KUALA LUMPUR – Landslide-prone Federal Hill could face the same fate as the tragedy in Batang Kali if the local government refuses to learn from mistakes, environmental and heritage groups have warned.
Pointing to the possibility of a natural underground waterway in the area, the groups stated that a proposed mixed development is of deep concern especially in light of landslides that occurred during last year’s December downpour.
“We are wondering what the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and KL mayor’s stand on hillside and slope projects on the fragile hill is. We cannot afford another calamity notably in this green lung close to the city centre,” said Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) senior adviser and former president Tan Sri Salleh Mohd Nor.
He asserted that a spring water site on the hill, which is also known as Bukit Persekutuan, has been recognised as one of the few natural springs in the inner city of Kuala Lumpur.
“For example, look at Sg Bras-Bras, located behind MNS headquarters here in Bukit Persekutuan and it has yet to dry up for many years.
“So, we can’t understand why DBKL has allowed such development in this area since this is a mature secondary forest and it protects adjacent areas from rapid rainfall runoff and flooding, erosion and landslides, particularly in cases of inappropriate development,” Salleh said.
In a joint press conference with the International Council on Monuments and Sites (Icomos) this afternoon, former MNS board of trustees chairman John Koh said prolonged rain twelve months ago had resulted in massive landslides at Lorong Travers, Jalan Kelantan and Persiaran Negeri Sembilan – the spot earmarked for development.
“In December 2021, a condominium at the hillock at the back of Federal Hill was badly hit with landslides and it was not spared from torrents of mudflows. Tenants had to be evacuated because of the danger,” he said.
In the incident at Batang Kali last Friday (December 16), a giant landslide hit a camping site where 94 people were present. A total of 24 are confirmed dead while nine are still missing.
The Vibes has previously reported on fears that a move to exclude the hill from the Kuala Lumpur Structural Plan 2040 draft left it vulnerable to commercial exploitation.
Gazette area as heritage, green lung site
Icomos’ immediate past president Datuk Hajeedar Abdul Majid has called for the authorities to halt any development and conduct a thorough review of the area.
“Icomos together with MNS are calling for Federal Hill to be gazetted into a green lung and heritage site which will create a green network linking the hill to Lake Carden and Tugu Kebangsaan,” Hajeedar said.
Salleh also urged the authorities to preserve the 70-ha hill as a world-class conservation showcase, one that could be placed on par with Hyde Park in London and Central Park in New York.
“We have proposed a couple of times to the government that Federal Hill be formally gazetted, and turned into a world-class conservation, recreational, heritage site,” he said, adding that it was accessory to support the KL Low-Carbon Society Blueprint for 2030.
“This proposal, if accepted, will propel KL further as a green city,” said MNS senior adviser Salleh.
Salleh explained that MNS was instrumental in creating five walking and educational trails at the Urban Community Forest on the hill – named the Heritage, Thurnbergia, Jungle Fowl, Cempedak and Pulai trails for recreational and educational purposes for school children and residents.
“We feel the urban park with the highest elevation of 110m above sea level should be recognised as ‘highland’,” he said.
It is learned that MNS has made repeated calls to the government to consider gazetting Federal Hill as a green lung to prevent it from being overtaken by development projects.
The hill, located opposite KL Sentral and a stone’s throw away from Muzium Negara and Lake Gardens, was originally established in 1896 as a residential area with bungalows to house high-ranking government officers serving the British colonial masters.
In 1952, the hill was inscribed as Bukit Persekutuan in conjunction with the formation of the Federation of Malaya in 1948. – The Vibes, December 19, 2022
