Overview of brownfields in Malaysia

The presence of contaminated and derelict land or “brownfields” is a subject of concern in numerous developed countries, especially countries that are experiencing scarcity of uncontaminated land (greenfields) available for development. A recently amended section of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a related legislation in the United States, stipulates that the term “brownfield site” means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Brownfield sites present particular challenges to national and regional policy makers in terms of bringing the land back into beneficial use and cleaning up contaminated land and groundwater [6]. As developed countries begin to experience the scarcity of greenfields, they must initiate reclamation plans for contaminated land to enable sustainable industrial and socio-economic developments. This paper reviews selected practices in redevelopment of brownfields in Malaysia against the background of the Malaysian Environmental Quality Act (EQA)