ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT: A UNIQUELY SINGAPORE FRAMEWORK

Abstract

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a tool that helps in the identification and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts for development projects. In the context of resource constrained Singapore, it is a tool that has considerable potential to assist developers in achieving more sustainable outcomes for projects. Nevertheless, the EIA is not mandatory in Singapore due to the lack of legislation and is conducted on an ‘ad hoc’ basis, or when the government deems it necessary. It was also observed that there are no clear and specific terms as to when an EIA is required, and that the heavy resources and time required to conduct an EIA are likely to deter adoption by developers. In view of these issues, this dissertation seeks to evaluate the performance of the EIA process in Singapore and identify potential areas of improvement. Following this, recommendations for these areas of improvement will be provided in the form of a proposed framework for EIA implementation in Singapore. For the purpose of deriving the framework, best practices of other developed countries in Asia that have adopted a formal EIA system were explored through case studies. Based on a comparative case analysis, the performance of Singapore’s EIA was found to be lacking in some specific areas. Subsequently, interviews with EIA experts were conducted to gather further insights and recommendations on these areas for further improvement. The final deliverable from this research study is a comprehensive framework that encapsulates elements suitable for the implementation of EIA in Singapore’s context.