GEORGE TOWN: Indiscriminate hill clearing in Penang has resulted in the decimation of forested land, and the Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has been asked to make its stand on the matter.
Vocal environmentalist and MBPP councilor Dr Lim Mah Hui said a mere 7.4 per cent of the total land area, of which six per cent is protected forest reserve, remains untouched in the state.
"The lush greenery has been shrinking at an alarming rate.
“The mantra of this (DAP-led state government) is “greener Penang”, but we are witnessing hills and trees being cut down wantonly.
"Penang is supposed to be a greener state, but the encroachment rate into hill land does not support the stated mantra. Ugly (tracts of earth) are appearing everywhere statewide, like scars on a face" Lim said in a speech at a council meeting yesterday.
Lim, who is a member of civil society group Penang Forum, said the secondary forested hills of Penang are the last refuge for nature, and they must be preserved at all cost.
He cited the infamous Bukit Gambir area, which has earned the moniker "Bukit Botak" (bald hill), as a case in point to highlight the relentless hill slope clearing, especially on the island, as a result of legal and illegal activities.
"The rampant illegal clearing of hill slopes by developers and farmers is worrying.
"I would like the MBPP to make a public statement on its hill development policy (and) to beef up its monitoring and enforcement," he said.
Lim added that the Penang Forum will launch a citizens' hill watch system in the near future that will cooperate with the MBPP and other state agencies to protect the forested hills in the state.
MBPP Mayor Datuk Patahiyah Ismail was present at the meeting but declined to comment.