Former SPAN chairman Charles Santiago, who is also Klang MP, said that interfering with the area for property development would have dire consequences and called on Selangor menteri besar Amirudin Shari to reverse the decision.
“Selangor is already facing many challenges with regard to its water resources with very limited reserve margin, frequent disruptions due to pollution incidents and degradation of water sources.
“Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve stores more than 15 billion litres of water in its peat soil and supplements groundwater and surface water flow in adjacent areas. This important function will be totally disrupted by the proposed project,” he said at a press conference today.
He added that the public was still largely in the dark about the potential development, as neither an environmental impact assessment nor a feasibility study had been released.
“Just as the whole world is looking to build-back-better after the Covid-19 pandemic, Selangor seems intent on doing the opposite.”
On Monday, the Selangor state assembly was told that the state government had agreed to degazette 536.7 hectares of the Kuala Langat North Forest Reserve for redevelopment.
State executive councillor for environment Hee Loy Sian said the total area earmarked for redevelopment was now 54% of the 931.16 hectares that had been proposed earlier.
Hee added that 42.1 hectares out of the total area would be given to a private company, Gabungan Indah Sdn Bhd, for mixed development.
Meanwhile, another former commissioner Faizal Parish told the press conference today that the peatlands in the degazetted area were valuable stores of carbon dioxide, which would be released if the project went ahead.
Faizal, who is also a director of the Global Environment Centre, called Malaysia’s current pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 45% compared to 2005 levels a “significant commitment,” but one that could “only be achieved by protecting forests and peatlands”.
“What we are seeing here is the total opposite (of a low carbon strategy). We are taking a natural ecosystem which is the most important and most efficient store of carbon (dioxide) that we have in the world in peatlands, and we are going to release all the carbon (dioxide).
“We estimate approximately 3.2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide would be released if this area is developed as proposed.”
Further, he contested an assertion made during the announcement of the degazetting that the Orang Asli would not be affected as none were living in the area in question.
He said that while many communities had been resettled to the outskirts of the reserve, much of the affected areas were still rightfully theirs to use, with Orang Asli communities neighbouring the proposed development area relying on the natural resources provided by the forest for food, water and other supplies.