Protecting Straits of Johor

Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia and Singa­pore are on track to resolve the environmental issues affecting both countries, particularly in the Straits of Johor.

Natural Resources and Envi­ronment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said 90% of the issues have been resolved, with only 10% left to be looked into.

“With every human activity, there must be some impact on the environment. So that 10% is what remains.

“We should not degrade our environment, especially in the Straits of Johor.

“I don’t want to go into detail but based on our assessment, I think we can overcome the 10%,” he said.

Dr Wan Junaidi was speaking at a press conference after a meeting with his Singaporean counterpart, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli in conjunction with the 29th Malaysia-Singapore Annual Exchange of Visit (AEV) here yesterday.

While acknowledging the rapid development around the waterway from both countries, he reaffirmed a shared commitment to protect the Straits of Johor, which was a “common heritage and property” of Malaysia and Singapore.

During the meeting, both countries discussed and exchanged information pursuant to the Settlement Agreement 2005 on matters affecting the environment in and around the Straits of Johor.

These included complaints on smell, transboundary movement of hazardous wastes and other wastes, and land reclamation works at the strait, which could have potential adverse impact.

Dr Wan Junaidi said protecting the waterway also meant protecting the value of the properties that are being developed in the area.

“The properties that we are developing near the Straits of Johor, especially in Johor, have very high value.

“If the waterway goes bad, the property value will be down. We are including the corporate sector in waterway protection efforts so that the property value in the area will continue to maintain, or even increase,” he added.

Masagos said Malaysia and Singapore have been resolving the environmental issue objectively and amicably, without any blame game.

He added that Singapore has been conducting regular emergency exercises at the Malaysia-Singapore border against oil spills in the sea, beach and causeway to prevent pollution and harm.

In a joint statement, both countries noted marked improvements over the years in tackling vehicular pollution and would continue to share experiences and strategies on controlling vehicular emissions, such as tightening emission standards and stepping up enforcement against smoky vehicles.

Both countries also agreed to continue exchanging information on the monitoring of ecology and morphology in and around the Straits of Johor for the purpose of conserving the marine biodiversity.