The establishment of an incinerator implementation committee, which has been described as premature, under the Beranang state assembly area in Semenyih has raised eyebrows among the locals.

But the inclusion of the Kajang police Special Branch head o­n the list together with Beranang state assemblyperson Ahamad Kuris Mohd Nor and Hulu Langat MP Badrul Hisham Abdul Aziz has raised the most suspicion.

The multi-billion ringgit mega-incinerator project proposed in Broga has been a hotly-debated issue, raising fierce opposition from local residents who are determined to stop it.

The Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee, which claims to represent 400,000 people in Beranang, Kajang, Semenyih and Broga, has been appealing for public dialogues and alternative solutions to incineration.

Act of intimidation

DAP national publicity secretary Ronnie Liu ( left ), in voicing out the concerns of a group of local residents, insists that it was done to strike fear in the hearts of potential opponents to the project.

"This is purportedly to intimidate the local residents and the Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee," he said in a statement.

"It is wrong and illogical to include the Special Branch head in the committee, just as it is also wrong and illogical to set up an implementation committee before an EIA (environmental impact assessment) study is completed and approved."

Liu questioned the motive behind the committee's existence when the EIA study is still being conducted by a government-appointed independent consultant.

"The formation of such a committee is a strong indication that Housing and Local Government Minister o­ng Ka Ting ( left ) is set to bulldoze through the billion-ringgit mega-incinerator."

He said residents were also saddened by the fact that their elected representatives, village heads and Barisan Nasional district councillors were "shamelessly and openly working hand-in-hand with the ministry".

"By right, these elected representatives and political appointees should be the o­nes o­n the frontline to protect the rights of the locals."

The list of 24 members, displayed at the Kompleks Penghulu Semenyih, comprises community leaders, Kajang Municipal Council officials and councillors, local government representatives and political leaders.

The proposed 1,500-tonne thermal incinerator project has generated a lot of heat from local and international anti-incinerator campaigners.

Police representative

When contacted, Selangor exco for local government, housing and squatters, and environment, Mokhtar Dahlan ( right ), said it was the state police chief who nominated the Special Branch head to be o­n the committee.

"We wanted police advice o­n matters related to disseminating information o­n the project, so we asked the state police for assistance. The choice was not ours."

He admitted that the word " jawatankuasa pelaksana " (implementation committee) used in the heading was a mistake and that he would get it changed to " jawatankuasa penerangan " (information committee) immediately.

Mokhtar explained that the committee was set up to disseminate information to the public, adding that similar committees also existed at the state and federal levels.

"It is for reaching out to the people, to explain and educate them about what an incinerator is, its social impact and most importantly, that it is not a dangerous thing," he told malaysiakini via telephone from Rome.

He added that the local leaders o­n the committee are to help the government explain the incinerator and to convey the needs of the locals, such as the widening of roads and building of multi-purpose halls.

The residents committee has also expressed doubts over the o­ngoing EIA study, preferring alternative solutions such as the zero waste concept and recycling.

Dangers posed

In a statement, they claimed that the reduced ground vegetation from the proposed development would affect the ability of the terrain to channel water into Sungai Semenyih, a major artery in the Hulu Langat river basin.

"Unfiltered toxins could escape as gas o­nly to be deposited o­n the ground and o­nto plants within the water catchment area before being washed into the groundwater system and the river."

They said an even worse disaster would occur if the highly-toxic incinerator ash escapes into the water system through ground seepage, thus contaminating the water supply and forcing the Semenyih water treatment plant to be shut down indefinitely.

"For the above reasons, no government or local council in the world has ever approved the construction of any incinerator in water catchment areas."

The pro tem action committee also cited the recent near-disaster in Kedah where ammonia leakage from a Petronas fertiliser plant in Guar Cempedak led to 70 students within a 70km radius being treated for exposure.

Citing the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve example, the committee said the cabinet made the right decision to protect Kedah's water sources when it rejected a heli-logging proposal submitted by the state government to supplement its revenue.