Summary

The Rawang Tolak Insinerator Network (RTI) has slammed the Selangor state government for evading queries during a public inquiry on the Selangor Draft Structure Plan 2035.

RTI spokesperson Abdul Hanan Abd Mokti said none of the questions posed by several attendees received a response from the representatives of various government agencies present at the proceeding.

“We were hoping that some - if not all - questions would be answered by any of the government representatives, (but) not a single one of the government agencies chose to respond to our questions.

“After this (hearing), we will have no way of knowing what the responses are to our questions (as) there is no arena or medium for us to get answers.

“For all we know, the incinerator might just be built,” Hanan told reporters after the event at the Shah Alam Convention Centre today.

While the proposed incinerator in Batu Arang Rawang is not specified in the draft structure plan, RTI had previously argued that the plan’s proposal to amend Batu Arang’s land status from agricultural to industrial will facilitate the project.

Hanan stressed that the questions aimed at the government today were not “new” as the group has repeatedly sought clarification on the proposed incinerator project but to no avail.

“These are not new questions. We have raised these old questions over the past two and a half years.

“The biggest question is what happened to the geological study that was supposed to be conducted by the Geology Department on the geological suitability of Batu Arang (for the building of an incinerator),” he added.

He also claimed that while about 80 individuals had attended today’s session, only six were allowed to deliver their comments and concerns several others were denied their chance to speak.

He noted that there was no reasoning or basis given for the rejection.

Ngo Swee Kok, a Batu Arang resident whose home is located near the proposed site for the incinerator, said he was “shut up” when he requested information regarding the social impact assessment for the project.

“I was one of the participants (for the report) and I want to see it. Where is the justice?” he questioned.

Unsuitable location

Based on observations, the session chaired by housing and culture exco Borhan Aman Shah had gone on for about an hour, starting at approximately 9am after registration opened about half an hour earlier.

Besides health, safety and environmental concerns, the RTI also asserted that Batu Arang is unsuitable for such a project as the incinerator would be sitting on former open-cast coal mines, which the group said makes the land unstable and poses a risk of collapse.

The group said there were also coal seams about 50km long under Batu Arang, and a waste-to-energy (WTE) plant opens the possibility of fires or an explosion.

Independent researcher Wong Yuen Mei, who was present in support of RTI, highlighted that the United Nations and European Union have already phased out the use of WTE technology as a method for sustainable waste management.

Wong said that the inclusion of WTE in the draft plan is a “disservice” to the rakyat and the nation, adding that such a policy is also misaligned with international standards.