Anti Incinerator Marchers Rue Selangor Mb S Refusal To Meet Them For 2 Years

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A coalition of residents and civil society groups protesting the proposed Batu Arang waste-to-energy (WTE) incinerator has criticised Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari for refusing to address their concerns for the past two years.
Speaking outside the Selangor State Secretariat building in Shah Alam, Rawang Tolak Incinerator Network (RTI) spokesperson Abdul Hanan Abd Mokti said residents had exhausted all formal avenues to voice their objections.
“This gathering is being held because residents’ voices on the risks of the incinerator project have been sidelined, their health and environmental concerns ignored.
“Residents have expressed their objections through various official channels, yet the feedback and evidence they submitted were still not given due consideration,” he said, addressing the media outside the building in Shah Alam.
ADSThe protest, joined by RTI, Hand-In-Hand Batu Arang, Greenpeace Malaysia, and affected residents, was held to submit a memorandum to key stakeholders, including Amirudin, Rawang assemblyperson Chua Wei Kiat, and Kuang assemblyperson Rafiq Abdullah.
Both assemblypersons attended in person, but Amirudin only sent a representative, a gesture that angered protesters who insisted on meeting the menteri besar directly.
Selangor MB Amirudin Shari“We have been waiting two years for him to respond,” Hanan said, calling the move “deeply disappointing”.
The memorandum calls for an immediate halt to all project-related actions, an official meeting between Amirudin and residents, and greater transparency and meaningful public participation in all processes concerning health, safety, and environmental risks.
Leaders under fire for lack of transparency
Adding to residents’ frustration, Hanan claimed they learned about the rejection of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) only through online searches.
“We have received information that this EIA report has not been approved. We don’t know why it was rejected.
“Were the grounds critical or not? If they were critical, then good. But if they weren’t, the report will surely be revised and resubmitted,” he said.
RTI had earlier urged the Environment Department (DOE) to extend the public comment period for the EIA, citing insufficient consultation time, limited access to documents, and the technical complexity of the report.
The group also criticised the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) for failing to publicly display the EIA as required.
Separately, Batu Arang Heritage and Nature Conservation group chairperson Ahmad Fais Azmir questioned Selangor exco Ng Suee Lim’s role in the project, arguing it contradicts the latter’s portfolio in tourism.
Batu Arang Heritage and Nature Conservation group chairperson Ahmad Fais Azmir“How can he (Ng) build the Batu Arang Heritage Gallery, promote products from Gombak and Hulu Langat, but also bring in rubbish into Batu Arang?
ADS“Where is the logic? He developed the tourism sector, but is now taking in trash into a tourist destination,” he said.
RTI had previously highlighted Kumpulan Darul Ehsan Bhd (KDEB) Waste Management’s 22,017 outstanding summonses as evidence that the GLC, chaired by Ng, is not capable of managing an incinerator.
Heritage town under threat
The WTE plant, once completed, is expected to generate up to 48 megawatts of electricity. But to do so, it will process waste from six local councils, which consists of nearly half of Selangor's waste.
Hanan jabbed that this effectively promotes Batu Arang to a “prestigious position as the state’s waste hub”.
He estimated that at least 400,000 residents across Batu Arang, Bandar Tasik Puteri, Kota Puteri, Bandar Seri Coalfields, Kuang, and Bandar Country Homes may be affected, making the plant a pressing health and public safety issue to the community.
A local resident, Rosnah Ibrahim, said that she has lived in the area for 40 years, and laments the possibility of its serene nature being lost to the incinerator project.
“In the mornings, you can hear the birds chirping. It’s really lovely.
Anti-incinerator protesters at a rally outside the Selangor State Secretariat building in Shah Alam“We already have a home, and we’ve lived there for so long. Suddenly, things become like this, where are we supposed to run?” she asked.
The 61-year-old, who admits that she suffers from bouts of asthma, also worries about her health if the incinerator is built
Residents also warn that Batu Arang’s geological structure, formed by old open-cast coal mines, makes the land particularly unsuitable for a large incinerator.
RTI said coal seams stretching nearly 50km beneath the town increase the risk of underground fires or explosions, especially with the heat generated by a WTE facility.
They argue that the site’s unstable ground and history of mining operations pose unacceptable long-term risks to the community. - Mkini

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