KUALA Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will install 200 sensors as part of a real-time monitoring effort to detect risky trees in the capital.
Kuala Lumpur mayor Datuk Seri Fadlun Mak Ujud said the initiative marks the second phase of the city's urban tree management programme, following the successful mapping of 25,000 trees carried out earlier this year with funding from the Digital Ministry.
He said the mapping exercise allowed the City Hall to assess the health of trees across the city and identify those requiring closer monitoring.
"We will install at least 200 sensors on selected trees, about 1.2m above the ground and connect them to our control centre.
"The system will provide real-time indicators of a tree's condition.
“This will allow us to take immediate action if a tree is detected to pose a risk,” he said when met by reporters at the launch of Taman Tugu Plot Adoption Programme on Saturday (Aug 22).
Fadlun said the sensors would be installed in areas with mature trees, including long-standing specimens along Jalan Ampang, with the emphasis on preservation rather than removal.
"If a tree is still healthy, we will preserve it by supporting branches that have the potential to fall instead of cutting the tree down outright," he added.
The mayor further noted that DBKL plans to plant 200 trees and will seek funding to support the implementation.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Hannah Yeoh, meanwhile, expressed commitment to ensure that Kuala Lumpur's green spaces remain safeguarded.
"I do not want to see any future attempts to take away our green areas for development.
"Commercial development in the city is already sufficient, and more focus should be given on greening the capital," she said.
Yeoh added that her ministry had contributed RM50,000 towards tree planting and maintenance at Taman Tugu, with DBKL matching the allocation.
The plot adoption programme brought together government agencies, corporate partners, community groups and members of the public to restore and maintain the urban forest.
Under the initiative, each 9sqm plot will be planted with native Malaysian forest tree species to help preserve Taman Tugu's natural ecosystem.
