AD Chandrasekaran, head of The Protect Karpal Singh Drive action committee, said the environmental impact assessment (EIA) report by the developer in charge of the project confirmed that the landfill could be dismantled and rehabilitated without the need for land expansion.
“The developer’s own EIA report confirms the rehabilitation can occur within the existing landfill site. This crucial detail undermines the argument for an immediate expansion,” he said in a statement today.
On Monday, Chow said reclamation was an essential step in the process, as extra space was needed to rehabilitate the landfill and reduce the risk of pollution to the surrounding areas.
He said the reclaimed area would be earmarked for development once the landfill was cleaned up.
“The contractors are to remove all the rubbish and clean up the site. The reclaimed site would be where they would recycle rubbish that was dumped at the landfill,” he said.
Chandrasekaran said the proposed reclamation would encroach upon and threaten marine ecosystems in the surrounding area, particularly the Middle Bank marine sanctuary.
“We implore Chow to champion a truly sustainable and innovative approach by initiating an immediate and comprehensive review of the current proposal.
“We firmly believe that a phased and modular approach, combined with rigorous environmental monitoring and genuine community engagement, offers the most responsible and effective path forward for the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation.”
In 2020, the state government and Penang Development Corporation signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to rehabilitate and develop the Jelutong landfill at a cost of RM1 billion.
In a Facebook post on Feb 12, the environment department issued a public notice for the proposed rehabilitation and reclamation project, which it estimated would take four to five years to complete.
The plan covers about 65ha in total, comprising some 36ha for landfill rehabilitation and the rest for reclamation.
The department said the reclaimed land, located north of the landfill and adjacent to the Karpal Singh waterfront, would serve as a working zone for waste sorting, recycling and environmental restoration.