Wise indeed to scrap Broga project

THE recent confirmation by the Government to scrap the Broga incinerator is indeed a wise move. With the huge capital and operational costs associated with such thermal treatment technology, I shudder at the thought of what the Government, and ultimately the householder, would otherwise have to fork out to finance the project.
In fact, there have been many cases in developing countries of abandoned, inoperable or badly polluting incinerators. In our own country, lessons should be drawn from the failed incinerator operations in Langkawi, Labuan , and Terengganu.
Burning waste is simply transferring land pollution to the air.
When we worry about pollution caused by waste dumps (and rightly so), we should not be confused and mixed up with engineered sanitary landfills.
Uncontrolled open dumps, common in Malaysia, must be clearly differentiated from sanitary landfills. A properly engineered sanitary landfill ensures effective mitigation of all forms of environmental pollution. It is the only form of disposal that restores waste by means of natural decomposition in the ground.
Despite its simplicity in design and operation, sanitary landfills are normally the most cost-effective and environmentally acceptable means of waste disposal.
Furthermore, sanitary landfills have the virtue of being a disposal option that confers environmental improvement by restoring derelict land or improving undesirable contours. It is still very widely adopted even in developed countries and its technology has improved by leaps and bounds in recent years.
Even densely populated places like Hong Kong deal with its waste without resorting to the costly incinerators or other thermal treatment plants.
Indeed, a properly engineered landfill suitably located would be the prudent solution to the solid waste problem for a country like Malaysia that does not face space problems as acute as Hong Kong or the UK.
The wanton acclamation of certain incineration technologies may be welcome news for some profit-hungry suppliers, but I fear it can be disastrous for our nation’s coffers.
For Malaysia, where poor maintenance often condemns high-tech imported machinery to the scrapyard, and where high moisture content severely inhibits waste combustion, sanitary landfills will always be miles ahead of incineration as a cost-effective technology for dealing with our domestic solid waste.
While it may be unwise to abandon our quest for technical excellence in every endeavour, it will be equally foolish to let over-enthusiasm and desperation blind our common sense and grasp at any solution offered by foreign companies.
As a developing nation with unique social, political, economic, climatic and geographical characteristics, we must make educated and calculated decisions on the application of appropriate technologies.

PROF IR DR HASSAN BASRI,
Professor of Environmental Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.