International Construction Law Review
ENSURING ENVIRONMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY IN SINGAPORE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY: POTENTIAL OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION CONTROL ACT 1999
PHILIP CHAN AND GEORGE OFORI
School of Building and Real Estate, National University of Singapore
ABSTRACT
The environmental impact of construction is now well recognised. It includes the depletion of resources; loss and/or degradation of the quality of land; and many forms of pollution. In most countries, including Singapore, initiatives have been taken to address these issues—by construction enterprise (both designers and contractors), clients, professional institutions and trade associations, various levels of government, and non-governmental organisations. The measures taken by governments are often categorised under the statutory regulations (referred to as “command and control”) and “economic” instruments.
This article discusses the impact of the newly enacted Environmental Pollution Control Act 1999 (EPCA) on the construction industry in Singapore. It starts with a consideration of the environmental impact of construction activity, and an assessment of actions taken to address this impact, their influencing factors and their overall results. It then analyses the new EPCA of Singapore and highlights its potential in encouraging construction enterprises to improve their environmental performance. Finally, it offers suggestions on how construction practitioners can limit the environmental pollution for which they are responsible.
INTRODUCTION
Background
The environmental impact of construction activity is now well known.1
Michel2
puts at the top of the list of eight major changes in the US
1 See a review in G Ofori and P Chan, “Contractual provisions for sustainability in construction in Singapore” [1999] ICLR 80–100.
2 H L Michel, “The next 25 years: The future of the construction industry” Journal of Management in Engineering
(1998) Vol 14, No 5, pp 26–31 at p. 27.
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