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CONSERVATION
@ Forest | July-August , 2021
Temporary site & sales building .
Step forward please !
Will the guy in charge of environmental sustainability in my locality please raise his hand ?
BY THE GREEN DUDE
SINCE highlighting this issue in my last article , it seems nothing has changed regarding the continued assault on the remaining green lungs in Ampang .
Anyone passing along the MRR2 past the Petron Station before the junction of Jalan Wangsa 1 , which is the only other access road up to Bukit Antarabangsa , can attest to it . And just a few metres after that , another massive green jungle has already been cleared for another project .
Obviously , this seemingly continued indifference both by the MPAJ and the Selangor government has raised the ire of the affected residents over safety and property values .
Instead of witnessing a Statewide enlightened environmental and community-friendly development with embedded sustainability , one sees the unmistakable footprints of overbearing developers in the light of the missing EIA , TIA and SIA reports .
Thus , the continued absence of these bedrock reports before approval throws the inevitable question of whether MPAJ is discharging its regulatory mandate .
It must be stressed the onus of availing these reports is on MPAJ . If these reports were indeed available , why are they not being shared with concerned residents despite repeated demands ?
Consequently , the less than forthright sharing of these vital reports ( if ever they existed ) gives the unfortunate impression of discrepancies , anomalies and shortcomings in the administration , implementation and enforcement of policies by the authorities .
Of course , residents are clamouring for transparency to avoid innuendos or impressions of wrongdoings . Suffice it to say , it is in the absolute interest of MPAJ to clear the air by sharing the said reports .
Recalling a Zone 5 residents meeting with the developers of Lot 850 in 2015 , it was highlighted that a few years before , a massive landslide had occurred on Jalan Wangsa 1 . It needed expensive repair work and realignment of the road . This also led to the designation of this whole hilly area as environmentally sensitive .
Given the area here is also home to various fauna and flora , including the endangered serows ( mountain goat ) species , a network of underground streams . The porous soil condition makes it very sensitive to soil movements from any construction or development work .
Interfering with the fragile environment
As mentioned in the previous article , during massive rainfalls , water will gush out of the slopes onto the main road of Jalan Wangsa 1 , which may