PETALING JAYA: Two NGOs representing Rawang residents have demanded to see the environmental impact assessment report for the proposed construction of a waste-to-energy incinerator plant in Batu Arang, Gombak.
Representatives of United Batu Arang and the Rawang Tolak Incinerator (RTI) Network said they have been waiting to review the EIA report since the proposal to build the Sultan Idris Shah green energy plant was announced last July.
However, RTI Network coordinator Liow Yeong Lih said the incinerator company KDEB Waste Management Sdn Bhd had told residents last October that it would be extending its environmental assessment exercise due to newfound concerns the NGO had raised.
“They are delaying the submission of the report because we raised concerns about the fragility of the land at the proposed site, which is located near old underground mining tunnels,” Liow told FMT.
He challenged the state government, KDEB and YTL Power International Bhd to come up with a fair and truthful EIA report.
Last August, YTL Power confirmed that it was partnering with KDEB to build the RM4.5 billion waste-to-energy plant in Rawang, which Liow said would impact residents of Bandar Tasik Puteri, Batu Arang, Kota Puteri, M Residence and Bandar Seri Coalfields.
United Batu Arang member Karl Ngo, who lives 400 metres from the proposed project site, said residents are worried about the emission of dioxins, a group of environmental pollutants that are often by-products of waste incineration.
“Apart from dioxins, there is a thick layer of coal underneath Batu Arang, and the incinerator project may lead to an underground fire,” he said.
Ngo added that he was concerned his home would suffer the same fate as the town of Centralia in Pennsylvania, which has been mostly abandoned due to a fire that has been burning in its underground coal mines since the 60s.
However, Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari said in January that the technology has been used widely in developed countries and does not pose a negative impact on the environment.
According to Amirudin, the incinerator plant is aimed at reducing dependence on landfill disposal sites, which he described as ultimately having a detrimental impact on the community.
Constantly sidelined
Liow said their cause has been constantly sidelined by Selangor state officials despite receiving support from Rawang assemblyman Chua Wei Kiat, Kuang assemblyman Rafiq Abdullah and Selayang MP William Leong.
On May 4, members of RTI Network travelled to Kuala Kubu Baharu in hopes of meeting Amirudin, Pakatan Haparan’s candidate Pang Sock Tao and Perikatan Nasional’s candidate Khairul Azhari Saut.
“We just wanted to ask them two simple questions: whether they support the Batu Arang incinerator project; and whether they advocate for waste separation at source.
“We tried to schedule an appointment with the candidates, but they said the project was not a local issue and they had no time to meet us as the by-election campaign was going on,” Liow said.
Ngo said more than 4,300 Rawang residents have signed a feedback form which was submitted to the Selayang Municipal Council in March. But he had yet to hear from the council’s representatives, who stated in the forms that they would be reaching out to set up an interview. - FMT
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