Cease disastrous Bukit Kiara project to enable reforestation
FOR months, residents of the Jalan Abang Haji Openg neighbourhood in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, have been sounding the alarm about the land-clearing activities in Bukit Kiara.
Our warnings were dismissed, and early signs of soil instability were treated as mere inconveniences.
However, since the mud flood and partial collapse of a retaining wall on April 18, and further mud flooding on April 20, the situation has shifted from a local grievance to an environmental indictment.
National Landscape Department (JLN), the supposed “Guardians of Bukit Kiara,” has presided over a project that stands in total opposition to its own mandate.
What was once a lush, tranquil trail affectionately called “The Office” by hikers and cyclists – a place of birdsong and cool breezes – has been made barren.
Every tree was sacrificed for the convenience of a contractor, leaving the steep inclines of our beloved hill defenceless.
The relentless downpours, accompanied by thunder and lightning that have kept residents barricaded in their homes, are not mere weather events.
They are Mother Nature’s verdict.
By cutting into these steep slopes and replacing ancient roots with concrete foundations, JLN created a disaster that no amount of reactive cleaning can fix.
The hill is physically rejecting this construction. To persist with this project is to gamble with the lives and property of every resident living downslope.
The damage is not just environmental – it is financial.
Local real estate agents already report a significant drop in the value of houses along Jalan Abang Haji Openg.
Who will compensate these homeowners for the loss of their hard-earned equity?
Taxpayers are effectively being asked to fund the destruction of their own neighbourhood’s safety and net worth.
The time for better silt traps or reactive mitigation has passed.
We call for the immediate abandonment of this project as JLN must recognise that this course of action is untenable.
There is ample office space available nearby that does not require destruction of a forest.
There must be a shift from construction to rehabilitation.
Every ringgit earmarked for this “white elephant” office development should be redirected toward reforestation.
We must heal the wound and restore the natural canopy that protected this slope for decades.
We appeal for true leadership from those in power.
Real leadership is not about stubborn persistence in the face of failure; it is about having the courage to admit a mistake.
JLN, are you listening? The warnings have been loud and clear. We should not have to wait for a fatal landslide to prove what we already know.
It is time to pack in the machinery, retreat and let the healing of Bukit Kiara begin.
Dr Pola Singh
Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK) TTDI
