The EIA is a planning tool for preventing environmental problems due to an activity. Under the EIA guidelines issued by the Department of Environment (DOE), Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, an EIA is mandatory for water supply projects involving construction of dams or impounding reservoirs with a surface area of 200 hectares or more.
For the Sungai Selangor Water Supply Scheme Phase 3, an EIA was required because the proposed reservoir across the Sg Selangor will have a surface area of 600 hectares.
According to the EIA guidelines issued by the DOE, the EIA procedure in Malaysia follows the Integrated Project Planning Concept. As for other projects, the EIA process for SSP3 involved the following standard steps;
| 1 |
Preparation of the Detailed EIA report by concessionaire (SPLASH) |
| 2 |
Comments on the Detailed EIA report by the independent Review Panel and the public, after public display |
| 3 |
Preparation of a Detailed Assessment Review Report by the review panel which will contain the following;
- Comments on the Detailed EIA report by the independent Review Panel and the public
- Recommendations to the project proponent (SPLASH) and the project approving authority (Selangor State EXCO)
- Recommendations for environmental monitoring and auditing
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The DOE maintains a list of experts who may be called upon to sit as members of any Review Panel. The selection of experts depends on the areas of environmental impacts to be reviewed. For SSP3, the panel of independent experts comprise the following;
- Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM)
- Malaysian Nature Society (MNS)
- Alam Sekitar Malaysia (ASMA)
- Jabatan Pengairan & Sungai (JPS)
- Geological Department
- DOE Federal
- DOE Selangor
- SSP Geotechnics
Where applicable, the EIA process has been mandatory for projects since 1st April 1988. Details of the EIA, its procedures and requirements are detailed in "A Handbook of Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines" and "Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Procedure and Requirements in Malaysia" issued by the Department of Environment, Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment.
