Jul 16, 2010
Deforestation rife at Paya Indah Wetlands
VARIOUS forms of deforestation have been taking place around the Paya Indah Wetlands in Sepang, says Selangor environment committee chairman Elizabeth Wong.
Wong said open burning had topped the list of activity in the area as farmers had been clearing the land to plant new crops.
She said illegal sand mining had also been around for more than a decade.
“Housing projects have also been approved in the area,’’ she said while replying to an initial question from Hasiman Sidom (BN-Morib).
Wong said the state government had taken various measures to control the situation such as clamping down on illegal sand mining, taking action against those involved in open burning and barring future development.
“We are still waiting for instruction from the Attorney-General’s office to take the culprits to court,’’ she said, adding that the state government was determined in keeping the situation under control.
“We need the cooperation of all parties and agencies, including the Federal Government to resolve the issues.
“On our part, the state will continue to ensure that all activities in such areas are in line with the Environment Management Plan (EMP),’’ she added.
To an earlier question from Hasiman, Wong said the state was awaiting grant from the Federal Government to carry out development on the Morib beach.
She said a RM6mil development budget for Morib had been approved.
“We will carry out the development once we have got the money. The state had spent millions of ringgit on such development in the past and we do not want to repeat the same mistakes,’’ she said.
Wong also claimed that the Barisan Nasional had wasted a lot of money on tourism projects in Selangor. She said they had carried out a lot of projects that had failed to meet the goal.
“We have been prudent in our spending and will continue to do so to ensure that funds are well managed and the state remain financially strong,’’ she added.
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