The residents committee against the multi-billion ringgit incinerator proposed in Broga lodged a complaint with Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting today over a recent series of "misleading incinerator advertisements" in local dailies.

The letter was sent to Ong by a group of Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee members who claimed that the ad campaign aimed to "influence" and "pre-empt" the approval of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report.

At a press conference later, its leader Prof P Ramasamy said the ads confirmed the government's intention to proceed with the implementation of the controversial project.

"Understandably, the messages carried in these ads have raised the residents' fears that their human rights will continue to be denied by the authorities and the people's representatives," he said.

Ramasamy, who replaced Halil Hussain - the former vocal campaigner who recently resigned citing personal reasons - wanted the ministry to understand and pay attention to their distress and note their protest of the ad campaign.

The ads state that Broga has been "selected to locate Malaysia's first modern thermal treatment plant" using the "gasification and ash-melting technology" which is "an improved technology in waste treatment to dispose off trash".

Disputable info

Ramasamy said the ads contained a lot of inaccuracies and disputable information that mislead people into thinking that incineration was the best, most modern and safest waste disposal method.

The ads, which has six versions, claim that the technology is "clean, smoke-free" and is the next generation in waste management because it "simultaneously reduces dioxin, cuts exhaust gas volumes" and has "better control of dioxin formation and release".

"These statements are indeed misleading," said Ramasamy, adding that the World Health Organisation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency have advised against prolonged exposure to any level of dioxin as it has been proven to be carcinogenic.

He said there is also no guarantee that the "new improved version" and the largest "world-class facilities"can meet local operating standards for the control and monitoring of incinerators as no experience and expertise exists.

"This is even more critical since the technology has not been proven as it is only being piloted in Japan on a much smaller scale, and we are planning for a mammoth 1,500-tonne capacity plant based on unproven technology," he added.

Another claim in the ads is that the plant is "a form of recycling" and is therefore "environmentally-friendly and safe", and can "reduce the reliance on landfills".

On this, Ramasamy said incineration does not remove the need for landfills, the economics of recovering energy (electricity) is unjustified and the reuse of bottom as residue is potentially dangerous to health and the environment.

Discouraged investment

In the complaint letter, he said incinerators also discouraged investment in recycling and other waste disposal alternatives.

"The ad claims the government spends over RM400 million a year to dispose trash in the whole country but is it justifiable to spend an annual operating and maintenance fee of about RM250 million just to treat rubbish from only half of Selangor?

"How much more must taxpayers bear for the other planned incinerators in the country? Incinerators must be fed with garbage and using them will limit the effort for recycling as there will be no incentive nor financial resources to undertake the effort," he added.

Ramasamy also said the ad campaign had omitted public education on waste reduction and other waste disposal alternatives. Instead, he added, it showcased an "outdated and scourge technology of the modern world that is pushed to developing countries".

"The ads have contradicted Ong's previous statements and assurances that no comments or statements would be issued on the incinerator project before the release of the EIA report," he pointed out.

"It is paradoxical that when other countries are moving towards more environmentally-friendly and sustainable waste disposal methods, Malaysia is moving in the opposite direction."

Also attached was the police report lodged against the ministry last Sunday over the two-week ad blitz.

The project, contracted to Japan's engineering giant Ebara Corp for design and construction, continues to be plagued by allegations of shady deals, mysterious funding , lack of transparency and accountability.

In early July, the government announced a probe into the allegations but no progress has been made since then.