A community protesting the siting of a mammoth incinerator in Broga see Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as their final hope in stopping the project.

Dr Amir Hisham Hashim said his neighbours and residents of Broga new village have been trying to arrange for an appointment with Abdullah, but without success to date.

"The PM should hear us out at least once. Only then can he truly understand why we persistently oppose the incinerator project," said Amir Hisham told malaysiakini .

"We have again asked for an appointment. Hopefully, we will get to explain our plight to him in person soon."

An engineering lecturer in a local university, Amir Hisham was making his first public statement as part of the Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee.

Last Wednesday, he and six others had submitted a memorandum for the premier, through political secretary Dr Vincent Lim.

"He (Lim) seemed to appreciate our problem and promised to relay our message to the PM some time this week," he said, describing the hour-long meeting as "very cordial".

'Peace of mind'

While the residents recognise the government's duty to make the right decision, Amir Hisham said "all we want is peace of mind and a safe place in which to live".

He said Lim had cited the Department of Environment's (DOE) conditional approval on May 28 for the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report on the Broga incinerator.

"But our argument is that the approval was given two years after the government had awarded the multi-billion ringgit contract to a Japanese engineering firm. We strongly feel that the EIA approval was to give effect to, or suit, the government's will."

Amir Hisham said the issue of a dumping ground for incinerator ash was raised in relation the basis of the DOE's rejection of the EIA report for a sanitary landfill proposed near the incinerator site.

"We now like to know where all the ash is going to be dumped, especially since it is extremely toxic."

In the memorandum dated Jan 12, the committee said it wants Abdullah to review the RM1.5 billion project, given its proposed location within a water catchment area and a gazetted forest reserve.

"To date, no government in any country has approved a large-scale incinerator in a location so sensitive to nature and man. We have high hopes that you (will) intervene before it is too late," read the eight-page document.

"Once operational, the very large-scale incinerator will reduce property prices and have negative economic effects in the Broga and Semenyih areas - effects which are irreversible."

The memorandum further pointed out that the project would not only affect the health and well-being of residents, but also discourage the efficient use of energy.

While accepting that the government faces difficulties in responding to waste management issues, the document also provided information on available alternatives.

More questions

Last September, the committee had submitted a similar memorandum to Abdullah appealing for his personal attention, but there was no response to this.

On Jan 9, however, a group of Broga landowners were briefed by a representative of the district Land and Minerals Department about the proposal to acquire portions of land for an access road to the incinerator plant.

"From what I've been told, only one of the 25 affected landowners has refused to sell any portion of the land, but the rest have asked for time to consider," said Amir Hisham, who did not attend the briefing.

However, he noted that most people are perturbed by the government's prohibition of any form of economic activity or dwelling on the remaining portion of land.

"If the government is saying this about land located two kilometres from the incinerator site, what does that say about areas that are closer to the site, such as Taman Tasik Semenyih which is less than one kilometre away? It only goes to show the real extent of health and safety risks involved."

Last month, the committee submitted a memorandum to Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo asking him to withdraw the land acquisition notice sent to Broga residents.

The committee has led the protest against construction of the plant since November 2002, when the proposed site was changed from Kampung Bohol in Puchong, Selangor.