Residents affected by the proposed incinerator project in Puchong have accused the government of covering up gaps in the environmental impact assessment (EIA) study, by "selectively highlighting" advantages of the project.

The protem action committee alleged that the detailed EIA report was written even before details of the project were finalised.

On Aug 26, an 'objections brief' was submitted to Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting, three days after the committee and project officials had met to discuss the issues.

The ministry is the implementing agency for the RM1.5 billion incinerator project, touted as the largest in Asia.

Malaysiakini failed to get a response from either the Department of Environment (DOE) or Ong despite repeated attempts to contact them last week.

Admission of loopholes

Protem secretary Lim Hoon Joo alleged that officials, including the minister, were "spinning tales" about the advantages of the incinerator when "a plant of this size has no proven track record".

He said the meeting on Aug 23, which was chaired by the minister, was heated and that several contradictions were detected during the discussion.

"Initially, the minister said the DOE had approved the EIA based on its stringent requirements. He said it would not have gone through otherwise," Lim told malaysiakini in the presence of several committee members.

"Later (though), he admitted there was a lot of loopholes in the EIA and said he would have to refer (the matter) back to the cabinet," added Lim.

Those present at the meeting included top ministry officials, members of the technical panel comprising experts on incinerator technology from local universities, the EIA consultant, Serdang MP Yap Pian Hon and Bukit Gasing state assembly representative Dr Lim Thuan Seng.

However, Lim claimed that the technical panel was not able to answer the residents' queries to their satisfaction, although Ong had tried to clarify the issues.

Information disputed

Lim said many questions remain unanswered and that these had been raised in the 'objections brief'.

The document disputes the accuracy and validity of the EIA report, which it claims was written and approved even before details of the project were finalised including the type of incinerator technology to be used.

He said a DOE officer told the committee that the EIA report had been submitted in July 2000, and that the department had given conditional approval in Feb 2001.

However, Housing and Local Government director-general Mohamad Saib informed the residents' committee at a meeting on Aug 5 that the selection of incineration technology had been made in late 2001 several months after the report was approved.

"This means that officials approved the EIA report without knowing (anything about) the technology (to be used) and the possible impact on the surroundings," Lim said.

Location of plant

Citing another apparent defect, Lim said the EIA report explains that the plant was to be located in Kampung Bohol because this was the only available land in Kuala Lumpur.

The EIA report states: "The choice ... is by virtue of its central location, accessibility, industrial land use and limited by the lack of any other suitable government land anywhere else in the Federal Territory."

It adds that the biggest constraint to the site option was "the lack of any other suitable industrial land", a finding that residents have since rejected.

The action committee's checks showed that land acquisition to make up a 500m buffer zone against heavy industrial activity was carried out after the EIA study was submitted to the DOE in July 2000.

Part of the proposed 20-ha site was acquired by the government only 10 months later in May this year after arrangements had been made to compensate longhouse residents and illegal factory operators in the area. The rest of the land already belongs to the government.

The committee argued that, if the government was forced to acquire land to make up the shortfall after project approval, then the EIA report should not have claimed that this was the only available site. Such information, the residents said, was incomplete.

International standards not met

The protem committee also disputed the target area for assessment because not all inhabitants were consulted and neither were specific interests considered. The target area floats between a radius of two, three and five kilometres according to the EIA report.

The 'objections brief' says the US Environmental Protection Agency, the United Nations Environment Programme and the UK DOE all set a requirement of 7.5km radius for any EIA study to be conducted.

"The EIA report is misleading when it claims to address an area of 3km radius but (actually) ends up studying a smaller area, and even that is limited to land use and traffic," Lim said.

Failure to consult those living in Bandar Kinrara the residential area nearest to the project and the absence of proper health impact assessment are other sources of worry for residents because of possible health hazards.

Lim quoted from the EIA report, which warns that a "breakdown of the plant's air pollution control devices over a period of only 24 hours may result in very serious health risks including an almost 20 percent increase in respiratory problems".

The EIA predicts respiratory risks mainly to children below 15 and adults over 65, "especially among those with cardiovascular and respiratory impairments including heart disease, asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung cancer and tuberculosis".

It recommends that the plant be shut down when the Air Pollutant Index reading (measuring fine dust and some hazardous gases) reaches the 200 mark.

The report further makes note of the poor air quality in Puchong based on patient data from the Petaling Bahagia Polyclinic, a government clinic under the KL Hospital administration, for the months of February and March 2000.

The data showed that children in the area suffered from acute health problems related to air pollution, namely conjunctivitis and asthma, while adults had sought treatment for cardiovascular complications.

"The experts may conclude that the area is safe. But there is only a flitting mention of the effects on residents living within a 2km radius and no mention of the health impact on them at all," said Lim.

The EIA estimates the population size within the 5km radius of the plant to be more than 260,000. This covers Bukit Indah (with 216,400 people), Bukit Jalil (12,150), Kinrara (34,270) and areas within the Subang Jaya municipality.