The Housing and Local Government Ministry has not taken any action against individuals named by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) as responsible for mismanaging mini-incinerator projects.

 

Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan said this is because decisions on the projects were the collective responsibility of the committee, not the individuals.

 

"All the previous decisions for the implementation of the mini-incinerators were made by a committee and not by the individuals mentioned in the report alone.

 

"The responsibility for the projects was upheld collectively by the committee. There is no element of mismanagement by the committee in their decision," Abdul Rahman said.

 

He said this in a written reply to a query from the Kuala Lumpur Tak Nak Insinerator (KTI) group, which it received on Feb 5.

 

The group had asked the minister why no action has been taken when PAC had recommended censure against a few individuals, including the ministry secretary-general.

 

Last November, the PAC told the government to take action against several individuals it found responsible for approving the construction of four mini-incinerators on the islands of Langkawi, Tioman and Pangkor, and in Cameron Highlands, without first inspecting the technology used.

 

The individuals are Housing and Local Governments ministry secretary-general Arpah Abdul Razak; National Solid Waste Management Department director-general Nadzri Yahya; National Solid Waste Management Technological Evaluation Committee member professor Rozainee Taib of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia; and Malaysian Industry-Government Group of High Technology analyst Sivapalan Katsiravale.

 

The PAC also urged the government to take action against XCN Technology (XCNT) Sdn Bhd, which had provided the unproved technology.

 

‘Mercury pollution not issue’

 

Meanwhile, Abdul Rahman in his reply to KTI queries, also said the risk of mercury pollution at the planned Taman Beringin incinerator in Kuala Lumpur would be reduced, thanks to mandatory waste separation.

 

"The waste-to-energy plant in Taman Beringin will start its operation by the year 2019 and by then, with the implementation of mandatory separation at source, the issue of household waste mixed with hazardous material (including mercury) will be reduced, and in time eliminated," he said.

 

Waste separation at home will be made compulsory in September, while construction of the Taman Beringin plant is slated to begin later this year.

 

KTI however said the government should make sure waste separation, and its ‘reuse, reduce, recycle’ (3R) campaign is effective first, before building the plant.

 

"Why don't we start the 3R program early, (and) consistently implement this until we achieve our first stage objectives of waste reduction, before we invest into any other form of alternatives," KTI said in a written reply to the minister to address his answers.

 

Yesterday, KTI launched a video detailing their efforts so far to campaign against the Taman Beringin incinerator, also known as the Kepong incinerator.

 

The 14-minute video, titled ‘Don't Burn Our Future', was uploaded on YouTube .

 

The group wants to use the video to raise public awareness of how dangerous the incinerator could be.

 

"We believe the people's power can make our government reconsider (the use of incinerators).

 

“If we can proceed with this sort of activities (to raise awareness), I think more and more people will rise up to say no (to incinerators)," KTI chairperson Lee Chong Tek told reporters at the video launch in Kuala Lumpur.