The Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve in Sungai Buloh, Selangor has been a centre of granite rock production since 1992. It was gazetted as a production forest.
But then housing projects started coming up there in the early 2000s.
And over the past two decades, residents have had to deal with the challenges posed by their proximity to the production forest.
The residents are fed up with having to put up with air and noise pollution from neighbouring quarries.
A petition prepared by Persatuan Komuniti Rumah Teres Setingkat Taman Matang Jaya (PKRTSTMJ) highlighted residents’ concerns.
It has the signatures of representatives from nine surrounding neighbourhoods.
The association’s secretary Muhamad Abdul Muin said that quarry operations at the forest reserve beside the housing area was affecting residents’ health and jeopardising public safety due to the presence of a large number of heavy vehicles on residential roads.
Living in a dusty environment
Residents told StarMetro that a film of dust would coat their furniture within three days of being cleaned.
“Shuttering the doors does not help,” they said.
To prove his point, Muhamad showed the thick layer of dust at the community hall in Jalan Matang Jaya 5 despite the doors and windows having been shut tight.
Though situated over a kilometre away from the quarries, residents in Saujana Akasia have also described the dust problem as “very bad.”
Tan Kin Giou, a committee member of Saujana Akasia Residents Association (Sara), said they had even pooled their funds to build a 275m wall along Jalan Akasia 7 last year to block off the dust and noise.
But the wall was not able to address the large number of lorries going in and out of the quarries, causing damage to roads with their heavy loads.
“Hundreds of lorries use Jalan Impian and Jalan Matang Pagar on a daily basis.
“This is the cause of traffic congestion and potholes. “Over the years there have been accidents, some of them resulting in serious injuries,” said Tan.
Muhamad claimed that blasting activities had also damaged houses in Taman Matang Jaya.
“Owners of over 70 units have complained of wall cracks, broken roof tiles and damaged awnings due to flying debris from blasting activity.
“One year, a resident was hit by blast debris. The impact caused him to lose consciousness and stitches were required for his head wound,” Muhamad recounted.
On the petition prepared by PKRTSTMJ, the association’s former chairman Hasan Basri Khalil said it was delivered by hand to the local authority and quarry operators.
Among the demands was a requirement for each quarry company to provide dust control facilities such as tyre cleaning systems for lorries before entering main roads and a fully functional sprinkler or spraying system to reduce air pollution.
To curb noise pollution, residents want quarry operations limited to weekdays (from 8am to 5pm) and a complete ban on weekends and public holidays.
Saujana Akasia RA president Ong Chau Oh said the problem was not so bad when he first moved in.
“That was because there were only, at most, two quarries operating here then.
“But today, the number of operators has increased.”
When the matter was brought to the attention of an elected representative about 10 years ago, they were told that the quarries were there before the housing development.
However, Ong maintained that no matter who came first, the quarries should fulfil their social responsibilities.
Quarry operators’ mitigation measures
In response to residents’ complaints on dust, blasting damage and congested roads, the Bukit Lagong committee of the Malaysia Quarries Association (MQA)
issued a statement reiterating that they are operating in a quarry zone gazetted by Selangor government.
For blasting operations, MQA said it was strictly regulated by the Mineral and Geoscience Department (JMG).
Controlled techniques are employed to minimise vibration, with advance notice provided to nearby residents, said the statement.
The committee said quarries operating in the forest reserve paid close to RM90,000 a year in assessment tax and quit rent to Selayang Municipal Council (MPS).
Collectively, these quarries contribute RM35mil to RM40mil annually in royalties to state coffers.
“MPS also mandates each quarry maintain a RM200,000 security deposit for licence renewal.
“This deposit is meant for road repairs.
“MPS has deducted RM82,246.62 from each quarry to carry out repairs to the road at the Jalan Impian tunnel under the North-South Highway.
“Before this, the five quarries had also fully funded road repairs along a similar stretch at a cost of nearly RM800,000.
“We completed major road resurfacing work in January 2026 and had previously (in mid-2025) reinforced with steel plates the area near the Impian Indah tunnel.
“The quarries have already spent some RM1.3mil on repairs for this specific road section,” it added.
In January this year, MPS called for a meeting to inform the quarries that a 2.5km stretch of public roads used by multiple heavy industries required resurfacing.
The MQA statement said the five quarries did not agree to another deduction from the “critical licence” deposits to solely fund this public road resurfacing.
“We believe a more equitable and sustainable solution is needed.
“Therefore, the five quarries have jointly proposed a corporate social responsibility initiative as a fair compromise.
“We have offered to contribute RM100,000 per quarry – totalling RM500,000 – to MPS specifically for resurfacing the road from Jalan BRP 7, starting at the three-way intersection of Persiaran Bukit Rahman Putra (BRP) 1 to Jalan Matang Pagar up to the Y-junction at Jalan Impian.
“We respectfully propose that the remaining costs be shared fairly by MPS and the other major industries that are primary users of this road, truly reflecting its status as essential public infrastructure,” it said.
On environmental care, the committee said they have dedicated water trucks and road sweepers daily from 8am to 6pm for dust mitigation purposes.
Additionally, a common vehicle washing bay at one of the junctions leading from the quarries will be funded and maintained collectively by all the operators.
To enable better engagement with the surrounding community, a WhatsApp group “Persatuan Penduduk dan Wakil Kuari” has been set up for residents to report issues like dust or traffic directly, ensuring prompt attention and resolution.
Authorities’ response
Selangor Forestry Department (JPNS) director Azhar Ahmad said the department had to date issued eight licences for quarry operations at the Bukit Lagong Forest Reserve.
However, three have yet to start operations. Each licence is valid for 30 years.
“Licence extensions are based on the volume of granite stones still available, determined from data supported by JMG.
“Some companies have applied for new approvals between 2018 and 2020 but their licences are still under process,” said Azhar.
“One of the licensing conditions is that blasting is only permitted twice a week,” he said.
Environmental impact assessment (EIA) and operating reports must be submitted to the Environment Department (DOE) and JMG every three months.
JPNS also conducts continuous monitoring of quarry operations through monthly reports, including the supervision of tax collection.
When contacted, MPS said it had conducted an inspection and monitoring visit at a quarry site recently involving its Licensing, Enforcement and Security, Solid Waste Management, and Health departments.
During the inspection, one of the premises was ordered to cease operations for failing to renew its business licence for 2026.
MPS said its relevant departments would continue regular monitoring to ensure quarry operators complied with dust-control measures along the main route, including the Impian Indah tunnel area, to minimise nuisance to nearby residents.
It further stated that it had taken note of the offer from the five quarries to contribute RM100,000 each for resurfacing works on the said stretch.
On the proposal for other major industries to share the remaining cost, MPS said the details would be worked out once the final repair costs were confirmed.
