The federal government is considering the possibility of building an incinerator in Penang, said an officer from the local municipal council.

Penang municipal council urban services department director Shakri Hj Rashid told a forum on Saturday that it could be sited either on the island or the mainland.

He also informed the 100-odd audience that there were about five incinerators in the country but some were shut down due to 'technical reasons'.

"We lacked the proper expertise to handle the incinerators. I never heard (that they were shut down due to) about dioxin. It was technical problems and lack of efficiency," he added.

At the forum called 'Incinerator: Burning our future?', Penang Environmental Working Group chairperson Dr Ong Hean Tee said the government is hoping the incinerator would "turn all the waste into ashes, kill all germs by burning and save land by decreasing waste".

He also revealed that the incinerator for Penang would cost some RM1.2 million while the operational cost would hit RM5 million a month.

"Do we have to add to the amount of dioxin in the air we breathe in Malaysia with the burning of waste?" he asked.

"Will the rate of cancer cases increasing with the increase of dioxin in our environment? Who will later be the victims of these cancers. The incinerator is like a big cigarette. Whether we like it or not, we have to smoke it," he said.

The incinerator is expected to turn into a highly contentious issue as locals and civil society groups come together to oppose the move.

No consultation

Penangites are frustrated that the state government had not only been silent over the issue so far but for also not consulting the residents before such an idea was mooted.

The forum was jointly organised by PEWOG, Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and the Community and Environmental Development Centre (Cenced).

The organisations have also conducted a street poll to gauge the response of the public and the results will be handed to the municipal council and state government soon.

Meanwhile, several residents at the forum expressed frustration over the issue.

Alex Lee from Taman Gembira questioned the need for an incinerator in relation to the high health risks it posed and the exorbitant amount of money needed to run it.

He said it was better to handle waste in a more environmental-friendly manner like encouraging recycling and proper waste management.

"There should be a by-law in order to get people to practice proper waste management.

"We should take this step by step because hearing the very description of an incinerator and how it is going to be operated and maintained, I think we do not need one," he added.

SUSAN LOONE is malaysiakini 's Penang-based stringer.