REFUSE INCINERATOR AT TOH TUCK ROAD

Mr Ng Kah Ting asked the Minister for Law and the Environment when the incinerator at Toh Tuck Road will be completed and at what cost; whether pollution of the atmosphere by the incinerator which will give rise to concern is being looked into; what benefits this incinerator will bring; and, with its completion, whether refuse dumping at the Tampines dumping ground will cease altogether to ensure the return of marine life to Serangoon River,

The Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office (Haji Ya'acob Bin Mohamed) (for the Minister for Law and the Environment): (In Malay): Mr Speaker, Sir, the incinerator at Toh Tuck Road is expected to be completed by early 1979 and costs about $85 million. A loan of US$25 million has been obtained from the World Bank to meet part of the cost. Construction .is in progress. Three main contracts for the civil works and the mechanical and electrical equipment have been awarded.

Adequate safeguards against noise and air pollution will be provided. The incinerator plant will have electrostatic dust filters capable of removing about 99% of air pollutants and a 150 metre high chimney. These anti-pollution measures estimated to cost about $6 million will ensure that the smoke from the plant will comply fully with the Clean Air Act.

To conserve energy, the waste heat from the plant will be used to generate 11 MW of electricity. Part of this electricity will be used by the plant itself and the surplus power sold to the Public Utilities Board. The plant will also have facilities to recover ferrous metal from the refuse.

Swamp land for dumping of refuse is scarce; the incinerator will reduce the volume of refuse it burns by 90% and is the best way of disposing the growing volume of refuse. At present about 2.000 tonnes of refuse is disposed of at our dumping grounds. This quantity is expected to increase to 2,300 tonnes a day in 1979 when the incineration plant is commissioned. The plant will be able to burn 1,200 tonnes of refuse a day, and the rest will continue to be disposed of at the two existing dumping grounds at Tampines and Lim Chu Kang.

The dumping ground at Tampines is provided with proper earth bunds to prevent solid waste from going into the Serangoon River. The refuse is covered each day with earth to minimise pollution. As such the dumping ground should not have too serious an effect on the marine life in the river.