Risk of peRmanent habitat loss
Potential bus suppliers to showcase electric, biodiesel technology at pilot test
JUST a stone’s throw away from the Templer Park Forest Reserve is the bustling Rawang town. Once, it was the main crossover to northern states. Today, the town has become a centre of activities for Rawang folk.
It now has many new shoplots, a medical centre and housing estates. More visible are the fast food chains that have opened up and the delivery riders waiting for the food to be delivered to Rawang folk.
If you take a short drive towards west using the trunk road leading to Kuala Selangor, you will pass the PLUS exit (Rawang toll booth). There, you will notice that the entire landscape has changed. You will see excavators, lorries, road barriers and workers busy upgrading roads.
This stretch from Rawang town to the cement factory towards Country Homes Rawang, a residential township, is the talk of the town due to the massive traffic jams that occur there everyday. The authorities have started upgrading the stretch to ease the traffic jams and reduce the difficulties faced by the people of Rawang.
After passing through the area, one can feel an increase in dust and heat caused by the upgrading work on the roads. Everywhere, road barriers and red soil dug up by excavators line the roadside.
Further down the road, one will cross into the township of Tasik Puteri, where a housing developer has launched two residential projects that are M1 and M2.
The entire landscape has changed when one drives through this road. One used to be able to see green trees on both sides and the air used to be more soothing. But now, due to rapid development, this stretch has changed
drastically as it makes way for development.
Travellers used to see monkeys along the road, waiting at roadsides hoping for passers-by to feed them. Some monkeys have babies clinging
to them as they sit on the trees. These are long-tailed macaques, a small, mischievous species with an extraordinarily long tail.
Sadly, now that their natural habitat has shrunk due to rapid development, most of these monkeys now can’t find fruit trees or wait at roadsides for kindhearted drivers to give them food. Some trespass into nearby neighbourhoods and ransack homes for food.
In the old days, you can hardly see vehicles passing through this road. It was the main road leading to Ijok and Kuala Selangor. At night, the entire road would be pitch black and only the headlights of cars illuminate the path.
If you are lucky, you can see wild boars, snakes or tapirs crossing the road. It’s beautiful to watch these creatures when they cross your headlight in the dark. Today, we can only see signboards that warn us about wildlife crossings.
Habitat loss poses a great threat to many species. The world’s forests, swamps, plains and lakes continue to disappear as they are harvested for human consumption and cleared to make way for agriculture, housing, roads, pipelines and other development.
Without a strong plan to protect terrestrial and marine areas, important ecological habitats will continue to be lost.
The authorities and developers must work together to prevent loss or damage to natural habitats.
Once the ecological impact sets in, reviving the area will be very difficult and the loss of animal species will be severe.
Rawang, Selangor
NewStraitsTimes .
THE Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Iskandar Malaysia, Johor will likely cost about RM2.5 billion ahead of its planned rollout in 2023.
The BRT will undergo a threemonth pilot test next month, which will see nine potential bus suppliers from four countries demonstrating the latest green technology, including electric and biodiesel.
Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) chief executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim said the project will be executed via a public-private sector partnership.
“About RM1 billion (of the estimated RM2.5 billion) will come from the government.
“There may be some tweaking, taking into account the rising cost of materials. We will ensure the funds are enough for the project to be successful,” he said at a virtual briefing yesterday.
Ismail said the nine bus suppliers from Malaysia, China, Sweden and Spain have submitted their bids.
A study will also be undertaken by the Malaysia Institute of Transport to assess their performance.
“While the government focuses on the infrastructure, we will select
the bus operators.”
The pilot test will be conducted along Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar between Horizon Hill and Anjung in Medini.
“An efficient and integrated public transport is a catalyst for attracting foreign and domestic investments into the region. We are confident that the BRT will enhance mobility by providing first and last-mile connectivity for Iskandar Malaysia.”
Ismail said Iskandar Malaysia cumulatively attracts RM24 billion in investments annually, or
between 7.5 per cent and 8.5 per cent growth.
“We target to achieve about RM383 billion of investments by 2025.”
He said Irda recorded RM24 billion of investments last year.
As of Dec 31 last year, Irda has secured a total of RM340.4 billions of investments in Iskandar Malaysia.
Meanwhile, BRTIM Sdn Bhd head Rudyanto Azhar said Iskandar Malaysia will have a bigger population by 2025.
BRTIM is a company set up to
develop and manage the BRT.
“The BRT is the preferred transit mode for the region under the Iskandar Malaysia Transportation Blueprint 2010-2030 because it is strategic, sustainable and more cost-effective to build than rail,” Rudyanto said.
There will be 55 feeder and 44 direct services, bringing the total network coverage to 2,051km or about 90 per cent of the populated area of Iskandar Malaysia.
The main line spans 54.92km across Skudai, Tebrau and Iskandar Puteri.