KUALA LUMPUR City Hall (DBKL) must step up maintenance of trees in the capital and surrounding areas to prevent any untoward incidents, resident and environmental groups say.
They said it is crucial that the city council step up checks on all trees considering recent incidents where trees were uprooted during storms, damaging vehicles parked near them.
Save Kuala Lumpur chairman M. Ali said more needed to be done after looking at the current bad weather conditions.
“You can’t see the situation in isolation. It’s got to be addressed holistically with all factors considered.
“It will boil down to poor planning, ignoring the environmental conditions,” he said.
Kuala Lumpur folk were recently shaken by incidents of trees being uprooted following thunderstorms.
On May 7, a 47-year-old man was killed when a huge tree came crashing down on vehicles along Jalan Sultan Ismail, in front of the Concorde Hotel, during an afternoon thunderstorm.
A 26-year-old man and an elderly Swede suffered injuries.
The fallen tree damaged 17 vehicles that were passing through the busy downtown road as well as a bus stop.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the tree was monitored by Menara IMC and was inspected by arborists registered with City Hall every two years.
“Sometimes trees appear healthy on the outside, but internally they are not, which is why it’s critical to establish proper guidelines.”
She said Kuala Lumpur City Hall will come up with new guidelines on tree management following the incident.
Thunderstorms over the last fortnight have also seen trees uprooted, disrupting traffic flow in the major arteries of the capital.
Ali said that if there is no change in the mindset and attitude of the local authority, nothing will change for the better.
“We strongly feel it’s the poor planning and the suspected corrupt system which have led to such a deteriorating situation.
“Accountability, monitoring and discipline will be major factors to bring about rationalisation for our environment.”
Ali felt trees at the roadside or parks are not maintained effectively and could do with more care.
“The pruning and trimming of trees are done haphazardly without due care to keep them to a proper size and shape.
“Often, they just knock off the lower branches and allow the top to keep growing.
“Invariably, there is no effective supervision by trained personnel but left to foreign workers (that too from contractors to several layers of sub-contractors).”
He added that accountability and responsibility in managing the trees are questionable.
“In the case of DBKL, I wonder what’s happened or happening to the Integrity Department?
“If the public (stakeholders) volunteer to act as a conduit to keep watch and report locations where attention is required, then there must be a positive response."
Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman said more proactive measures were needed by the authorities in the country.
“The local councils must integrate climate change concerns more seriously in all their plans and actions.
“The changing weather needs to be understood and the risks and vulnerabilities need to be considered better.”
She said it is important for local councils to have experts and advisers who can help build resilience in view of climate impacts on trees.
“The response is not just to cut trees or stop protecting them but more to put in place plans and measures that will ensure their protection and conservation.”
Meenakshi said local councils need more expertise on understanding climate change impacts and on how to increase resilience in cities including that related to trees.
“It should be part of local adaptation plans, which are critical to respond to climate impacts.” – June 3, 2024.
