`


THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
read:
MALAYSIA Tanah Tumpah Darahku

LOVE MALAYSIA!!!


 


Thursday, January 15, 2015

DOE approves entire controversial Johor Straits property project

Amid public outcry over massive land reclamation works and environmental concerns, the Department of Environment (DOE) has given the green light to the developer of the Forest City project in Johor to go ahead with its RM600 billion mixed-development project.
Country Garden Pacific View (CGPV) said the DOE had approved the project's detailed environmental impact assessment report (DEIA), which means the developer can proceed with earthworks and construction.
“Our next step is to ensure that all compliance monitoring, in terms of air, noise, water quality and sediment, are robustly implemented and carried out. 
The Forest City project will see four man-made islands built in the waters in Tanjung Kupang between south-west Johor and north-west of Singapore. The mixed-development project will include residential and commercial lots.
Md said the project was "consistent with the government's vision as outlined in the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)".
CGP is a 66-34% joint-venture between China’s Country Garden Holdings Ltd and Esplanade Danga 88 Sdn Bhd, whose main shareholder is the Sultan of Johor.
Johor state company Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ) is also a partner in the project.
The New Straits Times had reported last year that following a diplomatic note from neighbouring Singapore, the DEIA was conducted because of the project's location near the Malaysia-Singapore border and the coastal reclamation work involved.
The project had initially been approved by the Johor Department of Environment in January 2014, but work at the project’s site was halted in June after the developer was instructed to submit a DEIA.
The project is being done off the coast where fishing communities and villages make a living from sea produce and agriculture in the Tanjung Kupang area.
Fishermen and fish farm operators have blamed mass fish deaths in the area on the land reclamation works, but the developer has denied it.
public hearing between the communities and the developer held in September last year as one of the conditions in the DEIA saw angry residents protesting against the project which they said would take away their livelihoods.
The company said of 100 heads of households surveyed on the project, nearly 70% agreed to it while 71.3% thought it had more positive than negative impact.
Md Othman today said the project would diversify incomes and improve the quality of life of the local communities.
Workshops and training would be provided, he said, as well as infrastructure like a new access road, water reticulation systems.
The project would also benefit locals by bringing investments into the area through an "investment corridor", he added.
He also assured that the company will work closely with all stakeholders and regulatory authorities to ensure that the needs of the communities as well as the environment will be met.
The company that prepared the DEIA report, however, had apparently raised caution about the dredging and sedimentation caused by the project that would impact the seabed, said the New Straits Times which had obtained a copy of the report and reported on it in December last year.
The paper said that despite the mitigation measures to cushion the environmental impact, including the use of a "silt curtain" around the reclamation area, "experts noted that more damage could be expected," it reported.
The dredged material, mainly a mixture of sand, shale and clay, is said to amount to 7.5 million cubic metres and would be disposed of at Tanjung Balau in southeast Johor near Desaru, about 80 nautical miles away.
Because of the huge amount, the environmental impact on the sea after it is dumped would not be immediately known.
The New Straits Times had also quoted an EIA expert whom it did not name as saying that the dredging would most likely “disturb or destroy” the flora and fauna on the seabed.
This tallied with the DEIA report, which noted that the presence of sensitive seagrass beds at Merambong and Tanjung Adang shoals.
“The close proximity and very little buffer between the beds and the project site will render mitigation measures to be less effective,” the daily quoted the report as saying.
Md Othman said that those with concerns regarding the project could emailcountrygardenmalaysia@gmail.com or askus@countrygarden.com.my and also find the company's answers to queries at cgpvforestcity.wordpress.com.
- TMI

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.