The_waterfall_in_Lembah_Kiara_Park.jpg

May 19, 2014

The waterfall in Lembah Kiara Park. March 19, 2014. "I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art anybody could ever want." Andy Warhol.

The costly exposed HDPE pipes have being dug up for disposal on 16 May 2014 by the Landscape department following the article in the Malaysian Insider "Taxpayers' monies down the drain in Kiara Park".

The solid steel railings which had been lying in wait at a stream in the valley in Kiara Park will also be disposed of, after concerns were raised by park-users that the new steely bridge may not be able to withstand its heavy weight. They will be replaced by nylon nets according to the chief contractor, Haji Yuril, who was overseeing the removal of the HDPE pipes.

How will the public, in the face of rising costs of living, perceived these afterthoughts on the action of the department? Was it a sheer waste of taxpayers' monies washed down the drain? Granted of course that the rectification is necessary to prevent erosion on the slopes and possible collapse of the steely bridge.

Or will they perceive positively that such remedial actions of the Landscape Department signal a step towards consultative management of the people's park?

Park-users had in fact celebrated with jubilation the removal of barbed wire that had suddenly sprouted out along fencing in Bukit Kiara in April 2014 after FoBK ( Friends of Bukit Kiara) highlighted that "barbed-wire has no place at all in a forest". They had mistakenly thought that the " Great Wall of Bukit Kiara " had been dismantled!

The question raised is why does the Landscape department have to wait only after the damage has been done and for park-users, FoBK and TRAKS (Trails Association of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor) to cry and scream before any action is taken, if at all?

The disastrous slope rectification in Bukit Kiara since January 2014 which exposed the hill and park-users to the elements and caused collateral damage to a new Angel Trail on the opposite slope where earth removed had been dumped callously is a classic case in point.

The HDPE pipes removed at the Lembah Kiara Park. March 19, 2014.Will the landscape department and the relevant authorities henceforth move towards a consultative management of Bukit Kiara with stakeholders to ensure its sustainability ? And that hard-earned money of taxpayers are spent wisely and accounted for by the relevant authorities for the benefit of the people?

Link:
The_waterfall_in_Lembah_Kiara_Park.jpg