Penang exco to decide on fate of Pulau Burung landfill concessionaire based on full report, says Chow

SEBERANG PERAI, Feb 5 ― The Penang state exco will evaluate the performance of the Pulau Burung landfill concessionaire based on a full report of its performance to be submitted to the state soon, said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

He said the local government committee and Seberang Perai City Council have been asked to submit a full report to the state exco on the concessionaire’s performance since its appointment in 2012.

“The full report will have to include recommended actions in managing the landfill, follow-up actions after the fire and the concessionaire’s performance,” he said in a press conference after visiting the landfill this morning.

He said the state exco has already received an initial report on the incident but it now requires a follow-up report to evaluate the concessionaire’s performance.

“The state exco will make a decision based on the full report,” he said.

As for the fire at the landfill, which started on January 12, Chow said the fire is now almost 100 per cent extinguished.

The fire and rescue department has already ended its operations on January 31.

“Currently, follow-up actions such as monitoring the site, disaster management and monitoring of the air quality will continue,” he said.

More than 11ha of the nearly 33ha Pulau Burung landfill caught fire on January 12 and it was subsequently declared as a Level 1 disaster area based on the National Security Council (NSC).

About 400 residents in the nearby Ladang Byram and Kampung Kebun Baru were evacuated due to the air pollution from the landfill fire.

Ten schools, within a 10km radius of the landfill, were also ordered to close.

Chow said the air quality of the two villages are still not at a satisfactory level so the residents were not allowed to return home yet.

“A decision on the classification of the landfill as a disaster area will be made a few days later depending on the air quality,” he said.

He said if it rains over the next few days, the air quality could improve.

Meanwhile, Penang Department of Environment director Sharifah Zakiah Syed Sahab said they are constantly monitoring the air quality of the affected areas.

“In recent days, due to rain, we have seen improvement in the air quality and we hope that the downward trend will continue over the next few days,” she said.

She said they monitor the air quality on a daily basis and once it is down at a safe level, the affected residents will be allowed to go home.