The Ministry of Urban Well-being, Housing and Location Development has promised to respond to the 24 questions posed by the Kuala Lumpur Tak Nak Incinerator group (KTI) by next Thursday.

 

This follows a meeting in Putrajaya yesterday between minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan and the group, which has been trying to secure the meeting for more than a year.

 

The group's spokesperson Lam Choong Wah said the 24 questions were aimed at compelling Putrajaya to scrap plans to build the incinerator in Taman Beringin, Kepong in favour of adopting a 3R (reduce, reuse and recycle) policy first.

 

"The minister claims that the questions we raised were technical questions, so the minister is unable to provide answers on the spot. However, he promised to provide written answers," Lam told reporters after the meeting.

 

Among others, KTI had asked the minister whether he was aware that research had shown that dioxin pollution in Tokyo, which houses several waste incinerators, have been increasing since 2008 and why didn't Putrajaya adopt a ‘zero waste management’ policy as in Naples, Italy and Nova Scotia, Canada.

 

‘Friendly but not productive’

 

Asked whether the group was satisfied with the meeting, Lam described the two-hour dialogue as "friendly, but not productive".

 

However, he commended the minister for finally taking the "brave initiative" of meeting up with the group.

 

KTI president Isaiah Jacob said the minister was also handed a petition containing 12,498 signatures opposing the incinerator project.

 

The incinerator is slated to sit on the current Taman Beringin waste transfer station. The government aims to establish a facility, estimated to cost RM800 million, that can process 1,000 tonnes of solid waste daily.

 

However, the facility would be located within the immediate vicinity of several residential areas, sparking fears of air pollution.