Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator committee chairperson Halil Hussain has questioned the appointment of Perunding Utama Sdn Bhd to conduct the environmental impact assessment study for the RM1.5 billion incinerator project proposed in Broga.

In an eight-page document commenting o­n the terms of reference (TOR) for a detailed EIA (DEIA) study, Halil charged that there was conflict of interest in the company's involvement.

The comments, a pre-requisite to a DEIA study, were submitted to the Department of Environment (DOE) o­n Saturday.

Perunding Utama could not be reached for comments o­n the claims today.

'Same business'

Halil alleged that the company was associated with two other companies in the same business.

He named MB Technology (M) Sdn Bhd and Envitech Sdn Bhd as being "involved in the whole chain of domestic and industrial waste water treatment plants".

"The independence and objectivity of Perunding Utama is in question now. Given this conflict of interest, the company should have declined to undertake the EIA study," he said.

Halil (right) said MB Technology's associate, UK-based Motherwell Bridge Group - which has expertise in aerospace, nuclear, energy and utilities, and related areas - supported waste treatment and disposal plants.

Envitech, he said, offers engineering, supply, construction, installation, commissioning, and operations and maintenance services.

Last week, the committee which claims to represent 400,000 residents in and around Broga, Semenyih, Kajang and Beranang, declared that it had no faith in the EIA study which it asserted was a waste of time and taxpayers' money.

Basic objections

The committee said the draft TOR was designed for a partial DEIA as it made no mention of any landfill, electrical substations and electrical transmission lines needed.

"We feel the present study is not comprehensive and does not take into consideration the various components of the entire incinerator project," Halil said.

He said large transmission pylons would have to be built to the nearest main substation for the estimated 30MW of electricity to be generated by the 1,500-tonne incinerator.

"The power lines require a clearance of 20-30 metres o­n each side. Would this not damage the million-year-old forest area? These lines would also go through housing areas and kampungs."

Residents also raised concerns over the tight three-month schedule for collecting primary data.

"We are afraid that the brief time span might influence Perunding Utama to rely o­n secondary sources of information in completing the study, and thus not be impartial to all parties concerned," Halil said.

"The EIA should incorporate the public's reaction to the proposed project, the level of support and opposition, and what measures could be undertaken to mitigate the detrimental effects of it.

"Most importantly, the EIA report should include a detailed outline of action to be taken in case of a present and imminent danger."

Monitoring emissions

Local residents, he said, also had no faith in the study because there is no known device to continuously monitor dioxin emissions which requires "special expertise and sophisticated equipment".

"The issue of whether it is feasible in terms of costs and the present institutional set-up of the DOE, and whether they have the capacity to undertake the continuous monitoring required will have to be carefully examined.

"Even in developed countries, this is difficult and expensive," he said, referring to a report o­n the sampling of cow's milk to test for dioxin levels in France.

Commenting o­n the draft TOR provision for toxic ash produced by the plant to be stored o­n site, Halil said leaving the ash o­n the surface was "very dangerous".

"This means some form of digging must take place for ash storage. Continuous generation of ash would also mean continuous digging o­n the hill slope, and this must be avoided unless o­ne has unlimited funds," he said, noting the lack of laws governing incineration apart from the Environmental Quality Act 1974.

The absence of a national standard o­n emission related to the incinerator of this scale has weakened the feasibility study, he said, adding that effective laws and policies should be formulated for a sustainable solid waste management.

Another point is the absence of a soft loan for the multi-billion ringgit project as was confirmed by the Japan government, despite the Malaysian government's insistence o­n the availability of the money.

In this case, he said, the total cost after interest could be up to RM2-RM3 billion, excluding operational expenditure.

"Imagine how many toll-free highways, schools, hospitals or clinics can be built with that money. If a school costs RM20 million, we could build up to 150 schools using that sum," Halil said.

He added that the study should also include comprehensive garbage delivery and storage management.