A dozen traditional Malay villages are opposing a proposed 800 tonne waste incinerator in Bukit Payung, Johor.

 

The waste incinerator is confirmed to be built on a hill which is right beside a forest reserve, surrounded by the villages at its foot.

 

Residents around it, mostly from the lower income group, oppose it, but did not get much publicity due to them not taking it to the social media, said PAS state assemblyman of Parit Yaani, Aminul Huda Hassan.

His revelation comes as the proposed plan for an incinerator in Kepong gets flak for being right smack in a residential area, despite the site being gazetted as a waste transfer site.

 

Bukit Payung is situated in two parliamentary constituencies of Sri Gading and Parit Sulong. Parit Yaani comes under the Sri Gading parliamentary constituency.

 

According to Aminul, the Bukit Payung area in which the incinerator has been proposed to be built, was initially proposed as a landfill, only to be opposed by the residents around there. 

 

"For the past two years, the residents have started a committee called Save Bukit Payung, opposing the landfill or incinerator but as they are kampung folks with not much social media coverage, the opposition has been very much localised," said Aminul.

 

He said that a couple of the villages affected were under his state assembly while the rest falls under the Parit Sulong parliamentary constituency. 

 

Now, as the tender has been opened for an incinerator in Bukit Payung, his sources have confirmed that that very area where the landfill was proposed to be, is the site of the proposed incinerator.

 

Three large-capacity incinerators proposed

Deputy Minister Of Urban Wellbeing, Housing And Local Government Halimah Mohd Sadique was reported last July to have said that Bukit Payung is one of the sites for three large-capacity incinerators nationwide proposed by the ministry.

 

Aminul further added that the distance from the proposed site of the incinerator is not more than a kilometre from the forest reserve.

The nearest village is Kampung Kolam Air and Kampung Mohd Noor which are 1.8km and 2km away respectively. 

 

"Quite a number of the villagers are small time farmers and they had opposed the proposed landfill. Even during the last general election, we highlighted the issue. After that, there was no news until recently we found out a tender was opened for an incinerator on that very site. 

 

"The villagers fear that the leachate from the waste accumulated would pollute the nearby waterfall from which a small stream known as Parit Purun runs through Kampung Mohd Noor, Taman Bandar Putra Indah and another residential area called Taman Santhalia," said Aminul. 

 

The Save Bukit Payung residents group had joined hands with Kepong Tak Nak Incinerator, Genting Highlands Anti-Incinerator Group and Bukit Merah Anti-Incinerator Committee from Negeri Sembilan to form the National Anti Incinerator Alliance (Gaik), to oppose incinerators nationwide.

 

Residents from all the areas have stated that they are not for incinerators due to safety and health reasons.

 

Besides Kepong and Bukit Payong, the other confirmed large capacity incinerator will be built in Malacca. 

 

The Minister Of Urban Wellbeing, Housing And Local Government Rahman Dahlan ( right ) has stated that the ministry will go ahead with building of these mega incinerators, despite opposition from residents.

 

The ministry has  been in the news for forging ahead with the incinerator plans - allegedly costing between RM800 and RM1.2 billion each.