KUALA LUMPUR: An Aerial Forest Monitoring Programme will be implemented early next year to detect pollution and violations of environmental laws more efficiently, said Natural Resources and Environment minister Datuk Seri Douglas Uggah Embas.
On Oct 12 the Cabinet approved a RM2 million allocation from the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department to fund the Department of Environment programme, he said.
“The monitoring programme involves joint enforcement by various agencies under the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
“Projects in forest areas which are not subjected to activities required by Environmental Impact Assessments, need Erosion & Sediment Control Plans and Best Management Practices, which can be included in the logging licence terms,” he said.
“And all this will minimise river pollution,” he added.
The programme would also monitor other sources of environmental pollution such as open burning, industrial emissions, discharge of effluent, coastal pollution and oil spills, he said. — Bernama