diff --git a/libibverbs/init.c b/libibverbs/init.c
index 853515d..a4c5f9e 100644
--- a/libibverbs/init.c
+++ b/libibverbs/init.c
@@ -699,6 +699,7 @@ out:
 int ibverbs_init(void)
 {
 	const char *sysfs_path;
+	char *env_value;
 	int ret;
 
 	if (getenv("RDMAV_FORK_SAFE") || getenv("IBV_FORK_SAFE"))
@@ -706,6 +707,11 @@ int ibverbs_init(void)
 			fprintf(stderr, PFX "Warning: fork()-safety requested "
 				"but init failed\n");
 
+	/* Backward compatibility for the mlx4 driver env */
+	env_value = getenv("MLX4_DEVICE_FATAL_CLEANUP");
+	if (env_value)
+		verbs_allow_disassociate_destroy = strcmp(env_value, "0") != 0;
+
 	if (getenv("RDMAV_ALLOW_DISASSOC_DESTROY"))
 		verbs_allow_disassociate_destroy = true;
 
diff --git a/providers/mlx4/mlx4.c b/providers/mlx4/mlx4.c
index 43e730f..1e418dc 100644
--- a/providers/mlx4/mlx4.c
+++ b/providers/mlx4/mlx4.c
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@
 #include "mlx4.h"
 #include "mlx4-abi.h"
 
-int mlx4_cleanup_upon_device_fatal = 0;
-
 #ifndef PCI_VENDOR_ID_MELLANOX
 #define PCI_VENDOR_ID_MELLANOX			0x15b3
 #endif
@@ -133,15 +131,6 @@ static const struct verbs_context_ops mlx4_ctx_ops = {
 	.query_rt_values = mlx4_query_rt_values,
 };
 
-static void mlx4_read_env(void)
-{
-	char *env_value;
-
-	env_value = getenv("MLX4_DEVICE_FATAL_CLEANUP");
-	if (env_value)
-		mlx4_cleanup_upon_device_fatal = (strcmp(env_value, "0")) ? 1 : 0;
-}
-
 static int mlx4_map_internal_clock(struct mlx4_device *mdev,
 				   struct ibv_context *ibv_ctx)
 {
@@ -184,7 +173,6 @@ static struct verbs_context *mlx4_alloc_context(struct ibv_device *ibdev,
 
 	verbs_ctx = &context->ibv_ctx;
 
-	mlx4_read_env();
 	if (dev->abi_version <= MLX4_UVERBS_NO_DEV_CAPS_ABI_VERSION) {
 		if (ibv_cmd_get_context(verbs_ctx, &cmd, sizeof(cmd),
 					&resp_v3.ibv_resp, sizeof(resp_v3)))
diff --git a/providers/mlx4/mlx4.h b/providers/mlx4/mlx4.h
index a174d09..191ccb4 100644
--- a/providers/mlx4/mlx4.h
+++ b/providers/mlx4/mlx4.h
@@ -299,12 +299,6 @@ static inline void mlx4_update_cons_index(struct mlx4_cq *cq)
 	*cq->set_ci_db = htobe32(cq->cons_index & 0xffffff);
 }
 
-extern int mlx4_cleanup_upon_device_fatal;
-static inline int cleanup_on_fatal(int ret)
-{
-	return (ret == EIO && mlx4_cleanup_upon_device_fatal);
-}
-
 int mlx4_alloc_buf(struct mlx4_buf *buf, size_t size, int page_size);
 void mlx4_free_buf(struct mlx4_buf *buf);
 
diff --git a/providers/mlx4/srq.c b/providers/mlx4/srq.c
index 00d9a70..3b44548 100644
--- a/providers/mlx4/srq.c
+++ b/providers/mlx4/srq.c
@@ -307,7 +307,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_xrc_srq(struct ibv_srq *srq)
 	pthread_spin_unlock(&mcq->lock);
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_srq(srq);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret)) {
+	if (ret) {
 		pthread_spin_lock(&mcq->lock);
 		mlx4_store_xsrq(&mctx->xsrq_table, msrq->verbs_srq.srq_num, msrq);
 		pthread_spin_unlock(&mcq->lock);
diff --git a/providers/mlx4/verbs.c b/providers/mlx4/verbs.c
index 40e94c4..5b32bd5 100644
--- a/providers/mlx4/verbs.c
+++ b/providers/mlx4/verbs.c
@@ -232,7 +232,7 @@ int mlx4_free_pd(struct ibv_pd *pd)
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_dealloc_pd(pd);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(to_mpd(pd));
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ int mlx4_close_xrcd(struct ibv_xrcd *ib_xrcd)
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_close_xrcd(xrcd);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(xrcd);
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ int mlx4_dereg_mr(struct verbs_mr *vmr)
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_dereg_mr(vmr);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(vmr);
@@ -356,7 +356,7 @@ int mlx4_dealloc_mw(struct ibv_mw *mw)
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_dealloc_mw(mw);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(mw);
@@ -647,7 +647,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_cq(struct ibv_cq *cq)
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_cq(cq);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	mlx4_free_db(to_mctx(cq->context), MLX4_DB_TYPE_CQ, to_mcq(cq)->set_ci_db);
@@ -751,7 +751,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_srq(struct ibv_srq *srq)
 		return mlx4_destroy_xrc_srq(srq);
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_srq(srq);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	mlx4_free_db(to_mctx(srq->context), MLX4_DB_TYPE_RQ, to_msrq(srq)->db);
@@ -1220,7 +1220,7 @@ static int _mlx4_destroy_qp_rss(struct ibv_qp *ibqp)
 	int ret;
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_qp(ibqp);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(qp);
@@ -1238,7 +1238,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_qp(struct ibv_qp *ibqp)
 
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&to_mctx(ibqp->context)->qp_table_mutex);
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_qp(ibqp);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret)) {
+	if (ret) {
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&to_mctx(ibqp->context)->qp_table_mutex);
 		return ret;
 	}
@@ -1567,7 +1567,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_flow(struct ibv_flow *flow_id)
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_flow(flow_id);
 
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(flow_id);
@@ -1584,7 +1584,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_wq(struct ibv_wq *ibwq)
 	pthread_mutex_lock(&mcontext->qp_table_mutex);
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_wq(ibwq);
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret)) {
+	if (ret) {
 		pthread_mutex_unlock(&mcontext->qp_table_mutex);
 		return ret;
 	}
@@ -1658,7 +1658,7 @@ int mlx4_destroy_rwq_ind_table(struct ibv_rwq_ind_table *rwq_ind_table)
 
 	ret = ibv_cmd_destroy_rwq_ind_table(rwq_ind_table);
 
-	if (ret && !cleanup_on_fatal(ret))
+	if (ret)
 		return ret;
 
 	free(rwq_ind_table);
