The Human Rights Commission (Suhakam) has made a fact-finding visit to the Taman Beringin solid waste transfer station today, following complaints from an NGO against plans to build an incinerator there.

When asked by reporters, Suhakam commissioner James Nayagam said his role there was to investigate the circumstances that led to the transfer station’s poor maintenance, as well as to facilitate a meeting between the Kuala Lumpur Rejects Incinerator Action Committee (KTI) and the station’s operator, Alam Flora.

“The parties responsible have to be taken to task. I don’t think we should allow those who have neglected their contractual duties to be let off that easily. We are dealing with health

issues here.

“I am quite disappointed that the complex is maintained in such a bad, deplorable state. I would like to know what action has been taken to address this issue,” he said at a press conference after the visit.

He is referring to the waste transfer station’s previous operator Umpan Jaya Sdn Bhd, which abruptly ceased operations on Dec 20 last year. This led to Alam Flora garbage trucks unloading waste all around the transfer station, and then the roads outside.

Alam Flora has since been appointed as the temporary operator of the station until March 30, after which the contract to operate the transfer station is expected to go on open tender.

The station serves as a transit point for all of Kuala Lumpur’s domestic, bulk, and garden waste, where it is compacted prior being sent to the Bukit Tagar sanitary landfill about 50 kilometres away.

The government is planning to build an incinerator on an adjacent site to supplement the transfer station’s capacity by burning a portion of the waste instead of hauling it to the landfill.

Meanwhile, KTI deputy chairperson Lee Chong Tek says the visit has reaffirmed their belief that the transfer station can handle Kuala Lumpur’s waste disposal needs by itself if all its problems are rectified.

He reiterated that the proposed incinerator would incur additional costs and is expensive to operate.

Checks and balances needed

Another KTI representative slammed the government - in particular the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the Department of Environment - for failing to address Umpan Jaya’s shortcomings until all four of the transfer station’s trash compactors broke down in December.

“The question is whether they are properly supervised. They must have preventive maintenance and they must have checks and balances of what’s going on, what’s failing, or what needs to be put in order, before it comes to a stage of total breakdown.

“This shouldn’t have happened if the authorities concerned have their officers here to check on the operations, by which we’d have to find out if the authorities have a person here to check...

“This is my comments on we what have seen and what we have observed. It is due to total negligence of the authorities’ supervision,” stressed KTI secretary Andy Ng ( right ).

KTI media director Lam Choong Wah added that the lessons learned from today’s visit will be incorporated in a memorandum to be submitted to Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak on Feb 24, after a walk from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya over several days.

The briefing earlier was attended by officials from Suhakam, the National Solid Waste Department, and members of the press, and was conducted by Alam Flora officials.

Among others, it is learnt that of the four trash compactors that have broken down, two are now operational and a third is due for testing today following repairs.

Also in disrepair are the station’s air scrubber - which is meant to filter out foul odours before releasing it into the environment - as well as a number of vehicles and containers for hauling compacted waste to Bukit Tagar.

However, Alam Flora officials were unable to provide any insight on Umpan Jaya’s operations - since it is still studying its records - or the status of the adjacent plant meant to process leachate from the transfer station since it is under another operator.

“We can only assume and make deductions, but we came here and saw the things as it is and our job is to fix it. It is probably not nice to comment much about the previous operator,” said Alam Flora Sdn Bhd Kuala Lumpur state manager Sahrani Kasim.