tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post6819840799709532809..comments2023-05-04T18:32:26.984+08:00Comments on wildfilms: Possibilities of a truly integrated development?Ria Tanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-24084463755427599322007-09-19T15:41:00.000+08:002007-09-19T15:41:00.000+08:00May I dare suggest to Sentosa that in future they ...May I dare suggest to Sentosa that in future they blindfold viewers of their EIAs?YChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14207602336123678597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-20106830668967765922007-09-18T18:43:00.000+08:002007-09-18T18:43:00.000+08:00Thanks Huijia for sharing your thoughts. And I'm g...Thanks Huijia for sharing your thoughts. <BR/><BR/>And I'm glad you'll be raising awareness of the issues with your students as well.<BR/><BR/>Thank you!Ria Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-72028111390535114572007-09-18T18:42:00.000+08:002007-09-18T18:42:00.000+08:00Reply from REACH received 18 Sep 07Thank you for y...Reply from REACH received 18 Sep 07<BR/><BR/>Thank you for your patience while we ascertained which agency would be able to respond to your feedback.<BR/><BR/>The Ministry of National Development has provided the following reply, which we are forwarding to you on their behalf:<BR/><BR/>MND's reply<BR/><BR/>"We note your feedback on the public consultation process and will advise developing agencies to take this into consideration for future projects.<BR/><BR/>We would also like to highlight that the Resorts World had informed us that the activities being carried out during the EIA disclosure period were demolition works to the ferry terminal structures, not reclamation works.<BR/><BR/>To prevent and minimize water pollution, temporary sand bunds were built to contain any fallen debris from the demolition of the two ferry terminals.<BR/><BR/>Thank you."<BR/><BR/>Please feel free to contact us again should you have any further feedback on this or other issues.Ria Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-27895011420991451832007-09-12T23:18:00.000+08:002007-09-12T23:18:00.000+08:00It is clear that the authorities view tourism and ...It is clear that the authorities view tourism and development as seperate entities from conservation and the environment, even though given the extremely limited area we have in Singapore it should be a priority to pursue an integrated approach as Ria has mentioned. For all the hype about supporting the green movement (Did anyone read the recent news about our authorities making climate change and the environment a priority issue at the next APEC conference?), this is very disappointing indeed.<BR/><BR/>That said, power to the people. Even though i'm a tad late on the feedback, I still would like to thank you for making this issue accessible to the public. I will get my students to read and reflect on this!<BR/><BR/>- HuijiaFatham @ Yalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03243931534903498618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-91481214024722209712007-08-26T13:11:00.000+08:002007-08-26T13:11:00.000+08:00hate to express a feeling of futility but these EI...hate to express a feeling of futility but these EIAs should be opened to the public way in advance before the works actually start! In the US, proper public consultation works in such a way that you should have the EIA, consultation or seeking feedback, going back to the drawing board then releasing the final plans and starting work ONLY after feedback for EIA and not before! :o sometimes they even have workshops where stakeholders can come together to jointly discuss alternatives and plans etc. but of course that is all a bonus when right now we have to go through so much red tape just to view the elusive EIA. how would this encourage people to feedback if people like myself feel its a futile effort?Monkeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09656957598868734650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-56420917429800505722007-08-25T13:16:00.000+08:002007-08-25T13:16:00.000+08:00Ha ha ha, reclaiming Sentosa is a private project?...Ha ha ha, reclaiming Sentosa is a private project? So citizens need not concern themselves about it? What does on request on case by case basis mean? More restrictions on accessibility of information? So now the state of the environment in Sentosa is a private affair? Then why bother making the EIA report public in the first place? It's just for show, right, Nicole? Hey, and while they're at it, they might as well declare all development projects on the other islands, and on the main island private projects as well. The political regime is simply shirking from its public responsibility and accountability by hiding information from the public domain. Is this how a regime that claims to be world class should behave? Looks like every time they put out an EIA report (assuming they put one out in the first place), they hide more information than they disclose. Utterly disappointing but so not out of character of this habitually secretive regime.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09860682559735765778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-50953119894799327362007-08-24T11:33:00.000+08:002007-08-24T11:33:00.000+08:00Nicole's response (received on 22 Aug) is below:"O...Nicole's response (received on 22 Aug) is below:<BR/><BR/>"On the viewing of the coral monitoring reports, as this is a private project, the reports will not be made available to the public. However, the information can be made available upon request, on a case-by-case basis."Ria Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-71873121208759163202007-08-16T04:08:00.000+08:002007-08-16T04:08:00.000+08:00Thanks haojie for the very informative background!...Thanks haojie for the very informative background!<BR/><BR/>Yes I took notes by hand and was allowed to take the notes back with me. Nicole didn't sit with me throughout and I was left alone to look through the documents.<BR/><BR/>I did send Nicole an email afterwards, asking whether the monitoring reports would be made public. Am awaiting her response.Ria Tanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770926654830427210noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-4282981224593749292007-08-15T22:57:00.000+08:002007-08-15T22:57:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by the author.sgbeachbumhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08405691443064527203noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-44352409743133562532007-08-15T22:17:00.000+08:002007-08-15T22:17:00.000+08:00Thanks, Ria. Can I clarify whether you were allowe...Thanks, Ria. Can I clarify whether you were allowed to take handwritten notes? And when you said the reports on monitoring would be provided. Did the EIA report indicate that these reports would actually be made available to the public?<BR/><BR/>I would like to share my experience with EIAs in Singapore for the benefit of those not familiar with how Singapore does their EIAs. There is no EIA legislation in Singapore. EIAs are entirely at the discretion of the authorities, and when carried out, the form of the Report and its transparency and openness are also entirely at the discretion of the authorities.<BR/><BR/>As a matter of practice, for the past few years, ever since Singapore and Malaysia had the international dispute about the environmental impacts of reclamation activities at Tekong and inter alia whether an EIA had been done properly, resulting in the matter being referred to an international tribunal (which inter alia ordered that a joint EIA be done) and subsequently settled out of court on confidential terms, the authorities have been making EIA Reports available for public viewing for reclamation projects only. Why only reclamation projects?<BR/><BR/>The transparency and accountability of EIA Reporting practices in Singapore are nowhere near international best practices (even though the Reports are typically prepared by internationally renowned consultants). Notably, there is very little publicity. The availability of a Report is 'publicly' announced once in the government gazete (how many of us ever read that?). The Report is typically made available for viewing only at a designated location during office hours (so one has to take time off work to read it) by prior appointment under the watchful eye of one of the staff of the authority making the report available. The voluminous report is not available for viewing or download online, and copying of the report in whole or part is prohibited. So this makes it difficult for anyone to seriously study or scrutinise the report or give substantial comments on it. Furthermore, I have observed that on a number of occasions, the preparatory work for the reclamation work (eg relocating the coral) takes place at the same time that the report is made available for public viewing. So what does this say about the sincerity of the authorities in welcoming feedback? Any feedback given is also not made public, so no one knows how many people wrote in, what feedback was given, and what the authorities' response was.<BR/><BR/>Coming to the substantial quality of the reports, I have noticed that the reports typically assume the need for the project and do not consider the reasonable alternatives to the proposed development, and the predicted impacts of these alternatives. After describing the project, they go straight into evaluating the impact and recommending mitigation and monitoring measures. Once again this is not in line with international practice. The correct way to do an EIA is to consider whether the project is necessary in terms of what will happen if the project is not carried out. Then consider the reasonable alternatives to the development as proposed, and their associated environmental impacts. Finally choose the one without serious or significant impacts as possible after weighing the benefits of each proposal, and propose mitigation and measures for the significant impacts that are unavoidable for the chosen alternative.<BR/><BR/>In conclusion, I believe it is within the capability and resources of the authorities to carry out a proper EIA and subject it to rigorous public scrutiny - one only need look at how the matters potentially affecting businesses are consulted on. What is lacking is the political will to do a proper EIA. This is probably due to a number of factors (my guess) - transparency and openness are characteristics the current political regime is not known for; the authorities are only too aware of the limitations of their EIA reports, and would rather as few people as possible read and critique it. As long as the report has been made available to the few locals able to read it during office hours on the authorities' premises, the authorities can proudly proclaim locally and internationally that they have made their EIA reports public. I don't think the authorities are sincere about substantial critiques of the EIA, particularly from independent international an local experts, particularly since they seem to have already decided, independently of the EIA and the public feedback, that the project is to go ahead and are only interested in looking into the mitigation measures that could be carried out.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09860682559735765778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8110737299038469570.post-45722025158784175662007-08-15T16:10:00.000+08:002007-08-15T16:10:00.000+08:00This comment has been removed by the author.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09860682559735765778noreply@blogger.com