The detailed environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the multi-billion ringgit incinerator plant proposed in Broga is out on a month-long display for public feedback at selected locations, according to the Department of Environment (DOE).

Copies of the report are available at the DOE library in Putrajaya and its state offices, National Library, Selangor state library, Kajang Municipal Council, Kompleks Penghulu Semenyih and the Semenyih police station, between Sept 1 and Oct 1.

All written comments on the report, sold for RM850 a copy, would have to be submitted to the DOE headquarters in Putrajaya before Oct 14.

The public notice is also posted on its website.

Ads in newspapers

According to a DOE official, the notice is also advertised in major English and Bahasa Malaysia dailies on three consecutive Mondays, beginning Sept 1.

When contacted, Semenyih/Broga No Incinerator protem action committee chairperson Prof P Ramasamy said they will meet to iron out several issues pertaining to the planned legal action.

"We will discuss whether or not to participate in the EIA feedback process."

Previously, the committee decided against participating in the EIA study on grounds that the residents have lost faith in the process and a big waste of taxpayers' money.

The mega project, involving the construction of a 1,500-tonne plant which is touted as the largest of its kind in the world to use Japan's latest gasification technology, sparked off a controversy when it was first announced in Kampung Bohol, Puchong, near Kuala Lumpur.

The government quickly relocated it to Broga after facing massive protests and threats of a vote swing in favour of the opposition in the coming general election.

But the storm continued in Broga with public protests, talks and briefings on incineration and recycling organised by the committee and consumer groups.

Legal action last resort

The Broga committee has exhausted almost all of the proper channels, with legal action as a last resort to stop the project on grounds that it is in violation of several environmental laws and regulations.

The government has effectively shut out public protests, insisting that any dialogue should only take place after the EIA is completed.

Attempts by opposition MPs to raise the matter in parliament after a briefing by the committee also proved futile.

The proposed site sits in a water catchment area nearby a reservoir dam located in a forest reserve.

Apart from totally opposing any incinerator projects in the country, they also argued that the proposed plant posed a serious health and environmental hazard, including a possible risk of contamination of the water supply to millions of households in the Klang Valley.