LABUAN — The Department of Environment of the Federal Territory of Labuan (DOE Labuan), together with several related government agencies, on February 7 raided a construction project site on Pulau Rusukan Kecil, Labuan, and immediately issued an Equipment Operation Detention Order (EOD) on all construction machinery through an integrated enforcement operation.
The spokesperson for DOE Labuan told that the raid followed investigations which found that the developer had been actively carrying out earthworks and construction on the 11-acre site without any approved Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
“The project, located within a Marine Park area, is believed to have violated the Environmental Quality (Prescribed Activities) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Order 2015 under Second Schedule, Activity 12.
“As a result, enforcement action was taken under Section 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Quality Act 1974 to prevent any movement or operation of machinery and construction equipment at the site,” said the spokesperson.
The joint operation involved 17 enforcement officers led by DOE Labuan, with cooperation from several agencies including the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Labuan, the Department of Fisheries Malaysia Labuan, and the Labuan Corporation.
The Department of Environment urged all developers to strictly comply with legal procedures before commencing any development projects, especially in sensitive areas such as Marine Parks.
