‘No guidelines’ on campsites

Early warning: Contractors installing a ‘Real-Time Monitoring Device’ at the Father’s Organic Farm landslide site to detect soil movement in the area. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Selangor has no specific guidelines to regulate campsites and the state government will only now work with the Tourism Ministry to draw them up.

One of the items under the proposed guidelines would be to not allow tents to be set up at the foot of a slope.

“There will be a minimum buffer zone, between the slope and the campsite,” said state exco man Hee Loy Sian.

The tourism, environment, green technology and Orang Asli affairs committee chairman said the absence of guidelines had caused confusion among the people, with many blaming the state government for the tragedy in Batang Kali.

He said the state could not take action against the land owner because there were no guidelines preventing the setting up of tents on private premises.

“Camping, specifically ‘glamping’ activity, became famous during the Covid-19 pandemic.

“It is a new activity and a booming one too.

“Many land owners, especially those near forested areas are now offering this form of eco-tourism product, and people are willing to pay high prices to spend the night in natural surroundings,” he said.

(Glamping is a blend of ‘glamorous’ and ‘camping’.)

Hee said it would soon be compulsory for all campsite operators to get approval from the local authority.

“We need to control the camping activity,” he said after the Karnival Bumi Hijau closing ceremony in Kampung Bukit Angkat in Kajang.

After the landslide on Friday, it was revealed that the owner of the farm was operating the campsite without a licence.

Hee said there were many camping and glamping sites in the state, specifically in Hulu Selangor, Gombak and Hulu Langat.

Malaysian Geotechnical Society (MGS) president Lee Peir Tien said proper guidelines and policies for campsite developments are urgently needed due to the rising popularity of such activity in high-risk areas like hill slopes, waterfalls and rivers.

“It is believed that most campsites or farmstays are located on agricultural land, which only have licences to operate agriculture activities,” he said.

Lee also said Malaysia could learn from Hong Kong in terms of installing early warning systems at high-risk areas as one of the efforts to mitigate the effects of erosion.