Search Articles

Find tips, tools and how-to guides on every aspect of property

Saving Klang Gates Quartz Ridge good move, says environmentalist

test

© Sasin Tipchai/ 123RF

18 April, KUALA LUMPUR – An environmentalist has hailed the government move to leave untouched the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge in Gombak, Selangor, under the renegotiated East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project.

Andrew Sebastian, who is also a naturalist and an established certified nature and bird guide, said “Protecting the quartz ridge should not have been even a consideration; it should always be protected”.

The 16-km long and 200-metre wide pure quartz dyke, the longest of its kind in the world, would have been a major environmental casualty under the ECRL project originally proposed by the previous government.

It would have involved tunnelling through the country’s mountain ranges, including the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, at a huge cost to the environment.

Last Monday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad announced the new deal that the current government had renegotiated with the Chinese government after postponing the project due to its high cost.

Following nine months of renegotiation, the government reduced the cost significantly by RM21.5 billion, bringing down the cost from the original RM65.5 billion to RM44 billion. The alignment, shortened by 40 km to 648 km, will also see the number of stations reduced from 26 to 20.

Environmental factors were also considered in the new ECRL alignment, Dr Mahathir had said when announcing the resumption of the rail link project.

Andrew welcomed the new rail system linking the Klang Valley with the east coast, saying that it is much-needed and timely and that it will provide a clean and efficient way of travel both for people and in the transportation of goods.

However, he said, serious consideration must be given to the environment during the implementation of the project.

“The environmental cost of such a large project must be carefully contained and there must be transparency in terms of how much land will be used and, most of all, they must not take down any forest or forested areas in the process,” said Andrew, a law graduate who also writes the Eco Journey column for the NAM News Network (NNN) website under the Bernama International News Service.

“The idea to protect ecosystems like the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge is a very good mandate and assurance that has been given, but other places like permanent forest reserves, river reserves, corridor connectors, such as from one forest complex to another, must be taken into consideration as well.

“The ECRL project must have a very, very high standard of environmental planning, execution and monitoring,” he said.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Bernama quoted Department of Environment (DOE) director-general Datuk Dr Ahmad Kamarulnajuib Che Ibrahim as saying that the DOE had not set any date for the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report from the Federal Government on the new alignment of the ECRL.

“The EIA report can be submitted if the Federal Government is ready to present it to the DOE. No final date has been fixed for the submission,” he said.

– BERNAMA

Disclaimer: The information is provided for general information only. iProperty.com Malaysia Sdn Bhd makes no representations or warranties in relation to the information, including but not limited to any representation or warranty as to the fitness for any particular purpose of the information to the fullest extent permitted by law. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided in this article is accurate, reliable, and complete as of the time of writing, the information provided in this article should not be relied upon to make any financial, investment, real estate or legal decisions. Additionally, the information should not substitute advice from a trained professional who can take into account your personal facts and circumstances, and we accept no liability if you use the information to form decisions.

More Articles