Guest guest Posted August 1, 2003 Report Share Posted August 1, 2003 ***************************Advertisement*************************** TechCentral http://star-techcentral.com ***************************************************************** This message was forwarded to you by yitzeling. Comment from sender: This article is from The Star Online (http://thestar.com.my) URL: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/8/1/nation/5968270 & sec=nation ________________________ Friday, August 01, 2003 Group: Project not sticking to EIA BY JACQUELINE ANN SURIN PETALING JAYA: The use of heavy machinery is not listed in the preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for the mixed development Mayang Jelatek project here, a community-based organisation said. “It is clearly stated in the report that the developer will not use heavy machinery for the project,” Society of Regional Environmental Awareness of Cameron Highlands (Reach) president Ramakrishnan Ramasamy said in a phone interview. “Even if approval has been given for the use of heavy machinery now, then the EIA report should be amended and there should be public scrutiny of the changes made,” Ramakrishnan said. “What’s happening on the ground is contradictory to what has been stated in the EIA report,” he said, adding that 15 Reach members had went through the report at the Department of Environment (DOE) office in Cameron Highlands early this year and had highlighted several crucial discrepancies in the report. He was commenting on a news report yesterday that quoted both a Cameron Highlands district officer and the DOE branch head as saying that the Taman Royal Lily project was allowed to continue because it had complied with all regulations and with EIA conditions. “We have already highlighted the faulty contents of the EIA report, but nothing has been done to review it. What is the Pahang DOE doing about it and how can the project be allowed to continue?” he said. Among others, he said the report had been inaccurate in saying that it would only be secondary forest that would be cleared for the 30-acre project and that there were no plants of value there. “The area is a primary jungle, and Reach has discovered the existence of the Matonia Pectinata, a 350-million-year-old living fossil fern, and orchids that should be preserved,” he said. Ramakrishnan said the developer had also claimed in the EIA report that only 450,000 cubic metres of soil would be removed from the area but that Reach could prove that at least two million cubic metres of soil would be involved in the land clearing activities. “This will have an impact on the silting problem that Tenaga Nasional’s Habu Dam in Cameron Highlands is already experiencing,” he said. Ramakrishnan said the list of wildlife cited in the report was also questionable with entries such as the biawak (iguana) and the wild boar, which he said had never been sighted at the highlands. “The long-tailed minivet bird which has never been sighted in Malaysia was also listed,” he said, arguing however that if the project site was the bird’s habitat, then there was more reason to preserve the area. Ramakrishnan said Reach would be lodging a protest over the matter with Science, Technology and Environment Minister Datuk Law Hieng Ding. <a href= " http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2003/8/1/nation/5967022 & sec=nat\ ion " >Reach praised for work on the environment</a><p> ________________________ Your one-stop information portal: The Star Online http://thestar.com.my http://biz.thestar.com.my http://classifieds.thestar.com.my http://cards.thestar.com.my http://search.thestar.com.my http://star-motoring.com http://star-space.com http://star-jobs.com http://star-ecentral.com http://star-techcentral.com 1995-2003 Star Publications (Malaysia) Bhd. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Star Publications is prohibited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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