APRIL 6 — Malaysians are all shocked and aghast at the gas pipeline fire in Putra Heights. Everyone is impatiently waiting for the investigation report to find out how such a disaster could have happened. While our hearts go out to the victims, finding out who was responsible provides scant relief to those who sustained physical injuries and financial losses. It is too late for them. Much of the damage they suffered cannot be adequately compensated by monetary means. However, it is important to know whether the precautionary principle was applied, and whether it will be applied in the future to prevent or mitigate such a disaster from recurring.
Whether the precautionary principle was applied, or whether it ought to have been applied, is therefore important not only for the Putra Heights fire but also for many other ongoing or proposed projects. One such project is the proposed incinerator project in Batu Arang. It is important to avert a potential explosion and fire that could be many times more disastrous and on a much larger scale than the Putra Heights gas pipeline fire.
In the Putra Heights incident, the fire was brought under control when the gas valves were shut and the remaining leaked gas burned out. What if the fire were fuelled by an inexhaustible supply of fuel, such as millions of tons of coal deposits?
It is proposed that a RM4.5 billion waste-to-energy incinerator be built in Batu Arang, burning 2,400 tons of municipal waste per day to generate 58 megawatts. The incinerator project is lighting a fire, not over a gas pipe, but over a whole coal mine that may be filled with combustible gases and coal. There may be adequate safety measures, but it has not yet been proven to be a scientific certainty. In other words, there is a risk for which precautionary measures are necessary.
Batu Arang was the second most important town following the discovery of large deposits of coal during the era of steam engines. It is estimated that 15.5 million tons of coal were extracted, but many millions of tons may still remain. The coal mine was closed not because the coal deposits were exhausted, but due to a shift from coal-burning steam engines to diesel engines. The coal remains in the 11 mining sites, with a complex network of tunnels measuring an estimated 54 kilometres, extending 304.8 metres below the town and reaching a depth of 600 metres. The tunnels have not been mapped or surveyed to confirm that they are clear of combustible gas or materials.
Coal is highly combustible, with its ignition temperature ranging from 390° to 500°C. Most hazardous waste incinerators operate between 980°C and 1200°C to completely burn organic materials. Given that coal can ignite at a third of an incinerator’s operating temperature, the precautionary principle applies: the incinerator should not be built over or next to a coal mine with an extensive network of underground tunnels and a potentially inexhaustible supply of combustible gas and coal.
In the Putra Heights incident, the fire was brought under control when the gas valves were shut and the remaining leaked gas burned out. What if the fire were fuelled by an inexhaustible supply of fuel, such as millions of tons of coal deposits? — Bernama pic
Understanding the dangers of coal fires is important. The history of coal fires is as ancient and widespread as coal itself.
For instance, Australia’s Burning Mountain, the common name for Mount Wingen in New South Wales, was earlier mistaken for a volcano, but geologists have since identified it as a coal seam fire. It is estimated that the fire has been burning for approximately 6,000 years and will continue to burn for many more years to come. It is the oldest known coal fire.
In Centralia, Pennsylvania, a coal seam fire has been burning since at least May 1962. The town council arranged for the cleaning up of illegal dump sites by gathering the rubbish in an abandoned coal strip mine. Unknown to the town council, a 15-foot-long opening connecting the abandoned coal mine with underground mine tunnels allowed the fire to spread to the coal seam beneath the town. The coal fire has been burning for the past 63 years and is estimated to continue for over 250 more years. Centralia, with a population of 1,500, has since been abandoned, with only five residents left and most of the buildings demolished.
In eastern India, north of the Damodar River, approximately 70 fires are burning in the Jharia coalfield, the largest coal fire complex globally. Most of the fires in the Jharia coalfield have been burning since 1916, causing significant environmental damage, including land degradation, subsidence, and air pollution. The fires are attributed to unscientific mining practices that allowed oxygen to enter and ignite the coal. Local communities have been severely affected, facing health problems such as respiratory illnesses and skin diseases due to the toxic fumes and heat. The fires have also led to the destruction of homes and infrastructure, forcing people to relocate.
Coal seam fires can burn for thousands of years and can be ignited by heat, whether from human activity or natural causes. As coal seam fires burn underground, they are extremely difficult and costly to extinguish. They can burn for decades, or even millennia, until the fuel source is exhausted.
The precautionary principle or in short “the better safe than sorry” approach, emphasises caution and proactive measures when facing potential risks, especially when scientific certainty about the nature or extent of the risk is lacking. Whether the precautionary principle was applied to the Putra Heights gas pipeline leaks is now moot for the victims, but it must be applied to the proposed incinerator project in Batu Arang.
* William Leong Jee Keen is the Member of Parliament for Selayang.
** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
