The Department of Environment (DOE) office in Putrajaya received a surprisingly big number of visitors yesterday morning as three groups of anti-incinerator campaigners turned up at the same time by sheer coincidence.

The three groups were there to hand over their petitions to the DOE.

They are the Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator pro tem action committee, DAP and PAS anti-incinerator campaign teams. DOE director Abdul Aziz Abdul Rasol held separate meetings with them

Leading the group of 150 residents, action committee member Alice Lee expressed her happiness and surprise when the two opposition parties also submitted the same appeal to the department.

Lee said her group submitted 430 letters to Abdul Aziz during the 30-minute meeting with him. The letters were written by residents of the incinerator-affected areas in Broga and Semenyih, which among others protested on health grounds against the mega project to be built near their housing areas.

"The comments from experts had already stated that the project might lead to numerous consequences such as cancer and deformities in babies. We also do not want our residential areas to be turned into a rubbish town," she told malaysiakini.

The group also questioned the environmental assessment impact (EIA) report and asked why there was no detailed study on other alternatives to the incinerator.

According to Lee, the DOE director said the department would address the concerns of residents before the final nod on the mega project is given.

'Cancer factories'

Earlier, the DAP delegation led by its Selangor chief Ronnie Liu also submitted their petitions to the department.

Liu, who is also the party's national publicity chief, challenged the government to move the incinerator to Putrajaya if it insists on going ahead with the project.

He backed his objections with several comments from retired chemist Ingo Goedeke and local geologists.

"Incinerators are not only too expensive and unsustainable, they are like cancer factories. The people in Broga, Semenyih, Beranang and Kajang have the right to a safe living environment," he said.

He also pointed out that the EIA report stated a site is to be developed into an integrated waste treatment and disposal complex which include an incinerator and a sanitary landfill.

"Therefore it is important that even if the EIA of the thermal treatment plant is approved, construction should not start on the landfill without the approval of the EIA," Liu added.

The PAS delegation was led by its state assembly representative for Kajang Dr Shafie Abu Bakar.

Pressures

to call for the deal to be scrapped was stepped-up following more than 230 civil society groups and individuals across Asia and other parts of the world sent an open letter to Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad recently.

In February, Japan-based Ebara Corporation won the contract to design and build the 1,500-tonne Broga plant which the government experts to commission in 2007. The project is also expected for another 200 million per year to operate.

The EIA study, released late August after being delayed since May, is currently up for public comments. Deadline for submission of written comments is Oct 14.