(MY) condo on Cameron Highlands.

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Condo project may disturb Cameron’s fragile ecosystem

TANAH RATA, Aug 20:

 

Aug 21: Residents here are worried that a condominium project which has

been given the go-ahead will threaten the highland’s fragile ecosystem and

their quality of life.

 

Their nightmare began in March this year following a Cabinet decision to

allow five apartment projects to proceed after the developers amended their

building plans to avoid any construction on Class IV slopes.

 

The five were part of the eight projects frozen over a year ago pending a

study.

 

They were given the green light after meeting the guidelines on highlands

development.

 

Under the guidelines, development is completely banned on Class IV slopes,

categorised as having a gradient of 35 degrees or more.

 

However, the residents are determined to get the Government to reconsider

future developments in the highlands and stop further degradation.

 

Towards this end, the Society of Regional Environmental Awareness of Cameron

Highlands (Reach) has started a campaign to collect about 2,000 signatures

for a petition to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

 

" At present we have collected about 1,500 signatures and the move to get

more is on-going, " a Reach member, Jay Gomathi Richards said yesterday.

 

The petition aims to bring to the attention of the Prime Minister, Minister

of Science, Technology and Environment Datuk Law Hieng Ding and district

officer Haron Abdul Kader the residents' concern over the deplorable state

and continued degradation of Cameron Highlands. Jay said while residents

were overwhelmingly campaigning against the

development, one of the developers had started clearing the jungle near the

Heritage Hotel in Tanah Rata to build an access route to the project site.

 

" It seems the developer is in a hurry to start the project. We are not sure

why the rush, " another Reach member, Jason Chin said.

 

Chin used to work with the Malaysian Nature Society and was involved with a

study on ecosystem of the surrounding hills in Cameron Highlands.

 

He said the residential projects would damage some of the unique flora and

fauna found here. " The forest used to be part of the Mentigi Forest Reserve,

but has been degazetted for development, " he said, adding that if projects

were allowed to resume streams flowing

through the forest would be badly affected.

 

" These streams are a souce of water for areas such as Ringlet, Lembah Bertam

and Habu, " Chin said.

 

Meanwhile, when contacted this morning, Tanah Rata Assemblyman, who is State

Unity and Consumer Affairs Committee chairman, Datuk Law Kee Long said he

was unsure whether the project had been given the green light to resume.

 

 

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