Malaysians must come together to object to the proposed radioactive waste permanent disposal facility (PDF) by Lynas and the 202-hectare Multi-Category Industrial Scheduled Waste Disposal Site (MCISWDS) at Bukit Kuantan, Pahang.
DAP Bentong MP Wong Tack (above) called for individuals, NGOs, and parties from both sides of the divide to object to both dumpsites which sit in a water catchment area.
"It's unacceptable that part of the Bukit Kuantan Forest Reserve will be carved out for the construction of the disposal site. It sits in a water catchment area, thus risks contaminating a water source for the people in Kuantan," he said.
"It is critical for us to voice out now. It is irresponsible for us to remain indifferent," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.
Wong cautioned that the country does not want a repeat of the Bukit Merah radioactive pollution incident.
A rare-earth plant run by a Japanese firm from the 1980s to the early 1990s, it was shut down after it was blamed for spreading radiation poisoning in Bukit Merah. The company later offered compensation to residents, without accepting liability for the cancer cases in the area.
Lynas, which operates in Gebeng, Kuantan had been receiving criticism since it began there in 2012.
This week, Malaysiakini reported that a firm linked to Pahang royalty has been tasked to build the MCISWDS. Lynas' PDF will only occupy 58.25 hectares or 29 percent of the overall MCISWDS site.
The MCISWDS in Pahang will hug the state's border with Terengganu. Adjacent to the site, on the Terengganu site of the border, is a durian plantation.
Information on the MCISWDS is still limited but some details can be gleaned from the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report on Lynas' PDF, located within the site.
Previously the rare earth company and the Pahang state government denied that the PDF would sit in a water catchment area.
However, the EIA has contradicted them, finding that it is located in the Sungai Riau catchment area.
Meanwhile, Save Malaysia Stop Lynas (SMSL) chairperson Tan Boon Teet raised concern over the design of the Lynas PDF as outlined in the EIA report.
According to the report, the PDF cells, which are essentially huge holes carved out of the ground and reinforced with containment material, will be 1.35 million cubic metres in size, equivalent to 540 Olympic swimming pools.
"The dumpsite will be built at a steep hill, which will be covered by two layers of liner, and synthetic clay will be installed to hold thorium and uranium," said Tan.
He, however, remained uncertain if the PDF will be able to function well during the annual wet season that lasts for two months.
"When heavy rainwater hits, the PDF cell could be flooded and the stormwater will be discharged to the nearest river together with residue," he said.
According to him, the EIA report is currently being displayed for public review until March 19.
Tan said SMSL will hold a virtual briefing to explain the matter to the members of public.
"In the meantime, we will gather whatever needed data and information to file in our objection to the EIA report," he told Malaysiakini when contacted.
Meanwhile, PKR Semambu state assemblyperson Lee Chean Chung stressed that the local people rejected the PDF as they do not want a radioactive waste dumpsite that could contaminate their water sources.
He said this will be an environmental timebomb that will haunt the people for generations. - Mkini
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