Sultan raps errant tour operators

IPOH: Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah has taken tour operators to task for not respecting rules and regulations set by the authorities and which could lead to the destruction of the ecosystem of Pulau Sembilan State Park in Bagan Datoh.

He said excessive commercialisation of tourism products could damage the ecosystem and biodiversity of the area.

“The Perak government has made the right decision to close the park to tourists until (laws and) measures are introduced to protect the ecosystem. Tourism products related to nature should be protected from excessive commercial activities,” he said when opening the first meeting of the 5th session of the Perak Legislative Assembly, here yesterday.

Sultan Nazrin stressed on the importance of balanced development with the interaction between humans and environment.

“Studies have shown that 20 trees are needed to supply oxygen to an adult daily, and 0.405ha of trees provides oxygen to 18 adults in a year,” he said.

Sultan Nazrin also called on the people to protect the rivers, a crucial source of treated water for consumption.

“There are 11 river basins in Perak, covering an area of 80sq km. Some 35 rivers are exposed to pollution as they are close to industrial areas, development, land exploration, mining and logging activities.

“Checks revealed that 24 of the rivers were categorised as clean, 10 were slightly polluted, with one river classified as polluted.”

In addressing the waste management issue, Sultan Nazrin said the state government had to draw up plans to reduce waste and increase recycling rates.

“At the national level, an average of 33,000 tonnes of solid waste is disposed daily, making it 12 million tonnes every year.

“Waste disposal in the state increased by 20 per cent to 861,370 tonnes last year (compared with 2015). Public awareness on the damages to the environment caused by plastic waste must be given utmost priority. This is to minimise the use of plastic bags.”

Sultan Nazrin, in his address, also commended the state government’s solid performance with a recorded 5.7 per cent per cent economic growth last year and a