THE Environment and Water Ministry will form an environmental crime unit in the near future to help address pollution issues, said minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man.

He said the move would involve the cooperation of police and the Armed Forces in coordinating operations with the ministry’s enforcement agencies.

Tuan Ibrahim also said he has discussed the matter with Senior Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob.

“I will also discuss with the home minister on how best to coordinate.

“The defence minister has agreed in principle for the Environment and Water Ministry to be placed under the security sector, as water and environmental issues are seen as potentially affecting national security, especially the economy and the people’s wellbeing in the event of any disaster,” he said at a press conference after visiting the Sg Selangor Water Treatment Plant Phase 1 today.

Through the unit’s operations, police involvement would be concentrated on enforcement, with inspections to be carried out by ministry enforcement personnel on factories, to prevent untoward incidents, he said.

Tuan Ibrahim said his ministry would also expedite the amendments to two legislations – the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and the Water Services Industry Act 2006 – with plans to table them at the next parliamentary session.

In the meantime, he said the government will also look at the implementation of a riverside reservoir project to be more widely used as an alternative raw water source in the event of any river pollution.

He said the ministry also plans to place five monitoring stations in 20 major rivers to monitor water quality in real time, so that early warnings can be given to expedite enforcement by the Department of Environment and the National Water Services Commission in the event of pollution.

“The ministry will submit a proposal on this initiative to the cabinet, to ensure that raw water resources are not polluted, hence causing water supply disruptions,” he added. – Bernama, September 7, 2020.