In 2014 Johor, which lies just East of Singapore started two massive land reclamation projects at 1,410 hectares and 1,817 hectares located in the Johor Straits.
Johor is a state in Malaysia which borders Singapore.
Why was this a project of concern?
Malaysia did not provide an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before breaking ground. Conducting and providing an EIA is standard practice and allows for all potentially affected parties to evaluate the cost and benefit of the project (primarily from an ecological standpoint). When projects are moved forward without a proper EIA and the consideration of comments from interested parties, it jeopardizes shared resources.
In the case of the Johor Straits, there is a coastal ecosystem at stake.
Reporting on the Johor Straits project suggests the Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE) was non-responsive to requests for information about the project and its lack of EIA.