Kuala lumpur: The Department of Environment (DOE) needs about 3,000 additional officers to strengthen monitoring and enforcement efforts nationwide, as stated by its director-general, Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar. The proposal for additional staff has been submitted to the government and the Public Service Department (JPA) as part of a plan to enhance the organisation's pollution control and enforcement capabilities.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the proposal is part of the department's improvement plan, which is currently being refined before being resubmitted for government approval. Wan Abdul Latiff expressed hope that the proposal would be approved to improve monitoring and enforcement work. Presently, the DOE employs 1,111 technical and enforcement officers responsible for overseeing over 64,000 fixed pollution sources nationwide, such as factories, sewage treatment plants, and development projects requiring Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports.
Wan Abdul Latiff highlighted that this figure does not account for other pollution sources, including over 33 million motor vehicles, 3,000 petrol stations, and more than 10,000 pollution complaints received annually. With the current personnel, the DOE can conduct only about 20,000 inspections yearly, falling short of the need to cover 64,000 premises, necessitating a focus on high-risk locations.
Priority is given to factories with previous actions, complaint records, proximity to water sources, production of toxic waste, or high pollution levels. Each DOE enforcement team currently carries out about 16 inspections per month, leading to the conclusion that around 3,000 more officers are necessary for comprehensive monitoring nationwide.
The DOE has also intensified enforcement against illegal processing of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) through joint operations with the police and the Royal Malaysian Customs Department. This year, two significant operations under Ops Hazard were conducted in February and July, targeting illegal premises processing imported e-waste using false declarations to bypass restrictions.
When items are confirmed as e-waste, notices are issued for their return to the country of origin, aligning with Malaysia's Basel Convention obligations, which regulate hazardous waste cross-border movement. Most illegal e-waste originates from developed countries like the United States and Europe, and efforts are made to collaborate with those authorities for the waste's return.
Through the two Ops Hazard operations, action was taken against 47 illegal premises, with various e-waste materials seized for forfeiture and auction to licensed operators. Additionally, an operation called Ops Dermaga was executed in September with the police to curb e-waste smuggling at the country's primary entry points, involving illegal processing in unlicensed factories and often involving undocumented workers. Efforts are being strengthened with other agencies to completely halt this activity.