PETALING Jaya City Council (MBPJ) has confirmed the presence of the invasive weed species, Santa Maria Feverfew, in two of its cemeteries in Kampung Tunku.
It can trigger allergies and is a common cause of pollen allergy.
Contact with the plant can cause dermatitis and respiratory malfunction in humans. It can also cause dermatitis in domestic animals and cattle.
MBPJ social development head Aznan Hassan said the council’s landscape department would recommend an appropriate weed killer to be used to eradicate the weed in the Christian and Hindu cemeteries. He said the council’s weed killing exercise would be monitored by the Agriculture Department’s plant biosecurity division.
“They said they would follow us regardless of how long it takes.”
Some of the weeds have begun to bloom. There is concern that the pollen could affect the population at large.
Priscilla Alfred and her neighbours, who live nearby, were shocked to hear about the weed.
“We did not expect such plants to grow in our neighbourhood. There are playgrounds and even a lake here, so it is worrying if it spreads further,” she said, adding that it was high time the council looked into sprucing up the grounds, which was next to a privately-run Chinese cemetery, which was also in a bad shape.
Nigel Kam, 38, was fearful for the children and pets in the neighbourhood. He said the weed could also spread to an overgrown privately-run Christian cemetery. He said the undergrowth at the cemeteries should be cleared.
T. Chandra Shegar said the cemeteries were overgrown with lalang.
“It has been like that for two to three decades. They should look into cleaning them up immediately,” he said, adding that the council could exhume and realign the plots.