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DOE should be commended for its decision to reject the Broga landfill's EIA report Statement by Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew (Kuala Lumpur,  Tuesday): The controversial proposed Broga landfill project is off. The Department of Environment (DOE) has rejected the impact assessment report and has advised the Selangor Government, the project proponent, to look for an alternative site. This came as a victory for the Broga/Semenyih/Beranang residents who have protested vehemently over the controversial landfill as well as the RM1.5 billion incinerator project. In April this year, Broga residents submitted about 1,000 signatures to protest against the proposed landfill, saying it was wrong to have such a project in a water-catchment area supplying drinking water to Selangor and Negri Sembilan. The landfill was to be managed by Worldwide Holdings Bhd, a unit under the State Economic Development Corporation. The Broga No to Incinerator Committee has also brought the relevant authorities to task by submitting a suit at the Shah Alam High Court. They are seeking the court to rule against the building of the health- and- life- threatening incinerator. Their actions were supported by DAP and other opposition parties and NGOs. According to an NST report on 12 October, the DOE director-general Rosnani Ibarahim said she rejected the landfill's Environmental Impact Assessment last month because the proposed site in Broga, Semenyih, had been found to be unsuitable. Rosnani Ibarahim was quoted as saying that "The landfill would have been on a steep hill and there would have been no mitigating measure that would successfully contain its leaching effects on the environment. "I told them the site was very sensitive because it's a catchment area. The hill is very steep and the surrounding area has also been developed," said Rosnani. She clarified that the landfill was a state project and had nothing to do with the Broga incinerator, which was a Federal project under the Housing and Local Government Ministry. All the arguments and reasons cited by Rosnani Ibarahim were sound, solid and factually correct. And Rosnani Ibarahim could have used the same arguments to reject the detailed EIA report for the world's largest incinerator, which was largely situated at the same water catchment area. We urge the DoE to review the detailed EIA report on the Broga Incinerator project in the interest of not only the Broga residents, but also the interest of all other Malaysians. I have written an open letter to the Prime Minister on the matter last September, urging him to drop the project in order to safeguard the interest of Malaysians. We are still waiting for his response. (19/10/2004) * Ronnie Liu Tian Khiew, DAP International Secretary