KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 (Bernama) -- Environmental groups have lauded the government's move to allocate a whopping RM1.9 billion to preserve the nation's environment.

Of the RM1.9 billion allocated, RM1.3 billion was for solid waste management, Global Environment Centre Director Faizal Parish said Friday. He said the move was timely as solid waste was the main cause of pollution in the country.

"While the government had allocated a huge amount for solid waste management, there is no mention of community participation in the effort.

"We should create awareness in this aspect so that solid waste will be properly managed at its source," he said when commenting on the announcement by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi when tabling the 2006 Budget in Parliament today.

Faizal said the government also needed to specify how the RM40 million allocated to stop coastal erosion, especially after the Tsunami last year, would be spent.

Alam Flora Sdn Bhd chief executive officer Mohamed Siraj Abdul Razack said the government's move to allocate a huge sum for environmental protection, especially solid waste management, showed it was serious in preserving the country's environment.

"We see this budget as a caring budget. For the first time, the government has set aside a huge sum for the environment. This will bring the country to the next phase in protecting the environment," he said.

With the allocation, he said, the government would execute the privatisation of solid waste materials, with private companies developing the required facilities. He said something had to be done to manage solid waste as "we need money to treat them."

The Malaysian Nature Society hailed the 2006 Budget, saying many of the programmes envisaged were rehabilitative and remedial.

"The allocation for reafforestation is a good move but it should be done on degraded land and not opening up primary forest.
"On coastal protection, river rehabilitation and flood mitigation, it is important that along with remedial work, inappropriate activities in direct contradiction to rehabilitation should be avoided," he said in a statement.

The MNS also called for more allocation to set up recycling centres and related education for the people rather than high-tech incinerators.

"It is also important to have facilities to implement separation at source for easy waste disposal," it added.