MALAYSIA
Klang Valley residents expressed concern over environmental damage that the Sungai Selangor dam project may cause. After experiencing dry taps in 1998, people of the Klang Valley made it clear that they want uninterrupted water supply no matter what it takes. "We regret that the normal water supply will be restored at the cost of losing primary jungle thus affecting the lives of thousands of people,' said Section 5 resident Derrick Fernandez. But Taman Serdang Utama residents' association vice-president A R Subbaraman said that if building the dam is the only way to overcome the problem, the sacrifice has to be made. Their reaction follows the Malaysian Nature Society's opposition towards the project on grounds that it threatens Kuala Selangor's ecosystem, especially the famous firefly colony.
The Selangor government, however, wants to go ahead with the project to meet the growing demand for water in the wake of receding levels in the dams of the Klang Valley, which saw water rationing being implemented. Government officials held a meeting with the residents to discuss the issue, even though the state is yet to give its final verdict. The meeting ended in a stalemate when the residents refused to budge from their stand. "We wanted the officers to tell the government that we do not want to move,' said Saleem Anak Anggong, a resident.
Related Content
- Fossil fuel subsidies and GHG emissions: firm-level empirical evidence from developing Asia
- Addressing climate change in Malaysia: a critical perspective on carbon pricing
- International labour migration in a changing climate: insights from Malaysia and Thailand
- Insurance to promote human-wildlife coexistence
- An assessment of wildlife trade between Madagascar and Southeast Asia
- WHO global report on sodium intake reduction