The DAP has warned the government to ensure that the thermal mega-incinerator project which has been relocated from Kampung Bohol, Puchong, to Broga near Semenyih is "absolutely remote and far away" from locals there.

Broga is located 40km south of Kuala Lumpur and straddles Negeri Sembilan and Selangor. Its population is less than 4,000.

DAP national publicity chief Ronnie Liu said it was the duty of the minister concerned in this case the Housing and Local Government Minister Ong Ka Ting ( photo ) to enlighten local residents on the move to relocate the world's largest incinerator of its kind to their backyard.

"While the relocation is a big relief for Puchong residents, it should not be turned into a nightmare for the people of Broga," he said in a statement issued immediately in reaction to the relocation.

Liu said Ong, who is also the Selangor MCA chairperson, must explain and convince people in the state that the relocation was absolutely safe and not a threat to their health and well-being.

The government's decision to re-site the RM1.5 billion incinerator with a maximum capacity of burning 1,500 tonnes of waste daily was a cause for jubilation for Puchong residents who had mobilised residents from surrounding housing estates to oppose the project.

'Listen to us'

The relocated incinerator, one of several the government has on the drawing board, was to cater for waste generated by urbanised areas south of Kuala Lumpur including parts of Selangor in the light of rapidly-shrinking landfill space throughout the country.

There are an estimated one million people within the 5km-radius study area in Puchong and surrounding areas of Subang, Sunway, Petaling Jaya, Old Klang Road and Bukit Jalil, although the Environmental Impact Assessment put the figure at about 200,000.

When contacted later, Liu described Broga as a beautiful and peaceful place with several small housing areas and rubber estates.

"It is also the hometown of the late Li Xian Nian, the former national vice chairperson of the People's Republic of China," he said, adding that the DAP would continue to monitor the relocation plan closely.

"We would not hesitate to fight against the project, as we had done for the proposed plant in Kampung Bohol, if we are convinced that the safety and good health of the people are compromised."

Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said the decision to relocate the incinerator was "clear proof" that the government must take cognizance of the views and opposition of the people.

"It cannot arbitrarily implement any decision or policy without due regard to the people's welfare," she said in a statement.

Encouraging approach

The decision, she said, also represents the triumph of the rakyat, especially the 135,000 residents who had signed the petition to protest the incinerator in a campaign initiated by a group of concerned residents.

"While the relocation of the project is to be lauded, the manner in which the government had kept mum about the issue, ordered a media blackout and attempted to play down the potential health hazard is disconcerting."

Kok said the government, instead of leaving the residents in the dark, should have done more to assuage their real fears and concerns.

She also urged the government against siting the incinerator near residential areas.

The Puchong residents pro tem action committee vice-chairperson Edward Lee said he felt very encouraged that the government has taken a positive approach towards requests from residents.

"This is good for our country's future. We also understand that the Kampung Bohol site will now be used for low-cost housing which will benefit the rakyat.

All in all, said Lee, who is also the chairperson of the influential Section 5 residents association in Petaling Jaya, it had been a hard-fought battle.

"The government had listened to us because we had done our preparation very carefully."