KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Environment (DoE) will step up its enforcement by 100 per cent, said Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change Minister Yeo Bee Yin.
Yeo, who acknowledged the need for DoE to beef up enforcement, said it only issued RM5 million in compounds and fines in 2018.
“This year there will be a 100 per cent increase in enforcement. So far we have also shut down 150 factories which have been illegally recycling plastic,” she told Dewan Rakyat.
Yeo however called the public to give it some time to empower itself.
She was responding to a supplementary question by Siti Zailah Mohd Yusoff (PAS: Rantau Panjang) on the number of arrests and action taken on those who violate environmental laws.
Siti Zailah also wanted details on the mechanism used by the department to be one step ahead of potential polluters or those who dump toxic waste so that an incident of the scale at Sungai Kim Kim was not repeated.