Transcript Headline in Arial Black max 48 points

Best Practices in Selfmonitoring and Recording
Keeping
AECEN REGIONAL FORUM, BEIJING
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA
13-15 DEC 2007
Introduction
• Singapore is an island citystate (700 km2) with a
population of 4.5 million
• Today, Singapore is highly
urbanised and
industrialised with major
industries like oil refineries,
petrochemical,
pharmaceutical, wafer
fabrication and electronic
Introduction
• In the process of industrialisation, there were
also parallel developments in the housing,
commercial and service sectors
• All these developments generated pollution,
wastewater and solid waste, and would have
caused degradation to the environment.
However, this did not happen in Singapore
• Singaporeans today enjoy a clean and green
environment, and a high public heath standard
– All levels of pollutants in the ambient air are within
international standards
– All inland waters support aquatic life
Environmental Management
Strategy
• The present state of the environment in
Singapore is achieved through adopting a
forward-looking and an integrated
approach to environmental protection and
management as follows:
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Prevention
Enforcement
Monitoring
Education & Partnership
Environmental Management
Strategy
•
•
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•
Prevention
Enforcement
Monitoring
Education /
Partnership
• Key thrusts of pollution
prevention strategy adopted
in Singapore:
– Proper land use planning
– Judicious siting of industries
– Development and building plan
control
– Provision of environmental
infrastructure
– Regulatory Controls and
Policies
Environmental Management
Strategy
•
•
•
•
Prevention
Enforcement
Monitoring
Education /
Partnership
• Legislation enacted to
control pollution is
supported by close
monitoring and strict
enforcement
• Regular inspections
• Investigation of
complaints/feedback
Environmental Management
Strategy
•
•
•
•
Prevention
Enforcement
Monitoring
Education /
Partnership
• Continuous monitoring of
ambient air quality, and
inland & coastal waters
• Monitor latest
developments in industrial
processes and pollution
control technologies
• Monitoring data serve as
feedback on adequacy and
effectiveness of control
programmes
Environmental Management
Strategy
•
•
•
•
Prevention
Enforcement
Monitoring
Education /
Partnership
• Public campaigns, e.g.
Clean and Green Week
• Training courses for
professionals, industries,
etc
• Seminars, workshops for
industries, businesses, etc
• Dialogues with industries,
professional institutions,
etc
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
• The Environmental Pollution Control
Act is the main piece of legislation
on pollution control in Singapore
• The Act is:
– Based on the principle of strict liability
– Supported by close monitoring and
strict enforcement
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
• The Act can require industries to:
– Carry out Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA)
Study for industry handling hazardous
substances [Part VII]
• identify and quantify hazards and risks related to the
transport, use and storage of hazardous materials;
• determine hazards/risks due to possible accident
scenarios which will lead to fire, explosion or toxic
release;
• recommend measures to be incorporated in the design
and operation of the plant to keep hazards/risks to as low
a level as practical;
• facilitate the development of emergency response plans
to deal with all possible accident scenarios.
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
• The Act can require industries to (cont’d):
– Carry out Pollution Control (PC) Study for
pollutive industry [Part X]
• identify the sources of emission of air pollutants,
discharge of trade effluent, generation of wastes and
emission of noise
• quantify and evaluate the impacts of such pollutive
emissions
• recommend the measures to be incorporated in the
design and operation of the plant to reduce the pollutive
emissions to acceptable levels that would not pose
nuisance or harm to the people and the environment.
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
• Based on the results of the QRA &
PC studies, industry is required to:
– Implement monitoring programme for
the air impurities to be emitted
– Keep a proper record of all monitoring
results
– Submit the records to the authority
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
• Monitoring and reporting requirement
depends on the type of industry and
results of QRA & PC studies
Petrol Chemical & Power Plants (boilers >
2,300 kg/hr)
– Carry out source emission (yearly)
– Submit smoke density records (monthly)
– Submit quantity and quality (sulphur content)
of fuel used (monthly)
• Ensure compliance with SO2 cap
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
Wafer Fabrication Plant
– Carry out source emission (yearly)
– Submit smoke density records (monthly)
– Continuous monitoring of pH level of trade
effluent
• Submission of records to authority (monthly)
• Monitoring device sealed by authority
Hazardous Substances
– Keep proper transaction records
• Construction sites
– Continuous monitoring of noise
– Submission of noise records (weekly)
Self-monitoring, Reporting &
Record-keeping
It is an offence for:
• Failure to install, operate and maintain any
monitoring equipment properly and efficiently
• Failure to submit monitoring results
• Failure to keep proper inventory records
• Failure to report promptly any release or
discharge of hazardous chemicals into the
environment
Partnering 3P Sectors
(People, Private, Public)
• Needed for better sustainability
– Communicate
• Create greater awareness and understanding of the people’s
expectations/concerns as well as pollution control
efforts/measures put in place by the industries
• Effective approach to cascade/disseminate new regulatory
requirements and programmes/information
– Engage
• Greater participation/consultation in the formulation of control
measures
• Regular dialogues, training courses, seminars, workshops for
industries, professional institutions
– Empower
• Promote self-regulation & monitoring by industries
In Summary
• An effective legislative framework on
pollution control needs to have the
following critical element for selfmonitoring by the industry to work:
– Strict liability
– Strict enforcement
– Independent judicial system
• The legislative framework needs to be
complemented by:
– Proper land use planning
– Provision of environmental infrastructure
Thank You