Environmental groups have called for a moratorium on the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) pending further evaluation on the viability of the project.

The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) and Treat Every Environment Special (Trees) said the project must be evaluated more thoroughly due to its sheer size as well as the financial, socioeconomic, and environmental effects it would have on the country.

“We are fully supportive of (CIMB Group chairperson) Nazir Razak’s statement...that the RM55 billion ECRL project be thoroughly scrutinised as the project should not be solely measured in terms of investment scale, but also in its value proposition,” the NGOs said in a joint statement today.

As such, they urge the federal government to undertake a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the ECRL project.

They also said that the cost-benefit analysis should engage various stakeholders, including federal and state agencies, environmental NGOs, research institutions, businesses, civil society and others.

“The goal is to review the potential cumulative effects of the ECRL on the nation,” they said.

Their concerns include whether the ECRL project will create a huge infrastructure debt for Malaysia, as well as environmental considerations.

This is because the ECRL will traverse the Central Forest Spine along with coastal forest areas, wetlands and rivers, which are sensitive and interconnected ecosystems which provide vital services to the nation, they said.

“We recognise that the government has made efforts to mitigate and minimise the environmental impact of the project, including building underground tunnels and viaducts.

“However, the ECRL will still cut through forests, causing fragmentation.

“We are concerned that the long-term impact of the ECRL on the ability of these areas to continue providing free ecological services has not been adequately measured,” they said.

As such, they said a moratorium should be placed on the ECRL until all questions relating to the project are fully answered through a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis of the project.

Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak launched the 688-kilometre ECRL project yesterday in Kuantan.

The ECRL project will be funded by a soft loan from China’s Exim Bank.

Beijing will be able to select the contractor for the project as part of the condition of the loan.

However, the Malaysian government has said it will request that the contractor ensures the appropriate level of local participation in the project.