COMMITTEE TO STUDY NEW POLLUTANTS TO BE SET UP - FADILLAH

KUALA LUMPUR, July 18 (Bernama) -- A committee will be established to thoroughly study new pollutants including microplastics that are at risk of affecting human health and the environment in this country, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the committee's function is to identify new pollutants as well as examine actions that can be taken in an integrated manner in terms of enforcement and preventive measures.

"What are the new standard operating procedures (SOPs) that need to be in place so that whatever standards are in place now may not be able to protect or cover the new materials that contaminate our environment.

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"So we have to improve and this will be implemented in an integrated manner under this committee that we will establish later," said the Energy Transition and Water Transformation Minister during the Minister's Question Time session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was replying to a supplementary question by Datuk Abdul Khalib Abdullah (PN-Rompin) who wanted to know whether the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation (PETRA) with the National Water Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM) had studied the need to develop specific laws to deal with plastic discharge and pollution issues.

Fadillah said the committee needed to be created to coordinate jurisdictions, including from the aspect of enforcement, considering that various ministries and local authorities (PBT) have their own legislation when it comes to dealing with the issue of pollutants.

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Meanwhile, touching on the government's policy of targeting zero plastic bags by 2025, he said that one of the government's measures was to encourage the people to use biodegradable materials.

We also encourage beauty products or other materials that use microbits plastic elements for face washes or scrubs should also be reduced and this awareness should be given to all health practitioners.

"If possible we also want more people to use public transport, because the tyres used actually produce side effects, finally when it rains, it will flow into the water and the tyre marks reveal, that is also a microplastic material that is released into the air is inhaled," according to him. .

He was replying a supplementary question by Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang) who wanted to know the government's plan to enforce regulations or guidelines as an initial solution to deal with the consumption of microplastics following studies such as the American Chemical Society's finding that the use of the material is the highest in the country.

Responding to Syed Ibrahim's original question regarding the efforts taken by PETRA to highlight the issue of microplastics as a new pollutant among the people, Fadillah said the ministry through NAHRIM had conducted studies and research related to water quality.

"At this point there is still no compliance standard limit related to microplastic, a new contaminant in water. For example, the water treatment process needs to be studied to guarantee safe water quality," he said.

Regarding efforts to expand research related to the presence of microplastic, a new contaminants in water sources, he said NAHRIM will take several steps, including the use of the new contaminants document as a basic document to spread knowledge and awareness regarding microplastic pollution.

In addition, he said Malaysia's raw water quality standards will be improved with the addition of new pollutant parameters and collaboration with the Ministry of Health for the collection of primary data on microplastic pollution in raw water sources in Malaysia.

-- BERNAMA