Environmental Quality (Amendment) 2022 Bill tabled in Dewan Rakyat

KUALA LUMPUR: The Environmental Quality (Amendment) 2022 Bill, aimed at increasing the penalty to not more than RM10 million for offences such as placing or disposing scheduled waste other than at the prescribed premises, was tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Based on the bill to amend the Environmental Quality Act 1974, any individual found guilty of committing the offence could be jailed not exceeding five years and fined not less than RM100,000.

The Act defines disposal of waste as that of scheduled waste in the form of solids, semi-solids, liquids, gases or steam indiscriminately which can cause pollution.

The bill also includes the definition of open burning as any open burning, combustion or smouldering that occurs in the open air and which is not directed there through a chimney or stack.

Any individual who commits, allows, orders or causes open burning at any premises, upon conviction, can be fined a minimum of RM25,000 or a maximum of RM1 million, be imprisoned not exceeding five years or both.

The bill was tabled by Environment and Water Minister, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man who said that the second reading would be at the same parliamentary sitting.

Also tabled for the first reading were the Road Transport (Amendment) 2022, Public Land Transport (Amendment) Bill) 2022 and Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (Amendment) 2022 Bills.

When tabling the three bills, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Henry Sum Agong said the second reading would be at this sitting.

-- BERNAMA