Will Puchong incinerator project affect Subang Jaya welfare?

[jeffooi]

<font size="+1">Related thread:
<a href="http://www.usj.com.my/bulletin/upload/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1721">www.no-incinerator.com</a>

Important links:
<a href="http://www.no-incinerator.com/map.html"target="new">Map of Affected Area - From Kampung Bohol, Puchong to Bandar Sunway</a>
<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/Templates/template3_view.cfm?UCIDParam=20020218163414"target="new"><font color="#FF0000">Greepeace: What incinerator operators don't tell you</FONT></a></font>

[jeffooi]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
12:38pm Thu Oct 24th, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Gov't 'clarifications' on incinerator not good enough, says MP</FONT>
Claudia Theophilus

The Housing and Local Government Ministry has not answered adequately queries in the Dewan Rakyat about the proposed RM1.5 billion thermal incinerator plant in Kampung Bohol, Puchong.

<img src="http://www.malaysia.net/dapmnet/teresa.gif" align="left">Revealing this recently, DAP member of Parliament for Seputeh Teresa Kok (photo) said earlier this month, she had raised in Parliament some questions regarding the project.

Instead of responding to her questions, she said, Deputy Housing and Local Government Minister Peter Chin Fah Kui chose to sidestep her queries on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.

"He said there was no need for him to address the EIA-related questions since the Science, Technology and Environment Ministry had already approved the report.

Kok, whose home is located in the affected area, said she was also disappointed with Chin's failure to answer other questions raised about the incinerator's high operating cost, technology transfer and the health risks involved.

She said no one was able to answer her queries on the operational cost of the plant estimated to be about RM270 per tonne daily. The current municipal solid waste management via landfill only costs between RM25 and RM35 per tonne, she said.

Assessment rate

<font color="#FF0000">"This will only mean that the assessment rate is going to be hiked up much, much more. So, isn't this 10 times more than the current cost?</FONT>

"I'd also like to ask whether our quit rent will be increased after the incinerator is built?"

Kok urged the government to seriously consider the residents' protest and relocate the plant to a safer site instead of in the middle of a densely-populated area.

"The government has also claimed that the incinerator is safe and poses no health hazard. If it is as safe as it is made out to be, does the government dare to relocate it to Putrajaya?

"If anyone should be subjected to such a risky experiment, it is the very people in power who have been trying to convince us that the incinerator is safe."

The proposed plant has a maximum capacity of 1,500 tonnes of waste per day, but there is speculation that the government may scale it down to about 600 tonnes per day.

Kok suggested that the incinerator be relocated to Putrajaya so that the prime minister, cabinet members and government servants who work and live there can become "guinea pigs" to prove to the nation that the incinerator is truly safe and will not cause cancer to those staying near it.

Referring to a copy of an excerpt from <a href="http://opsard2.parlimen.gov.my/cyberdocs/Libraries/Default_Library/Users/webuser/viewdocact.asp?doc=2184&lib=OPSARD&uid=1035501983093&fileExt=.PDF"target"="new">Parliament's Hansard of the Oct 9 proceedings</a>, she said Chin reiterated that the government had exercised due care by employing a panel of technical experts to study the proposal of the project.

In response to Kok's claims that many incinerators have been shut down in the West and Japan, Chin said that those plants were built before 1990 when the technology did not incorporate dioxin management.

Selective study

Kok also alleged in the Dewan Rakyat that the EIA consultants had tailored their study to facilitate the approval so that the government could proceed with the construction of the incinerator.

"In fact, the requirement for a social impact assessment under the EIA must be done within 10km and involves taking samples of earth to study the life cycle, none of which had been done."

On the high construction cost raised by Kok, Chin said the project was more expensive as it uses the latest technology to ensure that dioxin pollution or other noxious gases would not be a problem.

"With the incinerator, I feel that city folk will feel more comfortable
because all the garbage from Kuala Lumpur will be fed to it, hence the need to locate the plant where garbage can be treated immediately instead of transporting them elsewhere.

"We are confident that with this project, there will be no adverse effects to the residents of Kampung Bohol."

Toxic dump

Chin cited the Tanah Merah toxic waste treatment plant in Bukit Nanas, Negeri Sembilan, built about seven years ago, as an example that met similar 'not-in-my-backyard-syndrome' opposition.

"If you visit the area now, there are housing estates all around it. The people are not facing any problems, no complaints of pollution or illness. in fact, the plant had facilitated the construction of better and bigger roads and improved infrastructure.

"I'm sure the Kampung Bohol folks will also feel the same way once the plant is operational."


Read the full story at:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200210240017929.php

[jeffooi]

<font size="+1">GET THE FACTS RIGHT:
Read the Parliament Hansard of the
Oct 9, 2002 proceedings, <a href="http://opsard2.parlimen.gov.my/cyberdocs/Libraries/Default_Library/Users/webuser/viewdocact.asp?doc=2184&lib=OPSARD&uid=1035501983093&fileExt=.PDF"target="new">click here</font></a>
Acrobat Reader required.

[jeffooi]

NEW STRAITS TIMES
fRIDAY, oCTOBER 25, 2002

Letters
<FONT SIZE="+1">Unproven incinerator technology is risky</FONT>

Oct 25: I AM a resident of Taman Overseas Union off Jalan Klang Lama in Kuala Lumpur.

I am shocked to learn that the Government has approved the construction of an incinerator in a densely populated area off Batu 7, Jalan Puchong.

Kampung Bohol, the site of the proposed thermal waste treatment plant, is right in the middle of a highly developed area close to the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil and surrounded by several large housing estates with a population exceeding one million.

I would like to appeal to the authorities to move the project away from residential areas due to the following reasons:

# The Environmental Impact Assessment report itself says that the incinerator uses "experimental" technology and is a potential risk to the community;

# According to a 1996 study by the British Journal of Cancers, people living within 7.5km of a municipal waste incinerator have an increased likelihood of developing cancer. Given the wind conditions, the emissions will be carried to various parts of the Klang Valley, and,

# The plant, which will incinerate 1,500 tonnes of garbage a day and emit toxic gases including dioxin, puts our families' health at risk. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, dioxin is one of the most toxic chemicals known and is a confirmed cancer hazard to humans.

To know that the incinerator's current location is mainly based on the need to reduce transportation costs incurred by the operators of garbage collection is unacceptable.

While I understand the Government's urgency to find a way to dispose of garbage, I cannot understand why the people, their children and grandchildren should be made guinea pigs of a pilot project which uses untested and unproven technology.

G. KRISHNAN Kuala Lumpur


SOURCE:
http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Friday/Letters/20021025084443/Article/

[jeffooi]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
6:36pm Wed Oct 23rd, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Incinerator project fires up residents to consider ballot power</FONT>
Claudia Theophilus

The Barisan Nasional (BN) ruling coalition may lose its grip over several state and parliamentary constituencies located around the proposed thermal incinerator plant in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, if the government proceeds with implementation.

Residents are up in arms against the project. BN controls five of the six parliamentary seats in the vicinity of the project, with Serdang and Lembah Pantai being the worst affected.

As part of the 'no-incinerator campaign', which asks for the plant to be relocated to a less-populated area or scrapped altogether, the Puchong residents pro tem committee has urged residents to register as voters to bring about positive changes and to safeguard their rights.

Signature campaign

Pro tem secretary Lim Hoon Joo said the committee's signature campaign, launched a few months ago, would continue until the incinerator plant is relocated.

"We have collected 135,000 signatures so far and we will not stop until we get what we want," he told malaysiakini.

"We are no experts on this (matter), but we do know that the incinerator plant poses a long-term threat to life especially to the very young and the aged. There is no guarantee that the plant will be an emission-free one."

He said that even the technical expert team present at a meeting chaired by Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting, had failed to answer residents' queries satisfactorily.

The committee has been on a signature campaign and road-show - with police permits - to explain the proposed project, its health implications and an unresolved discrepancy in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.

<FONT COLOR="#ff0000">The discrepancy is that the EIA was approved by the Housing and Local Government Ministry and not the Department of Environment (DOE), which would have approved a project only if this complies with its criteria.</font>

Elected representatives

Asked about any involvement of elected representatives to date, the committee claimed it had written to both MPs and the State Assembly representative.

Kampung Bohol, for instance, falls under the Lembah Pantai parliamentary constituency, of which Shahrizat Abdul Jalil is the MP. Although numerous letters have been sent to her appealing for intervention, there has been no response, a committee member said.

The committee believes that about one million people will be affected by the incinerator.

However, the Environmental Impact Assessment report says about 260,000 people live within a 5km radius of the plant. The majority are in Bukit Indah (216,400), Bukit Jalil (12,150), Kinrara (34,270) and areas within the Subang Jaya municipality.


Read the full story at:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200210230017921.php

[jeffooi]

THE STAR
Thursday, September 26, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Incinerator project tender out soon</FONT>

KUALA LUMPUR: The tender for a RM1.4bil incinerator project in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, will be finalised soon, said Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Tengku Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar.

He said three contractors – Ebara Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Corporation and Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd – had been shortlisted for the tender.

“No decision has been made yet. The contract will be given out soon,” he told reporters in Parliament lobby yesterday.

“The funding of the project, which is expected to be completed within five to six years, will come from a Japanese Government loan.

“The project, which has the capacity to process 1,200 tonnes of solid waste a day, will involve an operational cost of RM50mil a year,’’ added Tengku Azlan.

He said MAB Environmental Consultant Sdn Bhd had been appointed for the environmental impact assessment while its management consultants were Yachiyo Engineering Co Ltd, Minconsult Sdn Bhd, HSS Intergrated Sdn Bhd and Engineering and Environmental Consultants Sdn Bhd.

Read the full story at:
http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2002/9/26/nation/ihbohol&newspage=Search

[jeffooi]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
12:17pm Fri Oct 25th, 2002

<font size="+1"><font color="#FF0000">Media 'blackout' on incinerator upsets residents</FONT></FONT>
Claudia Theophilus

Hundreds of residents affected by the proposed billion-ringgit thermal incinerator project in Selangor, are perturbed by the apparent lack of news on the issue and strongly suspect that there is a political directive for a media blackout.

Noting that a few news and feature articles have been published by the New Straits Times and the Malay Mail on the incinerator in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, the residents nevertheless sense political pressure playing a role in the matter being ignored or downplayed by major newspapers.

Some charge that <font color="#FF0000">one English daily tabloid had even placed a 'total ban' on the subject</FONT>.

This concern was raised at a 'no-incinerator' talk in a campaign organised by the Puchong residents' pro tem action committee on Sunday at Taman OUG, Old Klang Road, in Kuala Lumpur.

During the question-and-answer session, several residents mentioned the absence of any coverage on the issue by The Star, the nation's best-selling English daily.

"There is nothing in its news or features section, despite the newspaper having won awards for its feature articles on environmental issues," said a resident who wished to be known only as Lam.

Another resident, known only as Ng, said: "I read The Star every day. I didn't even realise that there was a proposal to build a giant incinerator practically next to my home. If not for this talk, I would have been totally ignorant but now I know the potential dangers and problems."

A senior citizen who identified herself as Madam Lee said she strongly suspected an invisible political hand to be pulling the strings.

"I have a right to know what's happening around me, and this is one of the more important issues because it affects many people's lives and property."

To counter the alleged media blackouts, the residents on Sunday suggested focusing the campaign channel on the Internet for speedier dissemination of information.

"It's easier to forward e-mail as it reaches a large number of people at once. And since we ourselves are in control of the campaign, the discussion can focus on our collective concerns," said one resident.


Read the full story at:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200210250017938.php

[jeffooi]

<font size="+2"><font color="#FF0000">The Star replies... and denies</font></font>

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
12:17pm Fri Oct 25th, 2002

Media 'blackout' on incinerator upsets residents
Claudia Theophilus

When contacted yesterday, Star Publications (M) Bhd deputy managing editor Chua Yew Kay said his paper was being "very cautious" in reporting the issue.

"We are collecting facts on the incinerator project. We want to check out the facts because we believe in being balanced. Furthermore, it is a very important and major project for the public.

"It is unfair for the residents to say anything against us although we know that they are unhappy about the project," he said.

Chua explained that The Star just wanted to be on the safe side and that "this (project) will affect their (residents') health for sure" before publishing anything about the complaints.

"I'm also within the affected area as I live in Subang Jaya and have a personal interest myself.

"But we've decided to pursue this very cautiously. Otherwise, if residents are simply allowed to bombard the government with all the protests and criticism, that would be unfair to the government, too," he said.

No directive

On the link made by several residents at the Sunday talk, between the media blackout to Housing and Local Government Minister <font color="#FF0000">Ong Ka Ting</FONT> who is also an MCA vice-president, Chua said Ong's connection in the whole issue was coincidental.

<img src="http://www.agendadaily.com/images/story/2002-3-19kating-F.jpg" align="left"> "It just so happens that he is the minister (in the implementing agency). If it had been someone else from, let's say Umno or MIC as the minister, then the people would say that Umno or MIC had ordered the blackout."

Denying vehemently that MCA, the largest Chinese-based partner in the Barisan Nasional ruling coalition which owns The Star, was exerting any pressure on the editors, Chua said: "As far as I know, there is no such directive from the MCA.

"I must also make it clear here that I've never received any directive from the MCA so far," he said, adding that people should know that The Star has always been concerned about the environment.


Read the full story at:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200210250017938.php

[jeffooi]

FAR EASTERN ECONOMIC REVIEW
Issue cover-dated November 07, 2002

MALAYSIA:
<font size="+1">Raising a Stink</font>
Kuala Lumpur proposes burning its garbage. But who wants a giant incinerator in their backyard?

By S. Jayasankaran/KUALA LUMPUR

KUALA LUMPUR is drowning in garbage, but a 1.5 billion ringgit ($394.7 million) proposal for a huge, ultra-modern incinerator to help resolve the problem has spawned a considerable stink of its own.

Malaysia's capital generates over 2,700 metric tonnes of waste a day, which is more than its present disposal sites can handle. The city government's solution: a new incinerator capable of burning 1,200 tonnes a day using four-year-old Japanese technology. But the proposed size of the incinerator has aroused opposition. It would be one of the biggest of its kind in the world, capable of burning up to six times more waste than most current facilities.

"No one knows the environmental effects caused by a plant this size," says Abdul Rahman Manaf, a spokesman for a group of residents near the proposed site that is protesting the plan. "We don't want it here and we don't want to be guinea pigs." The plant is slated to be built in Puchong, a working-class industrial area to the southwest of the capital. Three consortia of companies have submitted proposals to build the incinerator, but no winner has yet been selected.

The scale of the project illustrates that Malaysia's "Think Big" mindset--once a mantra of Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad--lives on despite the sobering effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis.

The accompanying outcry also suggests a new not-in-my-backyard attitude once considered a Western, affluent-class phenomenon. This reflects a deeper change taking place in Malaysian society: the emergence of a more questioning citizenry from one accustomed to following the dictates of a paternalistic government.

The fate of the Puchong incinerator has implications beyond local backyards. Governments across Asia are being forced to confront similar waste-management problems such as overflowing landfills and too much new garbage. Incinerators are likely to be contemplated in many locales.

According to one study, Kuala Lumpur will produce 3,433 tonnes of garbage per day by 2025. City hall's proposed solution is three-pronged: Recycling, which will be made compulsory next year, will be expected to reduce the total by 22%; new landfills will handle 43%, and combustion 35%.

The Puchong plant is the centrepiece of the combustion effort. Waste is reduced to ash in a process called "thermal decomposition." The ash is then fired and turned into molten slag. Scrubbers, according to the project's promoters, will reduce dioxin and heavy-metal emissions to negligible levels. The ignition of gases also generates excess power, a key by-product that helps to make the process cost-effective.

A MATTER OF SIZE
So far so good. Unfortunately, the technology has never been used in a plant the size of Puchong. Indeed, the Environmental Impact Assessment study on the project extrapolated data from smaller plants. "There is no track record, that's what is worrying," says one concerned engineer.

The Japanese technology, government officials say, will be purchased with $375 million of a $635 million bank loan guaranteed by Japan to Kuala Lumpur in 1999. That covers 95% of the cost of the incinerator project. Japanese companies Ebara, Hitachi, and Kawasaki have each submitted proposals with Malaysian partners.

But the government may be having second thoughts. On August 23, Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting, after a meeting with disgruntled residents and the project's consultants, conceded that the government's environmental study "had loopholes" and said he would return the matter to the cabinet.

In the meantime, Abdul Rahman's group has been busy. It has collected more than 125,000 signatures in oppositions to the incinerator, and it has its own Web site complete with horror stories about other incinerators (www.no-incinerator.com). "It's all about health and wealth," says Irene Wong, a Puchong housewife and incinerator opponent. "We want our children to be healthy and we don't want our property prices to drop."

Many experts suggest the project be replaced by several small incinerators, but government officials say the land for such a solution is scarce. Given Kuala Lumpur's history of doggedly pursuing projects in the face of public opposition, Puchong residents are prepared for the worst. "One of my neighbours has put up three houses for sale in the area," sighs Abdul Rahman. "Why do you think he is doing that?"


SOURCE:
http://www.feer.com/articles/2002/0211_07/p026region.html

[jeffooi]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
8:17pm Mon Nov 11th, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Build incinerator at your own political risk, residents warn gov't</FONT>
Claudia Theophilus

In what is seen as a move to appease the fierce opposition, there are talks
that the government is planning to reduce the capacity of the proposed
controversial incinerator in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, from 1,500 to 600
tonnes of waste per day.

But local residents, firmly opposed to having Asia's largest plant in
Kampung Bohol near Kuala Lumpur are not about to fall for mere "talks". They
have now turned the heat on Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka
Ting.

When met today, Ong said he was trying "his best to help the residents" but
refused to divulge more on the grounds that his plans "may be pre-empted by
someone else" if announced too soon.

"I will be making a statement on this issue in a few days. I don't want to
talk about it now because you will distract our recycling programme from
making it into the news," he said at a press conference after the ministry's
2002 Recycling Day celebration in Kuala Lumpur.

This is the closest malaysiakini has come to getting a response from Ong on
the incinerator issue.

It is believed that ministry officials and experts sitting on the technical
panel are shunning away from the issue due to a directive not to speak to
the media.

Asked when exactly he plans to respond to the issue, Ong said: "I will
decide when to do it. Talk to me some other day...and don't worry, I will
let you know when I decide."

When told that residents were upset over the government's blatant silence,
he said: "I've been meeting with these residents and I know who these people
are. I cannot say anything now because I am trying to help them."

More signatures

Yesterday, about 300 residents braved the rain in an open field in Bandar
Kinrara to listen to the action committee's explanation and updates on the
protest campaign, including the collection of 135,000 signatures so far.

The committee's secretary HJ Lim displayed two big bundles of documents
containing the petition forms.

"We decided to bring the documents and show people today because we heard
that some Umno politicians and government officials doubted that we had
managed to collect so many signatures. In fact, we will not stop until the
incinerator is relocated."

The action committee has held a number of similar road-shows in several
housing estates around Old Klang Road to increase people's awareness of the
proposed project, the health risks and the Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) which was approved despite the glaring discrepancies.

Lim said the government's continuous silence on the project which, if
implemented, would pose great risks to the residents' health and wealth was
a clear indication of how much it cared for the 'rakyat'.

"We are not politicians or non-governmental organisations. We are just
residents concerned over our rights, health and future, and that of our
children."

The residents demanded that Ong replied their letter which, among other
things, demanded a clear-cut answer as to whether the government was going
to build the plant there or relocate it elsewhere.

It the minister failed to do so, they said the coming general election
results will speak for themselves in the surrounding constituencies.

Volunteers also registered protest signatures and distributed car stickers
and leaflets urging residents to transfer their names on the voters list
from their old addresses to their present.

The committee's legal advisor S Selva said Ong met with committee members
privately early last month to negotiate a 'compromise' on the matter,
offering a reduced capacity of 600 tonnes of wastes per day. There was no
talk about relocating the plant.

Passing the buck

"We rejected him flat. We don't want to hear utter nonsense from our
ministers. Before talking, they should check their facts first!" he
exclaimed, visibly upset by Ong's inaction on the matter. His heated words
were greeted by loud applause from residents.

The committee is also seeking the intervention of Prime Minister Dr Mahathir
Mohamad in resolving the matter.

Referring to the private meeting, Selva said Ong kept telling the committee
that it was the PM's decision and that he could not do anything about the
proposal because his predecessor (Dr Ting Chew Peh) was the minister
responsible for it.

(slug: umbrellas) "If that's the case, there is no need to have Ong as the
minister because the PM can run the ministry. The same goes for community
leaders in the MCA and the MIC, and to blame another MCA minister for this
is an embarrassment for the party."

Another committee member Goh related to residents how he had contacted the
media - Nanyang Siang Pau, Sin Chew Jit Poh, China Press, Malay Mail, the
New Straits Times, The Star and TV3 - for coverage.

"Generally, they were all aware of the issue but told me that they have been
instructed not to give any coverage."

Not idiots

Referring to a news report on Seputeh MP Teresa Kok's attempt in the Dewan
Rakyat to get clarification on the incinerator issue, Goh said the
government should not brush the people aside as idiots.

"Don't insult our intelligence or take us for granted. By belittling our
requests, you are only pushing us against the wall," he warned.

Goh said the government should just admit its mistake and rectify the
situation without causing more distress to the estimated one million
residents who will be affected by the project.

Construction work is scheduled to begin by the end of next month while land
clearing was done a few months ago.


SOURCE:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200211110018146.php

[jeffooi]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
11:48am Wed Nov 13th, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Incinerator project: Residents told to vote under present address</FONT>
Claudia Theophilus

In efforts to halt the construction of the proposed RM1.5 billion thermal
incinerator plant in Puchong, 20 minutes south of Kuala Lumpur, a group of
residents are urging relatives, friends and neighbours in nearby housing
estates to register as voters.

Residents have been asked to register as voters in Bandar Kinrara, a housing
estate with a population of 20,000 which is adjacent to the proposed
controversial plant, to decide their own future.

The 'battle-cry' is being repeated at talks on the project's adverse
implications on health and property value which is expected to affect about
one million people within the 5km radius, including areas in Petaling Jaya,
Subang, Sunway, Serdang and Bukit Jalil.

Leaflets detailing simple instructions on who should register, as well as
how and where to do it were distributed at the dialogue session on Sunday in
Bandar Kinrara.

The people were also reminded to change their old identity cards to the new
MyKad first at the Serdang and Petaling Jaya National Registration
Department branches before they can register as voters in their area of
residence.

Thousands of votes

In July, the Election Commission introduced the online system in post
offices, which enables year-round voter registration.

Puchong residents pro tem action committee secretary HJ Lim said currently
there were only slightly more than 2,800 registered voters in Bandar Kinrara
because most were voting at their old addresses or hometowns.

"In Bandar Kinrara alone, there are more than 5,000 houses, while nearby
housing estates which we are going to have dialogues with such as Puchong
Jaya and Pusat Bandar Puchong, have about 10,000 and 7,700 units
respectively," he said when contacted.

"We are encouraging people to register as voters using their present address
so that they can decide their own future and for their voices to be heard."

The project employing Japanese technology is funded by a soft loan from the
Japan Bank for International Cooperation.

However, it has sparked off a determined campaign among the locals to
relocate the plant, touted as the largest in Asia at a maximum capacity of
1,500 tonnes of waste per day.

In September, Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Tengku
Azlan Sultan Abu Bakar was quoted as saying that three Japanese
contractors - Ebara Corporation, Hitachi Zosen Corporation and Kawasaki
Heavy Industries Ltd - had been shortlisted for the tender.

While the tender award has not been officially announced, Ebara Corporation,
a major player in incinerator technology, is expected to get the main
contract.

The project is to be managed by a consortium of consultants comprising
Tokyo-based Yachiyo Engineering Co Ltd, Minconsult Sdn Bhd, HSS Integrated
Sdn Bhd, and Environmental and Engineering Consultants Sdn Bhd.

Tengku Azlan had also said that the operational cost would be RM50 million a
year.

Neighbours concerned

Meanwhile, the proposed incinerator has also generated some heat among
neighbouring communities such as Subang Jaya and Pusat Bandar Puchong, with
queries and e-mails posted on their websites USJ.com and <A HREF="http://www.puchongnews.cc"target="new">Puchongnews</a>.

The Puchongnews editor questioned the wisdom of building a single large
plant that will cause massive traffic congestion and dirty the roads in
Puchong

The editor also commented that while the residents can demand for the
incinerator to be as safe as possible, they cannot demand that the estimated
400 truckloads of waste daily be dumped in some other part of the country.

"Every community should bear the responsibility for its own rubbish.
Recycling can only apply to some kinds of rubbish. A modern incinerator is a
good solution for unrecycled rubbish, compared (with) open burning."

In an e-mail to Subang Jaya state assemblyperson Lee Hwa Beng on Oct 1, a
ratepayer asked whether the Subang Jaya Municipal Council had debated on the
choice of the Puchong incinerator.

Why was (Kampung Bohol) selected "instead of other less populated area, for
example, a forest reserve"? read the e-mail.

<a href="http://www.hwabeng.org.my/qna/021001_q&a_kcwong.htm"target="new">Lee's reply</a> was: "I do not see how I or (the council) can do anything about
it (now)."

He said the council had not been consulted on the proposal and that the
decision was made by the prime minister and the Cabinet.


FULL STORY:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200211130018169.php

[edteam]

NEW STRAITS TIMES
Sunday, Novemver 17, 2002

<font size="+1">Bigger landfills to manage increasing garbage needed</font>
Farrah Naz Karim

PETALING JAYA, Nov 17: The Government has to build bigger landfills to manage the increasingly high volume of garbage daily, Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Ong Ka Ting said today.

He said at present, 15,000 tonnes of solid wastes were produced daily.

Ong said of the existing 180 landfills nationwide, 80 per cent have reached critical levels and posed serious environmental threats if they were not closed in two years' time.

He said the proposed new landfills would be built in areas which were not heavily populated.

...Ong said as the country faced a declining number of landfills, the ministry was also vigourously increasing recycling awareness campaigns and considering building more incineration plants in suitable areas.

"Incinerating wastes or turning them into compost is the alternative to the landfill method in order to prolong the lifespan of dumps.

"Incinerators are part of the solution. Even developed countries have resorted to this method, what more developing ones ... it is unavoidable," he said.


FULL STORY:
http://www.emedia.com.my/Current_News/NST/Sunday/NewsBreak/20021117180525/Article/

[newbrowser]

For more info' on the EIA, do read the earlier Comments by The Consumers' Association Of Penang and Sahabat Alam Malaysia on the detailed EIA of proposed thermal waste treatment plant for solid waste management in Kg. Bohol, Mukim Sungai Besi, Kuala Lumpur.

The link is at:
http://www.surforever.com/sam/pressrelease/kgbohol.html

[jeffooi]

View community postings at Star Forum:
<a href="http://www.star-space.com/forum/topic.asp?whichpage=1&pagesize=15&forum_title=Residential&topic_title=incinerator+projet+near+OUG%2FPuchong&forum_id=12&topic_id=1143"target="new">Click here</a>

[edteam]

MALAYSIAKINI.COM
5:12pm Mon Nov 18th, 2002

<FONT SIZE="+1">Puchong incinerator:
Environ expert warns of 'emotional' dioxin hazard</FONT>
Susan Loone

Opposition to the controversial incinerator plant in Kampung Bohol south of
Kuala Lumpur continues to rage as residents and non-governmental
organisations voice their fears and concerns over the potential health
effects due to emission of toxic gases hazardous to humans.

<IMG SRC="http://www.metla.fi/iufro/iufro95/singh.gif" ALIGN="LEFT"> At a DAP awareness forum held in a Kuala Lumpur hotel last night,
environmental expert Gurmit Singh said one of the biggest hazards of
incinerators is the generation of dioxin affluents in the environment.

Gurmit, who is a representative of the Environmental Protection Society
Malaysia (EPSM), said the effects of dioxin are "emotional" as they are
invisible until much later.

"There is also no continuous monitoring system for dioxin," he told about 80
residents, affected by the project, who attended the three-hour forum.

Unwanted byproduct

Dioxin is created as an unwanted byproduct of incineration and other
industrial processes, such as pulp, paper and some pesticides.

In April 1991, the United States Environmental Protection Agency began a
major "scientific re-assessment" of dioxin and discovered that its effects
can be observed in human cells at the levels of exposure now present in the
environment.

In January last year, the Cabinet approved the construction of the
incinerator at Kampung Bohol, Puchong.

Worldwide concerns

Gurmit, who has been involved in environmental issues for 25 years, said
other problems of incinerator burning include worldwide concerns like the
disposal of solid wastes, ashes and sludges.

He said the government has also not explored other alternatives nor have
officials made the effort to consult residents on their concerns of the
environmental hazards of such a project?

"The problem is, people never learn from the past. MPs get re-elected again
and again. There is very little concern for the environment. And I wonder
how long you can last in this fight against the incinerator project?" he
asked the participants, citing the hazards of several mega-projects such as
the Bakun Dam in Sarawak.

Several resident committees have voiced their outrage over the plant, even
threatening to express their protests through the ballot box as Barisan
Nasional controls five of the six parliamentary seats in the vicinity of the
project, with Serdang and Lembah Pantai being the worst affected.

Teresa Kok (DAP-Seputeh) holds one of the seats affected and the member of
parliament has been diligently campaigning with her constituents against the
incinerator.

Thousands affected

Thousands of residents are said to be affected by the plant. The
Environmental Impact Assessment report says about 260,000 people live within
a 5km radius of the plant. The majority are in Bukit Indah (216,400), Bukit
Jalil (12,150), Kinrara (34,270) and areas within the Subang Jaya
municipality.

The residents want the government to scrap the project or relocate it to a
low-density area and have rejected proposals to negotiate a 'compromise' on
the matter, although the offer was a reduced capacity of 600 tonnes of
wastes per day.

Meanwhile, Kok, who was one of the speakers last night, said she had not
obtained any satisfactory answers from ministers regarding the matter.

Her queries on the issue in parliament met with more uncertainties, she
lamented.

Kok also criticised the EIA report for not conducting a proper assessment of
the people's awareness towards the project.

"They ask questions like 'do you agree or not' when it has already been
admitted by consultants that the people don't know about the project. How
are we going to assess their reaction?" she queried.

'Benefit someone'

Another speaker, DAP publicity secretary Ronnie Liu, suggested that the
plant be relocated to Putrajaya which has a population of only 86 people.

His remark drew a loud applause from the participants when he said that a
friend in Puchong has a big bungalow which he is happy to offer to Housing
and Local Goverment Minister Ong Ka Ting.

"Let's see if he is willing to live in the area now that there will be a
incinerator plant in the vicinity," said Liu.

He also said that the RM1.4 billion project will definitely "benefit
someone" financially.

"A RM1.4 billion project, another RM50 million to run it yearly, and the
plant has only a life span of 20 to 25 years, someone is definitely there to
make big money out of it," Liu claimed.


FULLS STORY:
http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/200211180018240.php

[jeffooi]

THE SUN
Thursday, November 21, 2002

LETTER
<font size="+1">Relocate incinerator project</font>

THE proposed incinerator project in Kampung Bohol has been a disturbing issue for Klang Valley residents.

The reason for the public outcry is obvious - they are worried about their health - with such a big incinerator being built near their neighbourhood.

The government should be sensitive towards people's grievances and relocate it to a more isolated place away from highly-populated residential areas.

As for the high transportation costs the government has cited, I am sure that Klang Valley residents would not mind pooling their resources and paying a little bit more to have peace of mind.

Klang Valley Resident
Petaling Jaya

[edteam]

<font size="+1"><a href="http://www.usj.com.my/usjXpress/details.php3?table=usjXpress&ID=302">Incinerator project moved out of Puchong</a></font>

<img src="http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/MultimediaFiles/Live/Image/388.jpg" align="left"> LATEST! The controversial incinerator project,
originally to be built at Kg Bohol in Puchong, will
now be relocated to another site near a forest
reserve along the border of Semenyih and Broga,
Selangor.


Full story:
Go to <a href="http://www.usj.com.my/usjXpress/details.php3?table=usjXpress&ID=302">www.usj.com.my</a>

[lady-o-leisure]

Looks like everyone's hard work and persistence has finally paid off. Good to hear the news!