With problems supposedly still plaguing the Pulau Pangkor waste incinerator plant, Serdang MP Ong Kian Ming is questioning the government’s capability and expertise to take on larger incinerator projects.

 

Among other issues, he pointed to photos of Urban Well-Being, Housing and Local Government Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan visiting the plant yesterday while donning a face-mask’s  ( below ) with rubbish stacked high in the background clearly visible ( above) .

 

These imply that there are operational problems at the plant, Ong said, because he said he didn’t need to wear a face-mask during his own visits to the Bukit Tagar Sanitary Landfill in Hulu Selangor or to the Tanjung Duabelas Sanitary Landfill in Kuala Langat.

 

"How can we have confidence in the ministry to provide a safe 1,000-ton a day mega-incinerator in Taman Beringin, Kepong if it cannot convince the public that the Pulau Pangkor incinerator is safe?" asked Ong in a statement today.

 

The government has proposed a huge incinerator plant at Taman Beringin which would be capable of burning 1,000 tonnes of Kuala Lumpur’s domestic waste per day. As of last month, it is still in the process of selecting the winning bid for the project.

 

In contrast, the Pulau Pangkor incinerator has a capacity of only 20 tonnes a day.

 

Resident groups such as the Kuala Lumpur Tak Nak Insinerator (KTI) is  opposing  the project ( pix, below ) over fears that it would pose serious health and environmental hazards to the city and its dwellers.

The group has often cited problems at the smaller, existing incinerators as among the reasons to justify their claims. The problems included poor leachate and drainage systems allowing toxic pollutants to leak into the environment.

Stakeholders left out

 

In addition to the odour, Ong said according to photos posted by the Fire and Rescue Department on its Facebook page, the Pulau Pangkor plant had also caught fire on March 5.

 

Ong added that based on photos posted by the ministry on Facebook, Abdul Rahman had received a briefing from XCN Technology Sdn Bhd’s (XCNT) chief executive officer during his visit yesterday.

 

Ong revealed that XCNT was the company awarded the project to build four mini-incinerators at Pulau Langkawi, Pulau Pangkor, Cameron Highlands, and Pulau Tioman but has been cited for its poor performance in the 2012 Auditor-General’s Report.

 

He also lamented that Abdul Rahman did not invite stakeholders along on his visit to Pulau Pangkor yesterday, despite requests since the last parliamentary session late last year.

 

“Unfortunately, the request fell on deaf ears as the minister proceeded to visit the Pulau Pangkor incinerator without inviting any of the stakeholders. These include fellow MPs who are interested in solid waste management, NGOs such as KTI who are opposing the building of incinerators and even residents of Pulau Pangkor,” Ong said.

 

He said the requested visit was for the government to assure the public that it can reliably operate a small incinerator.

 

He urged Abdul Rahman, who is Kota Belud MP, to promise to bring the stakeholders including himself and KTI along for his next visit to incinerators besides disclosing the findings of his visit to the Pulau Pangkor incinerator.