The Selangor government today has been urged to reduce the size of the controversial RM1.5 billion mega-incinerator project to be sited in Broga and consider building smaller plants instead.

No Incinerator Semenyih/Broga protem committee chairperson Halil Hussain said the incinerator should be "re-sized and allocated fairly" all over Kuala Lumpur and Selangor based on the garbage output of each area.

"This presents a more equitable arrangement for all parties. After all, if it (incinerator) is indeed safe, it can be built anywhere," he said in a statement to malaysiakini .

The committee maintained that the proposed plant in Broga, backed by a RM2 billion Japanese soft loan, was "too big and has no data to prove that it is completely safe".

"We maintain the decision to have the proposed plant here was not properly thought of and presents a clear danger to us in Semenyih and thousands of other water consumers in southern Selangor who are dependent on supply from the Jenderam water treatment plant."

On Wednesday, Selangor Menteri Besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo said the Broga incinerator was not a replacement to an earlier proposal in Puchong, but had already been on the drawing board for some time.

Last November, the Cabinet had to junk the plan in Puchong and relocate what is purportedly the world's largest thermal incinerator to Broga following protests from locals and after DAP raised the issue in parliament.

Others' garbage

The proposal fell foul of the locals in and around Broga, and about 2,000 of them turned out for a peaceful demonstration in Taman Tasik Semenyih on Dec 29 to protest against the project.

Responding to Mohd Khir's statement that incinerators were also planned in Rawang and Sabak Bernam, Halil said if that was the case, then the one proposed in Broga "should only be a small fraction of the proposed size because we don't produce as much waste as KL or Selangor".

"Why do we (our area) have to be responsible for two million people's garbage?"

Mohd Khir said Penang and Cameron Highlands have also been identified as incinerator sites. He also suggested that the state scraps the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies and save taxpayers' money.

"After all, the less documented lies, the better for all parties. Further, his (Mohd Khir) attempt at justifying the Puchong EIA to be fair was weak and does not warrant further comment from us."

An irate Halil also chided the menteri besar for suggesting that the incinerator would offer high technology research opportunity.

"We beg him not to treat the Malaysian public as idiots. That may have been believable 40 years ago, but in 2003?" he said.

Political fallout

"We, too, have researchers on our committee and we find it difficult to believe if someone would want to research this particular plant other than for the purpose of determining if the nearby residents are suffering from chemically-induced diseases."

Residents from Broga and its surrounding areas have refuted repeated accusations by local ruling party politicians that the opposition members were exploiting the situation by inciting them to protest.

Last Saturday, federal and state officials held a closed-door meeting with village heads to explain about the proposed incinerator.

Halil also cautioned Mohd Khir "of the political consequences for his state government if this project goes ahead".

"This option is still very open to us, unless the state government can present a better case to the people."

Meanwhile, DAP national publicity chief Ronnie Liu said the crux of the matter remains whether such incinerators are hazardous.

The DAP has been proposing an alternative, called materials recovery facilities (MRFs), to replace incinerators on grounds of safety and cost.

"Not only has the BN government yet to convince residents of the safety aspects, it has also failed to justify the exorbitant cost of incineration," he said in a statement today.

"Many experts have estimated that the cost of burning every tonne of rubbish could be as high as RM240 compared to only RM25 per tonne for the current landfill method."