KUCHING: Industrial compliance in Sarawak continues to show positive progress following strengthened enforcement measures and improvements to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) system which has become more systematic, stringent and effective.
Sarawak Deputy Premier and Second Minister for Natural Resources and Urban Development Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan said records as of May 2026 showed that only one case involving an unlicensed factory was recorded compared to five cases during the same period last year.
According to him, the decline reflects the effectiveness of integrated actions by various enforcement agencies in ensuring industrial compliance with environmental laws and standards.
“The Sarawak Government also continues to strengthen environmental governance through the implementation of a more efficient EIA system via a two-tier assessment approach by the Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB).
“From January to April 2026, a total of 12 EIA reports were assessed, with eight approved and four rejected, while 11 new reports are still undergoing evaluation,” he said.
He said this during his ministerial winding-up session at the 19th Sarawak Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting on Wednesday.
He added that during the same period, 372 post-EIA monitoring exercises were carried out, with 1,287 environmental monitoring reports submitted to the authorities.
As a result of these monitoring efforts, he said 40 non-compliance cases were detected, 58 investigation papers were opened and eight compounds were issued amounting to RM60,000 in collections.
Datuk Amar Awang Tengah further explained that self-regulation through the Environmental Compliance Audit (ECA) has also become an important complementary mechanism in strengthening industrial compliance.
According to him, as of April 2026, a total of 308 registered auditors have been accredited to conduct regular environmental compliance audits.
“This initiative emphasises the responsibility of industries themselves to ensure environmental compliance through regular audits conducted by competent auditors,” he said.
He added that the implementation of the ECA is expected to be expanded mandatorily to the agriculture, quarry and mining sectors starting in 2027, including preliminary steps through the signing of Memoranda of Understanding with participating companies as pilot projects. -UKASnews
