THE residents of Sungai Air Hitam in Jalan Kampung Melayu, George Town, say a huge old tree in the area poses a safety threat to them.
A resident, in his early 50s, who declined to be named, said the local council personnel had trimmed trees in the area but neglected this particular tree near his house.
He said the tree must be at least 20 years old and feared it might be uprooted during a thunderstorm and fall on the houses nearby.
“We fear for our safety, even though thunderstorms rarely happen in the area.”
He said several old trees were uprooted due to strong winds and downpour during the rainy season in November last year.
“We fear that the tree will damage our homes should a storm happen.
“I am disappointed that the local council workers who trimmed other trees in the area neglected this one. I tried telling them many times but my request appears to have fallen on deaf ears.”
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Penang Island City Council (MBPP) secretary Addnan Mohd Razali said the resident’s complaint would be referred to the Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID).
He said since the tree was located by a river, the agency responsible for maintaining the tree was DID.
He said DID was tasked with trimming trees along the river in Jalan Kampung Melayu.
“We will forward the report to DID for action.”
Addnan urged those with complaints to do so on MBPP’s portal, aduan.mbpp.gov.my/.