Latest news with #JelutongLandfill
Free Malaysia Today
03-07-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Health impact assessment needed for Jelutong project, says group
The RM1 billion reclamation plan involves digging up and rehabilitating the closed Jelutong landfill and reclaiming adjacent coastal land north of the Penang Bridge to temporarily dump the unearthed rubbish from the landfill, besides carrying out mixed development. GEORGE TOWN : A Penang residents' group has urged environmental regulators to reject a developer's environmental impact assessment (EIA) for a planned reclamation project next to the old Jelutong landfill, saying it breaks the rules by leaving out a full health impact assessment (HIA). In a statement, the Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee said the project's proponents ignored the need for a HIA, a new requirement under the law since January for such a project. 'The developer's failure to include a HIA is not an oversight, it's a direct violation of law. 'The environment department (DoE) has clear legal authority and constitutional obligation to reject this incomplete and non-compliant proposal,' the group's spokesman, Dr K Ganesh, said. The RM1 billion reclamation plan involves digging up and rehabilitating the closed Jelutong landfill and reclaiming adjacent coastal land north of the Penang Bridge to temporarily dump the unearthed rubbish from the landfill, besides carrying out mixed development. Ganesh said the EIA failed to consider long-term risks from dust, gas and noise, and ignored most residents in its social study. The group has demanded a full HIA, a certified landfill closure plan, and strong legal steps to protect Middle Bank — a mudflat rich in marine life and seagrass — and public health. He said the group met the Penang DoE yesterday and sent in a formal protest memo, outlining a few demands, including rejecting the developer's EIA. The group learnt that 98.6% of the public comments during the EIA public display period were against the project, Ganesh added. The Penang government signed the deal to rehabilitate the island's only sanitary landfill with PLB Engineering Bhd in 2020 to carry out the project over four to five years. However, no visible works have begun. The 65ha site includes 36ha of landfill and 29ha of new land next to the Karpal Singh Drive waterfront. Chief minister Chow Kon Yeow previously defended the project, saying it would not encroach on the Middle Bank. He had said that the reclamation was needed to create space for a safe landfill clean-up. He said once the site is cleaned up, it will be handed to the developer for mixed development, and the state would get back 20% to 30% of the reclaimed land as part of the deal. More recently, Chow said the Penang government may consider downsizing the reclaimed area following a meeting with the group. However, the residents said the developer's own report shows the landfill can be rehabilitated within its current boundary making reclamation unnecessary. FMT has contacted local government exco member Hng Mooi Lye for comment.
Malay Mail
03-07-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Penang open to scaling down Jelutong reclamation off Karpal Singh Drive, says chief minister
SEBERANG PERAI, July 3 — The Penang state government may consider renegotiating the terms and scale of the reclamation project off Karpal Singh Drive, said Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow. He said the proposal under the Jelutong landfill rehabilitation and reclamation project could still be reviewed. 'We will need to scrutinise the work method that the group was worried about,' he said, referring to the Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee that recently met with him to voice concerns over the project. Chow said the group, consisting mostly of Karpal Singh Drive residents, was especially concerned about the project's work methods. 'We have to revisit why such a big area is needed and all that,' he said after attending the groundbreaking ceremony of a market complex in Batu Kawan. He said the state may consider scaling down the project by renegotiating with the developer — if the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is approved. 'There are components, lands, that need to be handed over to the state,' he said. He added that it involves a profit-sharing component, so the state may have to sacrifice its portion if the project is to be scaled down. However, he stressed that this would not affect the contract signed with the developer. In 2020, the Penang Development Corporation signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd to rehabilitate and develop the Jelutong landfill at a cost of RM1 billion. The project includes reclaiming 30 hectares of land off Karpal Singh Drive. The Protect Karpal Singh Drive Action Committee has raised concerns over the project, citing environmental and pollution issues. They also warned that it could affect the nearby Middle Bank marine sanctuary. The Middle Bank marine sanctuary spans around 10 square kilometres in the South Channel waters between Penang island and the mainland. It is home to the only seagrass bed in the Straits of Malacca. A study found a total of 429 species of seagrass, trees, vegetation, fish, birds, marine mammals, turtles, molluscs, arthropods, and echinoderms there. Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow speaks to reporters at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Batu Kawan market in Seberang Perai July 3, 2025. — Picture by Opalyn Mok Chow said the final decision on the project will depend on the EIA report's approval. He said the project cannot proceed without it. 'The public display of the EIA ended on June 30, so it is up to the project developer to gather feedback and respond accordingly,' he said. The next step, he said, is to wait for a decision from the Department of Environment (DoE). 'Whatever it is, we have to wait, and if they don't receive EIA approval by the deadline, the project might not proceed,' he said. Chow said the developer has until February 2026 to obtain the EIA approval. 'Now, they still have time, so if they didn't get approval, they may need to resubmit,' he said. If the developer secures EIA approval before the February 2026 deadline, the state government will renegotiate the scale of the project with them. Earlier, Chow attended the groundbreaking of a RM46 million market complex in Batu Kawan. The market, slated for completion in June 2027, will house 82 stalls, including a wet market section, hawker centre, and food stalls. It will also have 449 parking bays. Chow said the market — the first and largest of its kind in Batu Kawan — is expected to spur the local economy.
Malay Mail
21-05-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Penang rules out gazetting Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary to avoid project disruptions
GEORGE TOWN, May 21 — The Penang state government does not plan to gazette the Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary, according to state executive councillor H'ng Mooi Lye. The state local government, town and country planning committee chairman said the Middle Bank cannot be gazetted as this would classify it as an environmentally sensitive area. 'Any projects implemented within a 500-metre radius of an environmentally sensitive area would require a Second Schedule Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report,' he told Malay Mail recently. He said this could affect planned projects near the area and might also impact the Penang Port expansion project. H'ng was clarifying his response to a written question by Lee Khai Loon (PKR-Machang Bubuk) at the state legislative assembly regarding the rehabilitation of the Jelutong landfill project. The project involves reclaiming 70 acres (28ha) of the sea, with potential implications for the Middle Bank. In his reply to Lee, H'ng said the state approved the 70-acre (28ha) sea reclamation to create a work platform for rehabilitation works at the landfill. 'The Jelutong landfill is unsafe because it has long been used as an open dumping ground,' he said. Lee also asked if the state had an exit clause in case the rehabilitation project failed. H'ng said the joint development agreement would be cancelled if the project failed to proceed. 'A new tender process would then be initiated through a Request for Proposal (RFP) or open tender procurement procedure,' he said. However, he noted there was a risk of claims and legal action by the developer against the state government and Penang Development Corporation (PDC). He added that a new developer would not be able to take over the project until legal procedures were completed, which could take between three and five years. The Middle Bank Marine Sanctuary spans around 10 square kilometres in the waters of the South Channel between Penang island and the mainland. It is home to the only seagrass bed in the Straits of Malacca. A study revealed a total of 429 species of seagrass, trees, vegetation, fish, birds, marine mammals, turtles, molluscs, arthropods and echinoderms inhabit the area. The rehabilitation project has yet to begin as it is still awaiting EIA approval from the Department of Environment (DoE). The PDC signed a deal with PLB Engineering Bhd in 2020 to rehabilitate and develop the Jelutong landfill at a cost of RM1 billion. The DoE issued a public notice on its Facebook page on February 12 this year regarding the proposed rehabilitation and reclamation project.
