Hi everyone! Last post, Ryan and I concluded by defining water pollution as the “introduction of physical, chemical, or biological contaminant(s) that cause(s) or result(s) in the decreased ability of a water body to provide benefits”. However, how does Singapore Law define water pollution? Let us explore this tricky yet interesting domain together.
What is environmental law?
Before we begin exploring the legal aspects of environmental pollution, environmental law will be defined as “the body of laws that has as one of its aims, the protection… of the environment from degradation through human activities” (Chun & Lye, 2019). While pollution can also occur naturally, we will be specifically focusing on anthropogenic pollution for the different themes throughout the blog.
As the blog will be discussing legal aspects of environmental pollution, this article will also serve as a reference guide for interpreting abbreviations that may arise in future posts.
When specifying a portion of a statutory law, you may encounter abbreviations such as:
“Interpretation Act Section 8(1)(a)” (SSO, 2002b)
This will refer to paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section 8 of the Interpretation Act. While some statutes may not have paragraphs or subsections, we hope this serves as a quick guide to navigate the laws that are mentioned.
Environmental Protection and Management Act
“The Environmental Protection and Management Act (“EPMA”) is the all-encompassing act that covers most pollution laws in Singapore.” (SSO, 2002a)
Water pollution is governed under Section 15(1), where water pollution occurs if “Any person who discharges… any trade effluent, oil, chemical, sewage or other polluting matters into any drain or land… ” (SSO, 2002a).
Unfortunately, the EPMA does not define what “other polluting matters” constitute! This open-endedness creates a question when interpreting the law. What exactly does “other polluting matters” mean in this case…?
Source: https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/americas-most-widely-consumed-cooking-oil-causes-genetic-changes-brain
Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/what-is-the-ph-of-milk-603652
Source: https://sugarspunrun.com/homemade-whipped-cream-recipe/
Based on the pictures and EPMA, consider this: What is a water pollutant?
Comment down below and let us know what you think is a water pollutant and why do you think so!
Cheers,
Lee Yang
References
Chun, J., & Lye, L. H. (2019). Environmental Law in Singapore. Singapore: Academy Publishing.
SSO. (2002a). Environmental Protection and Management Act. Singapore: SSO Retrieved from https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/EPMA1999.
SSO. (2002b). Interpretation Act. Singapore Retrieved from https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/IA1965.