Middle Bank won’t be affected, Chow assures critics over landfill project

Summary

• Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow says the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation project will not jeopardise the Middle Bank marine sanctuary.

• A group had previously called for the project's halt due to concerns over the Middle Bank's ecosystem.

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The proposal to reclaim land off Karpal Singh Drive as part of the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation project will not endanger the Middle Bank marine sanctuary, assured Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

Chow said the state has ensured that the proposed project will not involve areas under Middle Bank, an approximately 10 square km seagrass-rich area located at Penang’s South Channel between the island and mainland.

The sanctuary houses the only seagrass bed in the Straits of Malacca, with previous research reportedly identifying 429 species of various marine life in the region.

“We have identified the area before this,” The Malay Mail quoted him as saying today during a press conference at his office in Komtar, George Town.

On March 26, the Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee urged Chow to reject the reclamation under the rehabilitation project due to concerns based on scientific evidence that the Middle Bank’s marine ecosystem would be harmed.

Committee chairperson AD Chandrasekaran argued that the scientific consensus was that such projects disrupt vital marine habitats, alter natural sediment flows, and trigger significant ecological imbalances, leading to long-term biodiversity loss.

Awaiting EIA report

Meanwhile, Chow said the Jelutong landfill rehabilitations and reclamation project is waiting on an environmental impact assessment (EIA) approval from the Department of Environment (DOE).

“Public display for the EIA is now ongoing. The public, individuals and organisations are encouraged to submit their views and feedback for DOE’s consideration,” he added.

Chow added that the waste recovered from the rehabilitated landfill will either be recycled or sent to the temporary waste disposal centre in Pulau Burung - while the land itself will be used for mixed development projects.

“Under an agreement with the concessionaire, the state government and Penang Development Corporation (PDC) will receive a portion of the rehabilitated land,” he mentioned.

The concessionaire, Chow said, will be entitled to a larger portion of the existing Jelutong landfill once it has been reclaimed and rehabilitated as it will be bearing the full cost of the project, which is expected to take five to six years.

While the landfill is between 80 to 90 acres, Chow said the state is expected to get 20 to 30 percent of the total land area, including the reclaimed land.

On March 24, Chow said reclamation is an essential step to dismantle the old Jelutong landfill, which has been in use since the early 1970s and is exceeding its capacity.

In 2020, the state government and PDC signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to develop and rehabilitate the Jelutong landfill for RM1 billion.

According to a state assembly reply in November, PLB is to prepare a new site for waste disposal on the rehabilitated site while the state is also said to be considering the building of a waste-to-energy plant, where refuse is incinerated and turned into power.

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