KLANG: The Selangor government will instruct the relevant departments to investigate allegations of illegal forest clearing activities in the Batu 18 area of Hulu Langat.
Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari said he will ask the departments involved, such as the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) or the Selangor State Forestry Department, to investigate the matter to determine whether it is one of the factors contributing to the recurring floods in that area.
"We will look at what happened first. We will ask the departments involved to investigate; those matters related to river reserves will be handled by the DID, and if forest matters, then the Forestry Department will take action,” he said.
He said this after attending the Koperasi Serbaguna Anak-Anak Selangor Berhad (Kosas) Golden Jubilee Dinner here yesterday, which was also attended by Kosas chairman Datuk Md Aini Taib and about 3,000 cooperative members.
Amirudin said the frequent flooding incidents stem from Phase 2 of the Sungai Langat Flood Mitigation Project, which has not yet been completed and is still at the design stage.
"The project is still at the design stage, and if it can be completed, I believe it will resolve the recurring flood problem. Because the water flow in the area will be directed to Kuala Langat and Sepang.
"I will monitor this myself so that it is completed on schedule, in addition to finding an immediate solution to prevent this flood problem from recurring,” he said.
Regarding Kosas, Amirudin expressed confidence in its strength in investment, saying it has shown good results and returns for its cooperative members.
"Many new cooperatives have been established, some for a long time already. We will identify 10 or 20 cooperatives that are role models that we can expand and match with new cooperatives because this model has been very successful in Japan in agriculture, food and supply security. This will also be part of our strategy in 2026.
"They have already invested in the property, tourism and plantation sectors and succeeded. In fact, they are even providing good returns to their members,” he said.
He added that the success of Kosas, which now marks its 50th anniversary, is due to efficient management and good governance, which have led to increased confidence among members to continue investing. - Bernama
