Recently, Jeanne Abdullah, wife of our former prime minister, initiated the 'Hutan Kita' programme, which was aptly named for the reforestation programme targeted at replanting and reintroducing native plants to the environment, and more specifically in Bukit Kiara.

This was a shot-in-the-arm for many NGOs and environmental groups, as it also further cemented the resolution and commitment of the government to gazette Bukit Kiara as a green lung.

For the Hutan Kita programme, donors were sought after to 'adopt' trees to be planted, which were made up of native forest species. The objective was to get the public involved to regenerate the green lung, so as to have a sense of belonging and responsibility to Mother Nature.

These tree-planting events would usually take place on a Saturday or Sunday morning, with the presence of VIPs, etc to officiate the ceremony. Together with Jabatan Lanskap Negara (JLN) and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), these were held successfully in the past months.

While all this is highly commendable, it is appalling and totally disheartening to see the amount of rubbish left behind after such events were held. Food and drinks were prepared for the VIPs and participants, resulting in plastic bags, paper plates, plastic cutlery and water bottles being strewn all over the place.

The last known tree-planting ceremony was held in early August, and even till now, the remnants of that event still remains not only on the tarred roads leading up to and around the hill, but also on the trails itself!

Where are the council workers who are supposed to be cleaning up the place? How often are the rubbish bins emptied? Previously, there used to be some council workers around to sweep the general area, and especially around the main tarred crossroads.

But even that, one only has to take a few steps into the nearby trails to see the piles of rubbish conveniently dumped by the side of the trail, instead of being taken out to be disposed of properly. Bukit Kiara has become a dumpsite!

A couple, who are avid users of the trails in the area, had even resorted to bringing in their own rubbish bags to help pick up the rubbish (yes they had to do it with their bare hands!) left behind after the tree planting events.

These filled up bags were then left next to a rubbish bin near the guardhouse, but months later, up till now, the bags still remain where they were, uncollected and disregarded.

Even the workers who were hired to plant and take care of the new saplings seem to be contributing to this problem. Saplings brought in to be planted are usually transported using small, black polyurethane bags,

However, upon transferring the saplings into the allocated plots, these bags are simply discarded on the ground, right next to where the sapling is planted! Is there no sense of responsibility at all?

I have been told that some NGOs have written in to the JLN and DBKL about this issue, but up till now, they have met with nothing but silence. All this talk of being environmentally-friendly and being one with nature is nothing but a joke. So what if Bukit Kiara is designated to be transformed into a world class park?

We might as well designate it to be a world-class landfill if nothing is done about this problem. Therefore, I implore the authorities to look seriously into this matter, as we all know very well that the presence of these uncollected rubbish, especially plastic bags becomes potential mosquito breeding grounds, and not forgetting that it is an eyesore for any of the hundreds of joggers/hikers/bikers who exercise daily at this lovely green belt.