Singapore: Regulatory Framework
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Legislation Addressing the Environment |
- Factories Act
- Cap 104 Environmental Public Health Act
- Cap 95 Water Pollution Control and Drainage Act
- Cap 348 Clean Air Act
- Cap 45 Planning Act
- Cap 232
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Singapore is often considered a model of how developing countries should
handle environmental concerns. Environmental issues have never taken a
secondary position in Singapore, unlike many other developing countries.
Refuse is collected daily, wastewater is treated before discharge, vehicle
emissions are tested, recycling programs have been implemented, and water
and air quality are measured.
As early as 1959, the government of Singapore created the Pantai Chantek
campaign ("beautiful beaches"), which was designed to raise citizen
awareness of environmental issues. Then, in 1970, the government formulated
an ambitious environmental policy and established an Anti-Pollution Unit
under the direction of the Prime Minister's Office. In 1971, the Concept
Plan was implemented as the long-range guide for land use and transportation
for the country.
Singapore was also one of the first nations in the world to establish an
"agency dedicated to environmental protection" when it created the Ministry
of Environment in 1972. Although the Ministry of Environment maintains
control over much of the environmental infrastructure, it is assisted in
enforcement, administration, management, and research of environmental
issues by the Ministry of Communications, the Port of Singapore Authority,
the Registry of Vehicles, the Ministry of National Development, the Ministry
of Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Health.
The Singapore Green Plan supplemented the Concept Plan in 1992. The Green
Plan sets forth Singapore's ambitious goal of becoming a "Model Green City."
The Green Plan calls for 5% of Singapore's landmass to be granted protected
status. These areas will be safeguarded against future development and
protected as conservation areas.
The Clean Air Act controls emissions from stationary sources and grants
the Pollution Control Department wide discretion to regulate industrial air
pollution. An operator of a stationary source, called a "Designated
Premise," must obtain written permission from the Director of Air Pollution
Control before beginning operations and may be required to alter or replace
fuel burning or control equipment, change methods of operation, use a
specified type of fuel, or even to dismantle a facility. The regulations
further control air pollutants and prohibit "dark smoke" emissions. Staff
from the Pollution Control Department conduct routine inspection and spot
checks as part of their enforcement effort.
The Water Pollution Control and Drainage Act, in conjunction with the
Trade Effluent Regulations and Surface Water Drainage Regulations, addresses
water pollution concerns.
All wastewater must be disposed into an accredited sewer and the Water
Pollution Control Department must approve the construction of any sewage
system or sanitary facility or any other structure near such a system or
facility. There are substantial penalties for a violation of the Water Act.
The Trade Effluent Regulations set the chemical standards for effluents that
are to be discharged into the sewer system.
The Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act governs dumping and discharge
of pollutants into the territorial waters of Singapore and prohibits the
discharge of oil, refuse, garbage, waste, effluents, plastics, and dangerous
pollutants into the sea. It was amended to conform to the Marpol Convention
in 1990 regarding the transportation and disposal or oil and chemical
substances.
The Environmental Public Health Act prohibits the disposal of refuse or
industrial waste in any place except an authorized public disposal facility.
The Poisons Act and the Poisons Rules identify thirteen classes of
chemicals as hazardous and regulate their disposal. Together, they regulate
the import, possession, manufacture, compounding, storage, transport, and
sale of these classified poisons and establishes a licensing system for
them.
The Petroleum Act governs the transport and storage of petroleum and
petroleum products. It requires a permit if the petroleum is considered
"dangerous" and sets time limits for the unloading of petroleum products.
The Environmental Public Health Act gives the Commissioner of Public
Health broad discretion to limit noise emanating from construction
activities.
The Miscellaneous Offenses Act prohibits a person from making noise by
any instrument or other means in such a manner as to cause or to be likely
to cause annoyance or inconvenience to others.
Singapore is a party to various international conventions including the
International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from Ships (Marpol
Convention), the Basel Convention for the Control of Transboundary Movements
of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, the UN Convention on Biological
Diversity (Rio), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and the 1987 Montreal Protocol to the 1985
Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol).
Although some of these treaties--Climate Change and Biodiversity for
example--have no real enforceable obligations at this time, other agreements
to which Singapore is a signatory, such as CITES and the Montreal Protocol,
do use trade restrictions as a means of achieving international
environmental standards.
Although there is an ongoing debate regarding the use of international
agreements to enforce environmental standards, the government of Singapore
is an active advocate of the use of these agreements. It has also recently
started actively looking to help companies comply with the ISO 14000
standards and is examining how these international environmental standards
will affect how companies operate. The Ministry of Trade and Industry, in
cooperation with the Singapore Institute of Standards and Industrial
Research, is forming a national committee to begin training seminars on
environmental management systems to assist companies in seeking
certification with ISO 14000.
Singapore is also active on a regional basis and is part of a number of
ASEAN initiatives designed to encourage cooperation on environmental issues.
These efforts include the ASEAN Co-operation Plan for Transboundary
Pollution, the harmonization of air and water quality standards, and
development and organization of environmental conferences and meetings to
exchange ideas and experiences with other countries.
All Singaporean laws relating to environmental management and protection
are administered by the Ministry of the Environment (MOE) under the direct
supervision of the central government. The MOE is responsible for all areas
of waste disposal, pollution control, and general environmental management.
The government infrastructure provides for input into policies and
regulations by citizen groups. For example, the Service Improvement Unit
provides a coordinated effort between different ministries to provide
citizen suggestions on improvements in service and to give voice to citizen
complaints. There are also formal organizations that provide a voice for
citizen concerns such as the Citizens' Consultative Committees, the
Residents Committees, and the Community Center Management Committees.
Ministry of the Environment
Environment Building
40 Scotts Road
Singapore 0922
Tel: (65) 732-7733 Fax: (65) 731-9456 |
