Samy Vellu calls for sustainable measures to protect environment

Date : 291104
Source : Sun2Surf (The Sun Online)
Title : Samy Vellu calls for sustainable measures to protect environment

KUALA LUMPUR: Sustainable counter measures should be identified to halt the decline in environmental quality, said Works Minister Datuk Seri S. Samy Vellu today.There were many reports that the very nature of the environment was changing over the years and had reached an alarming level with continuous ozone depletion, habitat destruction, land degradation due to poor management and global warming.

Malaysia, like many developing countries, was facing the dilemma of how to balance development and the environment, he said when opening the 2nd Experts Meeting on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region,in Langkawi. The text of his speech was released here.

The meeting is a forerunner to the Senior Officials Meeting and Ministers' Forum on Infrastructure Development in the Asia Pacific Region to be held here on Jan 24 and Jan 25 next year respectively. "Construction of infrastructure facilities, especially new roads and highways will directly or indirectly create an environmental impact," said Samy Vellu.
He said Malaysia had always given priority to environmental impact while making infrastructure development.

The Langkawi Declaration provided for government support for activities related to the conservation of virgin forest and protection of natural habitat, he said. Malaysia also had an Environment Quality Act 1974 to regulate environmental impact assessment on specific activities under the Environmental Quality Order 1987, he added. He said Malaysia was moving ahead with the practice of introducing Environmental Auditing under the ISO 14001 certification for organisations.