KUALA LUMPUR, AUg 29 — The Department of Environment (DoE) has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report for Lynas to build a landfill to store its neutralisation underflow (NUF) residue, Malaysiakini reproted today.
The approval letter for the EIA report was inked on May 23 together with 68 conditions, after the matter was discussed at the EIA Technical Review Committee comprising several relevant government agencies.
Among the conditions set are to include limiting the landfill to a height of 30m from ground level, excluding its “capping”, and for Lynas to secure a license to dispose of scheduled waste before beginning its landfill operations.
“It is designed such that it is safe and not easily affected even when it rains, and is equipped with a drainage network,” the EIA said in a reply to the publication, referring to the landfill construction.
The DoE said it approved the report after studying the construction’s impact to the environment, and have instructed Lynas to come up with a management plan on how to reuse the NUF residue as raw materials.
“(Final) approval for the project is under the jurisdiction of the Project Approving Authority,” it reportedly said.
“The DoE merely evaluates the environmental impact (in terms of its magnitude and level of significance) by taking in account of input from panel members and members of the public, so to ensure that such project would bring benefit and harmony to the people especially in Pahang/”
The EIA report admitted that the landfill may impact the environment, but it can be minimised and mitigated to within acceptable levels.
“With careful planning and adherence to sound mining practices and design, combined with prudent implementation of all recommended mitigating and control measures, the proposed project will be able to reduce the predicted adverse impacts to a low level of significance.
“The project is expected to have important economic benefits both locally and regionally,” the EAI report said.
The non-radioactive NUF is one of two types of waste produced by the Lynas Advanced Materials Plant in Gebeng. The other is the radioactive Water Leech Purification. The EIA specifically deals with the NUF residue.
