More funds needed for waste disposal: Rauf

KUCHING: Local authorities in Sarawak are in need of more allocation to upgrade their Solid Waste Disposal Service.
Assistant Minister of Environment Dr Abang Abdul Rauf Abang Zen said many councils, except for the larger local authorities in the state, were facing serious problems in the second phase of Solid Waste Disposal Service, which is disposal of waste.He said a few councils had not enough money even to cover the first phase of the service — collection of waste which is heavily government-subsidised, with just a few practising the ‘user-pay’ concept, thus operated without subsidy.
“Almost all smaller local authorities (except for a few in Kuching, Miri and Sibu) are facing serious problems in permanent disposal service requiring a good standard of sanitary landfills,” he said at a press conference at Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) office at Menara Pelita in Petra Jaya yesterday.
He listed out Kapit, Julau, Kanowit and Limbang as some of the towns that needed urgent attention.
Rauf, also Demak Laut assemblyman, pointed out that solid waste at the permanent dumping site, if untreated, would produce leachate or dirty water which would pollute the source of drinking water and produce gases that could pollute the atmosphere.
“An ‘open’ dumping site is a source of communicable diseases transmitted by flies and mosquitoes if near to residential areas.
“This situation is a big nuisance, an eyesore due to littering, illegal scavenging and bad odour,” he said.
According to the statistics for waste collection by the councils for the year 2006, the total amount of waste generated throughout Sarawak was 2,000 metric tonnes every day.
Rauf said there were four levels of proper sanitary landfills in Sarawak: level one being having some control of leachate discharging into an oxidation pond; level two has better control of leachate with underground protection.
“Level III has treatment of leachate where the water is of good standard quality while Level IV is the most advanced service where the addition is control of gas waste and treatment of scheduled wastes including toxic wastes,” he said, adding that advanced recycling services was optional.
According to him, the only one Level IV proper sanitary landfill is at Mambong, Level III landfills in Miri and Sibu while most of the other smaller councils are using ‘open’ dumping sites which are considered below Level I.
He said although the ministry had made recommendations in the past to upgrade solid waste disposal services, the constraint was the funding as these services were very expensive.
“Not only there is difficulty to get a proper land and sites but the services and facilities are very costly,” he said.
According to him, it takes a rough estimate of RM50 million for development cost (inclusive of land) only for level IV landfill, RM20 million to RM30 million for level III facilities, RM5 million to RM10 million for level II and up to RM5 million for level I.
To overcome this problem, Rauf said Minister of Environment and Public Health Dato Sri Wong Soon Koh and Housing and Local Government Deputy Minister Datuk Robert Lau Hoi Chew would be asking for more funds from the federal government.
He said NREB was now doing a holistic Master Plan Study to review existing solid waste management in local authorities throughout Sarawak, study the extent and impact of pollution of the landfills to surrounding environment and propose measures to control pollutions sources.
“Other objectives are to analyse and recommend solid waste management plan(s) for respective local authorities or inter-authorities partnership, propose rehabilitation work plan for landfills/dumping grounds which have come to the end of their life span and to study details of the development and operational costs of sanitary landfills.
Rauf said NREB would make recommendations to the Ministry of Environment and Public Health on the appropriate levels of sanitary landfills.
“For a rural setting, Level I is adequate. A smaller town will need Level II, bigger towns, Level III and city councils definitely, Level IV,” he added.
“However, local authorities close to each other and have good road system can have a higher level by sharing sanitary landfills,” he said. By Ting Tieng Hee

My Comment:
I THINK THE TITLE WERE WRONG!THE TITLE SHOULE LIKE THIS "More funds needed for waste by ministry!!!".ALL MINISTRY BECOME RICH&RICHEST!DON'T LIE LAA MINISTRY!!!PEOPLE ALSO GOT AN EYE!!!NOT ONLY MINISTRY GOT AN EYES AND OTAK LA!!!DAMN U THINK ALL PEOPLE SOO STUPID LIKE ALL OF YOU!!!