How many crocodile tears have been shed by the authorities over the recent landslides resulting in fatalities and damage to property? How many reaffirmations of commitment to protect our forests and watersheds?

Yet look what they've done to our hill which is part of the Bukit Sungai Putih Permanent Forest and Wildlife Reserve. This hill which faces Taman Cuepacs could well be a cardboard cut-out film set for HVD nearby. Beyond the hill is the sorry state of a devastated hill forest, a swathe of runway that stretches from Taman Segar (Leisure Mall) to nearly Ulu Langat, full of "luxury living close to real jungle!"

To think that in 1996 when residents first discovered and protested against these "eco-terrorists" stealthily logging a small pocket of this permanent forest reserve, they were forced to halt the logging by the authorities.

The Selangor government then promised to turn the forest reserve into a recreational park while the Anti-Corruption Agency announced they would investigate how a gazetted permanent forest and wildlife reserve could be de-gazetted for a housing project.

Meanwhile, the developers continued with the devastation of the forest and to add insult to injury, Taman Cuepacs Phase I experienced a torrential mudflood that caused damage and suffering to residents in 1999.

This happened one month after the state executive councillor in charge of the environment assured concerned residents that the state government would be monitoring the project. EIA stipulations were imposed on the project after the mudfloods even though the consortium had tried to avert the EIA through dividing the lots below the mandatory 50 hectares.

1) Developers brazenly ignoring EIA stipulations on high risk slopes

Today, everyone can see clearly that the steepest part of the hill facing Taman Cuepacs (more than 45 percent) has been cut vertically when the EIA stipulates that any slope exceeding 20 degrees cannot be touched. So where are the enforcers of the EIA?

When did the State Environment committee last monitor the project? What about the federal and state Departments of Environment? Have they no responsibility in preserving the Bukit Sungai Putih Permanent Forest and Wildlife Reserve? Such brazen violation of EIA conditions reveals the extent of official connivance in this questionable project.

2) The infrastructure cannot support any more housing projects

Despite the fact that residents are prevented from leaving the housing estate to go to work every morning because of the traffic congestion all the way to Jalan Cheras, the local authorities continue to allow more housing projects in the precinct. There are more than 10 housing estates using the same access road to Jalan Cheras.

Recently, the developers laid a water pipe through Taman Cuepacs Phase I without the consent of the residents and with the connivance of the local authorities. Constant power cuts, water stoppages, heaps of uncollected rubbish everywhere and unregulated hawking show that the Kajang Municipal Council cannot cope with the untrammeled housing projects.

3) Residents vow to oppose any development close to Taman Cuepacs

It is learned that the piece of land below the hill fronting Taman Cuepacs Phase I has been bought by a developer to build more houses. Residents have given notice that they will resist this project all the way because the blasting, hill cutting so far beyond the hill has already caused damage to some of their houses and created unease in the neighbourhood.

They will stop heavy vehicles from using the roads in their housing estate and will not allow piling work, blasting, hill cutting and more silt to clog their drains. The hills behind Taman Cuepacs are an important green lung for the whole area and should not be touched.

4) State government must say which lots have been preserved as forest

Recently, the Selangor state executive councillor for squatters, housing, local government and environment Mohd Mokhtar Ahmad Dahlan was quoted as saying that the state government had a plan to turn the rest of Bukit Sungai Putih into the State's first nature park.

He said that "there was an additional 40ha in the area that had been part of the de-gazetted land but which the state had retained as a forest reserve after finding that the land was too hilly for development. The EIA confirmed that the two lots were unsuitable for development because there were slopes with gradients of over 30 degrees." (New Straits Times, Jun 25, 2003)

Unless the state government tells us specifically which lots these are, we have to assume that they have been violated by the developers.

5) The federal government must step in to save our forest and watershed

Recently, the deputy prime minister was reported as saying that all watersheds in the country must be gazetted (The Star, Nov 5, 2004).

The developers of Bukit Sg Putih have been destroying the watershed for the Sungai Langat which provides water for residents in the Klang Valley. Does it make sense when we are told that there is a water shortage and we need to displace the Orang Asli in order to build the S Selangor dam at Kuala Kubu Baru?

6) ACA must tell us the result of their investigation

After our protest in 1996, it was reported in the press that "the ACA felt sufficiently concerned to investigate the question of land acquisition at Bukit Sungai Putih." (New Straits Times, Jan 7, 1997) It is now almost eight years since the ACA conducted its investigations and we are still waiting to know how a precious permanent forest and wildlife reserve gazetted in 1932 could have been de-gazetted in 1992 by the state government.

7) State government has flouted national policy on biodiversity

By encroaching on this wildlife sanctuary, the Selangor government has also flouted the National Policy on Biological Diversity launched in 1998 which covers Bukit Sungai Putih. Under the law, the state government cannot degazette a wildlife sanctuary without federal approval. The Federal Environment Minister must tell us if these projects have encroached into the Bukit Sg Putih Wildlife Sanctuary.

8) There is ample low-lying land for housing

In 1996, the state government tried to placate the public protest by saying the development of Bukit Sg Putih was necessary for low-cost housing. It is now clear that this is untrue when the houses on the highland are advertised as luxury living in "forest environment". There are many good reasons why it is criminal to destroy a heritage permanent forest and wildlife reserve:

  • There are many barren hills and cleared land all along Jalan Cheras up to Kajang where no development has taken place;

  • Property in the vicinity, eg Venice Hill Condominium has all along had a very low occupancy rate showing that the apartments have been bought for speculative purposes rather than need;

  • Selangor has adequate vacant lowland and has the dubious reputation of having the most golf courses (50) in the country;

  • The local government has failed miserably to provide basic infrastructure for the existing housing estates, such as well-paved roads, stable electricity and clean water supply, proper sewerage discharge, orderly solid waste collection, well-regulated traffic, playgrounds and parks, That being so, they have no credibility to say they can cope with more housing estates in the same area.

If the municipal, state and federal authorities cannot give us satisfactory answers to all these questions, we can only conclude that they are conniving in the continuing rape of Bukit Sungai Putih Permanent Forest and Wildlife Reserve by the housing development consortium.

Dr KUA KIA SOONG is director of the human rights group Suara Rakyat Malaysia (Suaram) and a former opposition member of parliament.