Reclamation off Jelutong
part of landfill clean-up,
says Chow
The Penang chief minister says the reclaimed site will be used to recycle waste from the landfill before it is developed.
He said extra space was needed to rehabilitate the landfill and reduce the risk of pollution or damage to the surrounding areas, and that 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 told reporters on the sidelines of an event at Masjid Al Muhsi Simpang Tiga in Tasek Gelugor here today.
In 2020, the state government and Penang Development Corporation signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to develop and rehabilitate the Jelutong landfill at the cost of RM1 billion.
According to a state assembly reply last November, PLB is to prepare a new site for the disposal of construction waste and marine clay, and development on the rehabilitated site.
A waste-to-energy plant, where refuse is incinerated and turned into power, was also being considered by the state.
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 reclaimed land, located north of the landfill and adjacent to the Karpal Singh waterfront, will serve as a working zone for waste sorting, recycling, and environmental restoration, the notice read.
Members of the public were invited to inspect the environmental impact assessment from Feb 6 to March 7, with written feedback to be submitted by them by March 22.
However, the residents nearby have claimed that they were unaware of the March 22 deadline.
A pro tem committee calling itself the Protect Karpal Singh Drive action committee (ProtectKarpal), comprising more than 150 residents from six housing areas, a mosque committee, and a private school, has since asked the authorities to extend the feedback period to April 30.
An environment department official said today it would extend the period for another 14 days to April 5.
ProtectKarpal committee chief AD Chandrasekaran said many residents were unaware of the project as the initial notification was only posted online in February.
“This project will affect our neighbourhoods, schools, and places of worship. It is not just a formality, people deserve enough time to review the EIA and give meaningful feedback,” he said in a statement.
He said the group is concerned about potential impact on marine life and increased activity near residential areas.
The landfill is about 3km from George Town’s core area and dubbed by nearby residents as a gold mine since it is the only large swathe of undeveloped land left in the city’s outskirts. While the gross development value has yet to be ascertained, it is estimated to reach billions of ringgit.
The area has been a sanitary landfill, but since 2002, only construction debris and garden waste were allowed to be dumped there. All municipal waste is currently being dumped in Pulau Burung near Nibong Tebal.
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