The government is reviewing the compounds and penalties under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 to curb the rampant pollution activities by irresponsible quarters in Malaysia, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said. Following increasing reports of water pollution in the country, Muhyiddin said the government was committed to ensuring that Malaysians get to enjoy a cleaner and healthier environment. While 2020 and the first Movement Control Order (MCO), which was implemented last year, provided some relief to the environment where Malaysians experienced clearer skies and cleaner air, Muhyiddin said this was not sufficient. "The challenges of the global lockdowns have given respite to the environment when industrial activities were reduced, but at the same time, new norms had added a new set of environmental issues in the form of indiscriminate disposal of face masks and the heavy use of plastic for takeaways." He said the challenge now was for us to restore economic activities without reactivating environmental degradation. "Unfortunately, 2020 also went down as the year with frequent water disruptions, which affected households and businesses, especially in the Klang Valley due to irresponsible acts by some quarters who illegally disposed their industrial wastes into rivers. "Towards this, the government is reviewing the compounds and penalties under the Environmental Quality Act 1974 so that stern action can be taken against offenders," he said in his speech during the Prime Minister's Hibiscus Award (PMHA) 2019/2020 ceremony held virtually on PMHA's Facebook page today. The government had, as part of its effort to ensure a cleaner and healthier environment, provided allocations in its 2021 Budget under the fourth strategy of Ensuring Resource Sustainability, aimed at influencing environmental decisions positively.

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Straits Times