Bukit Kiara: Not All Is Well

One year after the infamous Bukit KIara fencing project was brought to a halt by then Housing and Local Government Minister Datuk Seri Chor Chee Heung, the Friends of Bukit Kiara (FoBK) received a letter from Jabatan Landskap Negara (JLN) that the fence would be completed, instead of removed…:-(

Again a protest march was organised, the third one, on 28 September 2013. I could not attend as I was traveling in Europe. According to a STAR report more than 2000 people took part in this peaceful demonstration

Protest walk

Did the walk have any positive effect? Not at all. Soon the bulldozers started again, trees were felled, access roads created, forest destroyed. This part of the fence is separating Bukit Kiara from the Sprint highway. Only bikers come here, they noticed that several of their trails were blocked and/or destroyed.

fencing

access road

Here is a map of Kiara with the fence. Thanks to TRAKS. The yellow part has been recently constructed. As you see, there is a tiny part of the park fenced in between the highway and the plot leased by Berjaya.

Kiara Map

In an earlier blog, called Birdbrains? , I had already explored this location, after the work was stopped. Here is a picture from that blog, showing that they were really planning to build the fence in this moronic way.

IMG_17011

Now that this part of the fence has been completed, I was of course curious to see if JLN had really continued this folly. They did, this is what I found

Kiara fence

Narrowing

Here are a few more pictures, taken recently during a hike with Dr Pola Singh.

I recorded our GPS track with EveryTrail:

everytrail

Click on the link Kiara Fence to follow our hike on EveryTrail.

Each red dot represents a picture

We started at the Sri Hartamas school

On our way back we went through the small gate and walked along the highway back to our car.

 

Personally I think that the fencing issue is a lost cause. JLN is not interested in any form of cooperation with the people who are using and loving Bukit Kiara.

More is happening these days. Bukit KIara is hilly, with some steep slopes along the access roads. Sometimes (minor) landslides happen. Like for example this one, last year, a relatively big one.

landslide

A few weeks ago JLN decided to solve this problem in a shocking, “maximal impact” way. Here are two pictures of the present situation. They call it slope reduction. Sarcastic comments galore: “If there is no landslide, JLN will create one” , “the rape of Bukit Kiara“, etc.

2013-11-15 08.29.57

slope reduction

The location where this “rape” is taking place, is indicated on the TRAKS map above in a brown color. This is the left one in the map. JLN must have been so happy with the result, that they have created a second one, along the tar road leading from the crossroads to the Equestrian club.

2013-12-07 10.11.25

2013-12-17 09.39.17

There are many similar slopes in Bukit Kiara, so the rape may go on. Felling the trees at this second “landslide creation”, one of the trees damaged the fence at the other side of the tar road. Divine justice?

Fence damage

 

This may give some hope for the future. I have seen more locations where fallen trees have damaged the fence.

As usual in Malaysia there is money available to build something, but no money is reserved for maintenance. If that is the case here, slowly the fence may disappear (maybe sometimes helped by volunteers, haha).

 

If you want to get regular updates about the Bukit Kiara situation, you should go to the TRAKS FB page and “like” it. Or visit their website.

You may have recognised the “Not All Is Well” in the blog title as a quote from Hamlet. In Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet continues: I doubt some foul play

5 thoughts on “Bukit Kiara: Not All Is Well

  1. Ah You Kawai Lo no understand. There is no money set aside for maintenance for good reason. This is so projeck can rosak again and then give out new kontrakt to crony again to rebuild and do new “naik taraf” projek again.

    This is why malaysia is most developed nation in the world. Develope again and again same location.

    This is why malaysian development is senseless. It is a way to channel money to cronies and get Hari Raya or Chinese NY angpow hamper from contractor

    • Truly “all is not well” the way the govt is running the country. It’s “do what it you can for the cronies and politicians, not what it can for the people”. Soldier on people.

  2. Jan, Pola and all,
    Many thanks for your great effort in highlighting the continual rape of Bukit Kiara, our last green lung in the city. I salute you for your perseverance, commitment and dedication to conservation of our environment. Please keep up the great effort and initiatives; you can always count on us for any support to a common cause.
    Merry Christmas & a safe and green 2014.

    Cheers,
    PK

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *