
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