Link to article:http://star-space.com/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/10/plegal/21494816&sec=plegal
Despite tragedies that have occurred incessantly, such as the collapse of the Highland Tower on 11 December 1993 and the Hulu Klang hill slope landslide in June 2006, hill slope development is still rampant in the Klang Valley particularly with the scarcity of land. A stark example is along Jalan Kuari in Cheras where extensive tracts of once beautiful lush forests have been cleared, only to have concrete blocks of flats erected in their place.
Hill slope development could cause adverse environmental impacts such as:
· Slope erosion - Site clearing during earthwork activity can result in the removal of
vegetation and the creation of cleared surfaces, which become vulnerable to the erosive action of rain and surface runoff.
· Slope stability – Land forms are the product of the local balance between weathering, erosion and deposition and are continuously evolving. Natural slopes that have been stable for years may suddenly fail because of development activities on hills.
Hill slope development could cause adverse environmental impacts such as:
· Slope erosion - Site clearing during earthwork activity can result in the removal of
vegetation and the creation of cleared surfaces, which become vulnerable to the erosive action of rain and surface runoff.
· Slope stability – Land forms are the product of the local balance between weathering, erosion and deposition and are continuously evolving. Natural slopes that have been stable for years may suddenly fail because of development activities on hills.
· Landscape impacts - Construction on hills will bring about a change in the landscape and will thus have a visual impact on landscape quality.
. Loss of ecological habitat
. Loss of ecological habitat
· Annoying noise levels from construction and transportation activities
· Vibration associated with piling, vehicular movement and blasting
· Wastewater and solid waste disposal.
Realizing the adverse impacts of hill slope development, it is a heartening news for public in Selangor where the new state government has announced a ban on development on hill slopes of Class 3 (gradient > 25%) and Class 4 (gradient > 35%), for fear of landslides. This guideline for sure will reduce the occurrence of adverse impacts as mentioned above, land slides, tragedies, and to conserve our environment.
However, the implementation of such guideline may indirectly affect the pricing of housing in Selangor. A blanket ban on development of Class 3 and Class 4 land would cause a serious scarcity of land in Selangor and thus will cause the price of housing to escalate tremendously, resulting in higher inflation and hamper the economic growth of Selangor.
Besides, for the developer that have have purchased their land for development using guidelines provided by the previous state government, are now stuck with land they have already bought since the state government put a halt to development on Class 3 and 4 slopes.
Let us look into countries like Hong Kong and Taiwan, due to the scarcity of land and the nature of its contours, even Class 4 land is developed but these developments must adhere to stringent guidelines. Thus, from my point of view, to ensure that our environment is converse and by the same time to avoid the new legislation hampers the growth of economic in Selangor, it is important for the state government to seek advice from independent technical professionals specialising in hill slope developments regarding the new legislation and to carry out some studies on how countries such as Hong Kong could allow the hill slope development without scarifying their economy.
In conclusion, it is not an easy task to have a balance between environment conservation and economic growth. All parties should work together to come out an environment management plan that have minimum impacts on both the environment and economic growth.
· Vibration associated with piling, vehicular movement and blasting
· Wastewater and solid waste disposal.
Realizing the adverse impacts of hill slope development, it is a heartening news for public in Selangor where the new state government has announced a ban on development on hill slopes of Class 3 (gradient > 25%) and Class 4 (gradient > 35%), for fear of landslides. This guideline for sure will reduce the occurrence of adverse impacts as mentioned above, land slides, tragedies, and to conserve our environment.
However, the implementation of such guideline may indirectly affect the pricing of housing in Selangor. A blanket ban on development of Class 3 and Class 4 land would cause a serious scarcity of land in Selangor and thus will cause the price of housing to escalate tremendously, resulting in higher inflation and hamper the economic growth of Selangor.
Besides, for the developer that have have purchased their land for development using guidelines provided by the previous state government, are now stuck with land they have already bought since the state government put a halt to development on Class 3 and 4 slopes.
Let us look into countries like Hong Kong and Taiwan, due to the scarcity of land and the nature of its contours, even Class 4 land is developed but these developments must adhere to stringent guidelines. Thus, from my point of view, to ensure that our environment is converse and by the same time to avoid the new legislation hampers the growth of economic in Selangor, it is important for the state government to seek advice from independent technical professionals specialising in hill slope developments regarding the new legislation and to carry out some studies on how countries such as Hong Kong could allow the hill slope development without scarifying their economy.
In conclusion, it is not an easy task to have a balance between environment conservation and economic growth. All parties should work together to come out an environment management plan that have minimum impacts on both the environment and economic growth.
