Quick Summary of Findings - MAHSA Students' Survey

Quick Summary of the Findings from the Students’ Survey:

A small team of students from the Faculty of Denistry in MAHSA University ran a survey among visitor to the Kanching Recreational Forest.  Here is a quick summary of what they found out.

Findings On the Park:

·       Most visitors did not know the existence of Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor as a whole or that Sungai Kanching belonged to Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor before agreeing to participate in our survey. Most of them knew that Sungai Kanching was a recreational park. Some of them thought that Sungai Kanching was Templer Park.

·       Before the survey, most visitors did not know that Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor was a major water catchment area for a large area of Selangor even though they knew some of the dams.

·       Most visitors did know that is it important to protect our forests.

Findings On Cleanliness of Park areas:

·       Regarding rubbish disposal, collecting the rubbish and disposing them back at home was preferred by the most number of visitors followed by packing up the rubbish and disposing them into the provided rubbish bins at entrance area, not near waterfall. It is also noteworthy that some visitors complain of monkeys ransacking the rubbish bins provided.

·       Most visitors are well aware that improper disposal of waste can lead the diseases, especially leptospirosis.

·       Most visitors agreed that there were lots of rubbish in the picnic areas even though rubbish bins were provided.

In conclusion, most visitors did not know about the existence of Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor, but most seemed to think it is important to protect the forest.  Most visitors stated that a good solution to the rubbish problem would be to pack your rubbish and take it home with you, yet there is still a lot of rubbish, leading us to believe that very few people follow their own advice.

Suggestions to Improve the Park:

1.  Set up more sign boards with directions to guide visitors during their hike.
2. Advise visitor not to feed the monkeys, which would attract more of them. Moreover, feeding the monkeys make them to be fearless of humans.
3. The authorities should fine people who litter and pollute the river.
4. The authorities should be strict on the act of visitors of Sg. Kanching.
5.  The authorities can educate people who visit Sg. Kanching to dispose their trash properly.
6.  The authorities should set up a deposit system for rubbish, like at Taman Negera.  If you bring out your rubbish, you will get your cash deposit back.
7. Clean up the mud to free up spaces for visitors to park their cars.

Another Sad Day - Amendments to MPAJ 2020 Local Plan Approved

The month-long Klang Valley water crisis last year spurred the Selangor government to look for new sources of raw water, such as converting old mining ponds in Bestari Jaya into reservoirs.

And yet the Selangor government has approved the degazettement of106.65ha of the Ampang Forest Reserve, a pristine water catchment forest, for the construction of the EKVE.  Furthermore, the Selangor State Planning Committee, chaired by the MB, approved the amendments to the Local Plan MPAJ 2020, on 2 June 2015,  the final step in government approvals, giving the EKVE the green light to begin construction.

Forest reserves should not be viewed as a cheap or convenient source of land for highway concessionaires. It is, in fact, the costliest land as it provides environmental and ecological life support to the urban population, and it can never be replaced once destroyed – says Derek Fernandez, a lawyer and former Petaling Jaya councillor.

Given the important role of the affected areas as water catchment, the Anti-KIDEX group have also added their voice of support in questioning the Selangor government’s approval of this highway project.

The inclusion of the highway in the Ampang Jaya Local Plan now legally allows the project to proceed unhindered, as the local plan is a public declaration by the Ampang Jaya Municipal Council (MPAJ) that the project is be part of the municipality’s future development blueprint.

Some 200,000 residents in Ukay Perdana, Ampang, are also shocked that the Selangor state government has approved the changes to the alignment of the EKVE.  The Bukit Antarabangsa resident task force-EKVE said the 32 Residents' Associations within the enclave of Bukit Antarabangsa, Ukay Perdana, and Ukay Bistari are against the sudden approval of the design of the EKVE, which will now exit through their neighbourhood. Furthermore, it appears that the EKVE alignment through this area will take over land that has been reserved for LRT stations, leaving no space for future public transport.

The EKVE was awarded via direct tender to Ahmad Zaki Resources Berhad.  Given the push for increased public transportation, and the fragile state of the Klang Valley’s water supply, the Federal and Selangor State Governments must explain and justify why they support and approve the project.

References:

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/citynews/city/article/wrong-to-allow-ekve-highway-to-cut-through-ampang-forest-says-expert

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/what-you-think/article/selangor-reps-must-state-their-stand-on-ekve-sntk

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/new-selangor-highway-will-destroy-water-source-warns-green-group

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1449047

http://www.thesundaily.my/news/1433059

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/residents-take-mb-to-task-over-ekve-project