THE Selangor state government’s tenacity in degazetting and destroying forest reserves for tolled highway projects is an outrage to the principles of integrity, transparency and environmental responsibility it had promised it would uphold.
The East Klang Valley Expressway would brutalise the Ulu Gombak and Ampang forests, fragmenting wildlife habitats and destroying vital watershed areas.
The proposed Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway would bisect and destroy more green lungs, including Bukit Saga, a nature spot beloved by hikers and campers, while the proposed Damansara-Shah Alam Highway would cut through the Bukit Cherakah and Sungai Buloh forest reserves.
The destruction of these forest reserves will result in more dry spells and poorer water and air quality. Building roads through forested areas would increase wildlife mortality, provide access to loggers, poachers and hunters, and increase pollution.
No amount of tree-planting and environmental awareness campaigns can compensate for the loss of vital forest reserves.
The solution to traffic problems is not to increase highways but to create solid, functional alternatives to driving and private vehicle ownership. A reliable and extensive public transport system and increased road safety will benefit human populations and reduce harm to the environment, cost less and take less time to implement than building more highways.
Malaysia has the infrastructure and resources to create an efficient and practical public transport system, but we need to improve our service and maintenance culture.
We need the political will to reduce environmental damage and stop wasting public funds on unnecessary highway projects.
Wong Ee Lynn
Coordinator
Green Living Special Interest Group
Malaysian Nature Society
The East Klang Valley Expressway would brutalise the Ulu Gombak and Ampang forests, fragmenting wildlife habitats and destroying vital watershed areas.
The proposed Sungai Besi-Ulu Klang Elevated Expressway would bisect and destroy more green lungs, including Bukit Saga, a nature spot beloved by hikers and campers, while the proposed Damansara-Shah Alam Highway would cut through the Bukit Cherakah and Sungai Buloh forest reserves.
The destruction of these forest reserves will result in more dry spells and poorer water and air quality. Building roads through forested areas would increase wildlife mortality, provide access to loggers, poachers and hunters, and increase pollution.
No amount of tree-planting and environmental awareness campaigns can compensate for the loss of vital forest reserves.
The solution to traffic problems is not to increase highways but to create solid, functional alternatives to driving and private vehicle ownership. A reliable and extensive public transport system and increased road safety will benefit human populations and reduce harm to the environment, cost less and take less time to implement than building more highways.
Malaysia has the infrastructure and resources to create an efficient and practical public transport system, but we need to improve our service and maintenance culture.
We need the political will to reduce environmental damage and stop wasting public funds on unnecessary highway projects.
Wong Ee Lynn
Coordinator
Green Living Special Interest Group
Malaysian Nature Society