As the authorities began to explain their case to the people, the affected residents in Broga countered with their assessment of the incinerator project and reasoned why they opposed it.

Two weeks ago, a Housing and Local Government Ministry official briefed the public in Semenyih o­n why incineration is necessary to handle the 17,000 * [correction] tonnes of municipal solid waste produced daily by Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

On April 6, Local Government Department technical services division director Engku Azman Tuan Mat, who conducted the briefing, said incineration would help to reduce environmental pollution and the negative impacts o­n public health and quality of life.

Harm to environment

"Each person produces an average of 1kg of trash daily, and most of it are sent to unsanitary landfills, causing a lot of harm to the environment.

"There are problems of surface water run-offs, leachate and emissions of methane and carbon dioxide gases which threaten public health," he said.

Apart from reducing the volume of trash, he explained that a thermal incineration plant also ensures that landfills are safer and that the stench poses no problem.

"Hazardous materials are treated before being sent to the landfill while the trash is not exposed, so there will be no smell."

The proposed incinerator in Broga is part of the government's plan for an integrated solid waste management system which includes the 3R campaign to encourage Malaysians to reduce, re-use and recycle, and composting.

However, Broga residents have accused the Selangor government of falling foul of its own policy .

Citing the research done by experts o­n the committee, pro tem chairperson Halil Hussain said their findings show that the gradient of the proposed site was more than 25 percent. (see map)

"The project has been proposed in an environmentally-sensitive area which sits between 100m- 400m above sea level.

"But Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo himself had announced in early March that development is strictly prohibited in areas with gradient of more than 25 percent."

Environmentally-sensitive zone

He said the controversial project using Japan's latest gasification technology, was also in a zone that has been gazetted as "environmentally-sensitive" by the state government. (photo)

"We managed to create a 3-D layout of the earmarked area which lies within the Hulu Langat forest reserve with the help of experts o­n our committee and some outside help. The area is also full of geographical faults."

Halil also said that the 10-year local structure plan draft for Bangi-Semenyih-Beranang, prepared by the Kajang Municipal Council and unveiled in 1999, makes no mention of plans for an incinerator.

Based o­n Engku Azman's explanation, incinerators do not require as much land space as landfills and that the volume of trash to be landfilled will be less than 10 percent which conforms to the zero emission concept of minimum waste.

The proposed 1,500-tonne incinerator in Broga, touted as the world's largest, promotes zero emission as an efficient trash disposal method.

According to the ministry, the plan is to burn the trash, recycle the by-products - energy and slag - as road and building construction material while the unburned waste can either be recycled or dumped into landfills.

The five-unit plant, with a maximum 1,500 tonnes per day capacity including a 300-tonne standby unit, will operate at low pressure to prevent the stench of rotting household waste from escaping into the surroundings.

"Covered trucks (photo) will be used to transport trash to the plant," he said, adding that several administrative and technical expert committees will manage the proposed project in Broga.

Examples shown

The 200-odd crowd was also shown a site location map, a 3-D layout of the surrounding areas and a brief explanation o­n an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study.

Photographs of a thermal plant in Labuan (photo right) and others built in the middle of major cities and housing estates in Taiwan and Japan were also shown, but their treatment capacity is not known.

These include the Peito incinerator (photo left) in Taiwan where the Star Tower revolving restaurant sits o­n top of its smokestack

The controversial project has drawn the attention of local and international environmental groups, specifically the non-profit Global Anti-Incinerator Alliance/Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (Gaia) .

Apart from successfully halting countless incinerator projects around the world, Gaia members also keenly promote alternative methods of waste management through community participation, including the Philippines - the o­nly country in the world to ban incinerators.

Correction: An average of 5,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated daily in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, not 17,000 tonnes as stated above.