JOHOR BARU: THE Department of Environment is set to pass its verdict on the detailed environmental impact assessment (DEIA) report on the controversial Forest City project by this week.
Whether project developer Country Garden Pacific View Sdn Bhd will be permitted to continue with the project which was suspended since June 16 pending the compilation and approval of the report, will largely depend on the verdict.
It was learnt that a panel of experts from various departments, together with academicians serving as specialists in their fields, will discuss the project before coming to a verdict.
The project’s estimated gross development value is RM600 billion.
The project, an ambitious endeavour involving four reclaimed islands, generated controversy because of the massive reclamation work involved, environmental issues and concerns raised by Singapore.
The DEIA report had to be carried out following a diplomatic note from Singapore, which had asked for more details on the project and its impact on the Straits of Johor, as the project is near the Malaysia-Singapore boundary and involves coastal reclamation.
A copy of the DEIA report, made available to the New Straits Times, had revealed that the installation of a “silt curtain” around the
reclamation area was one of the measures proposed to mitigate sediment dispersion (into neighbouring waters, deemed as the
basis behind the diplomatic note).
However, despite the slew of mitigation measures to cushion the environmental impact, experts noted that more damage could be expected.
For instance, the elongated strip of shallow water, 200m in width and 11.9km in length, between one of the four Forest City islands and the Tanjung Kupang coastline will be dredged and deepened to prevent sedimentation.
“Based on the hydrographic survey, most of the dredging will be done in areas with shallow water of less than 2m during low tide,” said the report.
Dr Nik & Associates Sdn Bhd, the company that prepared the DEIA report, had proposed the use of a cutter suction dredger with hopper barges for the dredging, and the dredged materials, comprising mainly a mixture of sand, shale and clay, is set to be disposed of at Tanjung Balau in southeast Johor near Desaru, about 80 nautical miles away.
The dredged materials are expected to amount to 7.5 million cubic metres.
Because of the enormous amount of dredged material, its environmental impact is not immediately known after it is dumped in Tanjang Balau.
An EIA expert, who declined to be named, noted that the dredging would most likely “disturb or destroy” the flora and fauna on the seabed.
The report further revealed that the environmentally sensitive seagrass beds at Merambong and Tanjung Adang Shoals, which are the most important in Peninsular Malaysia, are expected to be heavily impacted by the project as both seagrass beds are in the project site.
“The close proximity and very little buffer between the beds and the project site will render mitigation measures to be less effective,” stressed the report.
The DEIA also highlighted the need to remove a temporary access road, which spans 1.5km, connecting the partially reclaimed island and the mainland.
This is to avoid further impact on the seagrass bed of Merambong Shoal, as well as to allow for better flow within the western Straits of Johor.
Forest City is a cluster of four reclaimed islands, the biggest measuring 1,005ha, while the smallest is 58ha.
It comprises four islands instead of a single one following a hydrology study which saw the need to have more water channels to allow for water flow in the Johor Straits.
The islands need 166 million cubic metres of fill material, essentially sand sourced from Ramunia Shoal off Telok Ramunia, for reclamation.
Reclamation for the biggest island alone needs about 115 million cubic metres of fill material.
The fill material will be carried by barges to the Forest City site through the southern part of Singapore.