Puchong residents are up in arms against the siting of a billion-ringgit incinerator plant in their area which lies south of Kuala Lumpur, fearing severe health repercussions.

Work on the plant, which is designed to burn thousands of tonnes of municipal garbage, is expected to begin soon as the land in Puchong has already been cleared.

The government held a series of media briefings and meetings with affected residents, along with the technical panel of experts but the exercise may prove futile.

Echoing the government's fear of any unwanted publicity over the project before it even takes off, a major English tabloid has decided not to run any articles on the plant at all.

But determined to get maximum public support, the residents, many of whom have no or little IT experience, have acquired enough knowledge to design and run a website No-Incinerator to publicise their plight.

Asia's largest

The site claims that more than one million people in and around Kuala Lumpur will be affected by the incinerator plant, touted to be Asia's largest, based on their proximity to the "danger zone" which falls within a five-kilometre radius.

The plant is located in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, along the Kesas Highway, and can burn a maximum of 1,500 tonnes of garbage daily through five 300-tonnes/day units.

A link to an area map found on the site clearly shows the danger zone, which encompasses residential and industrial areas in Kinrara and Puchong townships, Bukit Jalil, Serdang, and parts of Petaling Jaya such as Sunway, Bukit Gasing and Kelana Jaya.

An interesting feature is the link to Greenpeace's tour of an incinerator comprising a colourful and animated 12-step brief explanation of how an incinerator works, with a title that reads "What the operators don't tell you".

The pro-tem residents' action committee plans to oppose the project, estimated around RM1.5 billion, through a signature campaign until the plant is built elsewhere, hence the online appeal for relocation to "a more suitable site".

Resourceful and determined

At the time of publication, more than 800 signatures have been registered through the online petition to make up a total of 120,000 collected within one month. The committee's target is half a million signatures.

The online petition form also has a confidentiality clause at the bottom.

Apart from the signature form, there is also a pop-up window containing a survey form to gauge visitors' awareness and knowledge of the incinerator project before visiting the site.

The site containing an array of simple-to-digest information is also provided for visitors. There are information on incinerator technology, similar citizens' initiatives in other countries with a history of dioxin-poisoning and a brief summary of the inherent health hazards.

It also has news clippings and articles defining what dioxin is, the hazards of contamination, case studies of victims in Japan and Europe, as well as expert studies on related matters.

But the site's closing remarks sum it up aptly: "If you care about yourself and your loved ones, now is the time you should make decisions to take charge of your health and the environment you live in. You have the right to choose to live in a healthier tomorrow."