Despite numerous and
on-going objections, planning for the EKVE is moving steadily forward. While the EKVE is a federal project, the
Selangor State Government has given its approval in principle to the expressway
cutting through the Park back in April 2010.
The DEIA was approved in April 2013.
In April 2014, the Department of Environment Selangor has stated that the
Erosion Sedimentation Control Plan (ESCP) was approved by the DID Selangor and
the Wildlife Plan was approved by PERHILITAN.
The DOE Selangor has said they are currently waiting for the project
proponent to submit the final planning report – the Environment Management Plan. Once the DOE Selangor receives the EMP, they
expect to approve it within one month.
Considering
the construction of the East Klang Valley Expressway through the Selangor State
Park will jeopardise the already fragile state of our existing water resources,
we hope members of the State Government can clearly answer our questions:
1. Can the State Government please inform the
public hearing - exactly what stage is the project at?
-
What reports have been approved, what letters
by the state have been given?
-
What reports and approvals that are yet to be
done?
2. What are implications of the degazettement
and construction on the state’s authority and ability to enforce, monitor,
oversee the degazetted area and have a say in the type of development allowed?
3. What other developments are being targeted
within the vicinity of area that is proposed to be degazetted for the EKVE?
High
tension wires, petrol stations, rest stations, telecommunication towers, MRT
line, housing? Studies have
shown that 95 percent of forest loss occurs within 50 km of a road.
4. As the Landowner, has the State Government
seen the concession agreement? What are the implications on the land based on
the concession agreement?
For
example.
- The
50 year concession agreement - Both
the federal and state government have been silent about the concessionaire
agreement. According to an email that received received from YB William
(MP Selayang), Selangor State MPs and ADUNs has not seen it. What is in the agreement and what other
development is AZRB allowed to do – for example rest areas, petrol
stations, administrative buildings, pipelines
- Will
the concessionaire have the right to develop land along the expressway
without any restrictions or restricted development – What are the
conditions?
eg
Development of petrol stations, rest areas, buildings at toll plazas, pipelines
- What say will the State government have in the area, if it is degazetted, or after the highway is built?
5. What are the Facts to Show that the Area Proposed for
Degazettement and for the Construction of the EKVE Is No Longer Needed in Its
Role as Forest Reserves and Water Catchment Forest?
6.
How can the State Government justify jeopardising these water
catchment forests that are protecting our existing water supply by degazetting
the forest reserves and constructing the EKVE?
The Ampang
Intake plant supplies 19 million litres of potable water per day to 9,225
accounts in the Ampang area. The Ulu Gombak forest reserve is a catchment for
the Klang Gates Dam. The raw water from Klang Gates is piped to the Bukit Nanas
Water Treatment Plant to be treated. The capacity of the treatment plant is 145
million litres per day (mld) providing water for 98 square kilometres of the
City Centre.
The Selangor State Structure Plan states that all
existing main raw water resources have been fully used. While we are now
going to start importing water from the planned Kelau Dam in Pahang at huge
costs financially and environmentally, this project will only supplement our
existing water supply – not replace it.
7.
What Are
the Facts to Show that the EKVE Will Bring Greater Economic Benefit to the
State as Compared to the Economic Benefits the Affected Area Is Already
Bringing to the State as Water Catchment Forest? What about the Negative Economic impacts that
could result from the highway project?
The construction of a highway and its after effects will
result in soil erosion that will affect our water quality. The US Forest
Service economists have concluded that the value of non-extractive benefits
(including clean water supply, clean air and outdoor recreation) far outweighs
the value of extractive activities. By protecting pristine water catchment
forests, the city of New York is saving USD$4billion a year in filtration costs
alone. It would not be wrong to say the same would hold true for Malaysia.
Both the Ampang and Ulu Gombak forests are near pristine
state with the rivers feeding the Ampang Intake Point and the Klang Gates Dam
classified as Class 1 currently. While
the project proponent has proposed mitigation measures, the execution of these
measures may not provide ecosystem sustainability in the long run. It is a risk not worth taking.
The water crisis has had a negative economic impact on the
revenues of numerous factories, businesses and shops. According to the
Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), in a prolonged drought, the costs
could be as much as RM15 million daily.
A total of 821 project applications have been put on hold as of the end
of March in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya due to the shortage. In the long term, this will affect the
state’s image as a favourable investment hub, losing out to other states such
as Johor that is rich in water.
The water crisis is also increasing other environmental
issues that would have an adverse effect on the Selangor. For example, during the water rationing, many
shops and residences resorted to disposal packaging in the form of Styrofoam
and plastic to deal with the lack of water.
This will lead to increases in the cost and problems associated with
waste disposal in the state.
8. Why is
the Information on the Proposed Construction of the EKVE and Degazettement of
the forest reserves and Park not Published on the State Forestry Department and
State Government Website?
While the
Selangor Forestry Department posted notices of the plans to degazette sections
of the forest reserves, it was on an extremely limited basis, and information
relating to the planned degazettement was also extremely limited. Based on interactions with members of the
public in Gombak and Hulu Langat, 80% of the people asked were not aware of the
proposed expressway through the forests, and the plan to degazette parts of the
forest reserves for the construction of the expressway.
9.
Why did a
representative of the State Exco state that no water catchment forests would be
affected by Phase 1 of the EKVE?
State executive councillor for Youth, Sports and Public Amenities Dr
Ahmad Yunus Hairi said even though the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) of
the project was approved on April 25, the approval was limited only to 24.16km
of the stretch extending from Sungai Long Interchange to Ukay Perdana
Interchange, In reply to a question from Razaly Hassan (PAS-Dusun Tua),
"The state government has not granted approvals for the project
covering the area of Gombak and the water catchment areas," he said at the
state assembly sitting.”
Phase 1 of the EKVE will cut through the Ampang Forest Reseve. The
Ampang Forest Reserve is gazetted as a water catchment forest the Forestry
Department. The Ampang Forest
Reserve has been listed as an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) since the
Draft Structure Plan for Ampang came out in 1996(8).
10. Phase 2 is an inevitable outcome of
constructing Phase 1 of the EKVE, this was stated by a representative of State
Exco(below) Will this area also undergo
degazettement?
While the
DOE has stated that Phase 2 of the EKVE has not been approved, YB Iskandar
Abdul Samad, the chairman of Housing, Building and Urban Settler Management
Committee has been quoted saying:
“Another suggestion is to end the highway in
Ukay Perdana and upgrade the roundabout there but according to Iskandar, the expressway will lose its purpose if it
did not connect to the Universiti Islam Antarabangsa area.”
This implies that the State government is willing to
allow the expressway also run through a second water catchment forest – the Ulu
Gombak water catchment forest.
11. How is the EKVE inline with Selangor State
Government’s Push for Sustainable Transport & Development?
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