ROAD TO NOWHERE - update

I just got back from checking out how the illegal road in Kg. Pertak is progressing. Even though the contractors were told to stop work by Selangor State's Exco. member for Environment and Tourism,  Elizabeth Wong,  the road is definitely going ahead, but where it''s going is still a bit of a mystery.  Today there's a project signboard at the start of the new road, which seems to have sprung up overnight, bearing the government and ICU logos and names the contractor as Mohd. Shakir Bin Din.

The workers have already got as far as, what I call, the crocodile pool, which is about 2kms from the village.  This is a magnificent spot where another smaller river, known as Air La,  flows across the trail and joins the Sg. Luit.  Back in the 19th century the British, who were mining in the area, built a small railway that crossed the Sg. Luit at this spot, in fact remnants of the concrete pillars that held the rail track, are still visible on top of the huge boulders.   A metal suspension bridge, which is suitable for pedestrians and motorbikes only, currently spans the confluence.  It was  there that I had a chat to one of the bulldozer drivers. He claimed  the road up to the suspension bridge was phase 1 of the project.  Phase 2 is about to start on the other side of the suspension bridge and will go as far as the  main river crossing about 1.5 kms upstream.  The existing cable bridge is being left untouched, according to him.

Crocodile pool shot from the old jungle trail.

Remnants of the 19th century mining railway that crossed the Sg. Luit

Metal bridge spanning Air La

The other side of the metal bridge - phase 2, about to be bulldozed.

They have started laying a very fine aggregate on top of the stone chips but there are many places where the underlying water is still seeping through.  The drains they have installed are fed from open freshly dug ditches and there's already evidence of silting problems to come.  In one place a plastic pipe has been laid a couple of inches under the stone graveling to drain a small rivulet that flows across the road. It's hard to imagine this will last very long, especially with all the heavy construction vehicles constantly driving back and forth over it.  I'm not even convinced it's even a proper drainage pipe as the stones on top of it were damp indicating that the water was flowing freely underneath.

Fine aggregate piled up at Lubok Pusing.

Rumours are flying around that Wong Koon Mun has got his eye on a piece of land inside the jungle to build a tourist resort. You can read all about that at magickriver.blogspot.com/

Right now my biggest concern is that the road won't last very long and, if it does collapse, that the environment will be messed up even more and the Orang Asli will be cut off from their dusuns inside the jungle. Not far outside of the village there are signs that the road is already unstable on the side that slopes down to the rive  and there are now several, quite big trees, whose roots have been undermined, perching very precariously above the new road.  The fact that the road is being built so shoddily would tend to indicate that the rumour of resorts is untrue. Surely if there are plans to develop an area inside the jungle it would be completely insane not to make sure it was built to the highest standards.

I think it would be great to get an independent opinion on the quality of the road from a practicing civil engineer, so if anyone reading this has the necessary expertise and is willing to give an opinion free of charge then please get in touch with me here and I promise I'll publish your findings no matter what.

Lubok Pusing used to be a popular camping and picnic spot.

In the meantime I'm going to start badgering the Department of the Environment to find out if there was ever an EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) done for this project.  Of course I'm not expecting, given that the road is illegal, in which case the DOE should investigate and take some action.

Tomorrow Senator Datuk T. Murugiah from MIC is visiting Kg. Pertak in response to a complaint about the road by a local resident so stay tuned for more news...  

THE CONTINUING SAGA OF THE ROAD TO NOWHERE

The Road to Nowhere saga started on September 4, 2009. You can catch up on the story so far here.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2009 – KG. PERTAK

Mr Tan’s workers were back again today to finally remove the fallen tree that has been blocking the ‘new road’ for more than a week now. They dumped all the debris on the river-facing slope and when I caught up with them they were busy extending the road they had stared on September 4th… the one that the Selangor State government says is illegal… so I asked to see their permit and the excavator driver proudly produced a photocopy of one to show me – he even held it up so I could photograph it. Here it is:

When contacted, district councillor Chua Yee Ling said she had personally checked with the land office in KKB and it had no record of any permit issued to develop this road. The forestry department and the water authority are also in the dark, which is strange considering this area is part of the catchment area for the Selangor Dam. So, Yee Ling told me, as far as the Selangor State government is concerned, the operation is illegal.

The permit is from the ICU in the PM's department. It's addressed to an UMNO member residing in the nearby town of KKB and is signed on behalf of the state development office as you can see below:

So what's going on? First of all, I'm suspicious of the document's authenticity. Take a close look at the top right hand corner... you can almost see the Tipp-Ex!

Secondly, if the permit is for real, then it looks as though UMNO are putting the proverbial two fingers up to the elected state government and are attempting to undermine the authority of elected state exco member for the environment, Elizabeth Wong.

Why else would the PM's department, or UMNO for that matter, take an interest in constructing an access road for a small handful of indigenous people? And if they are genuine, then why didn't they go through the proper channels and seek approval from the state government, the forestry department and the water authority? And why is the road so wide? It's supposed to be an access road to the Orang Asli's dusuns. And why aren't they putting in any drainage? Don't they want it to last?

I really hope the Selangor state government can get to the bottom of this. Otherwise a chunk of the environment is going to get destroyed - and for what? The area is already prone to landslips, and with no proper drainage and no strengthening of the slopes, I'd estimate that the kind of road they are constructing will last 2-3 months tops.

Oh, by the way, how much is all this costing?

Debris from the tree fall dumped on the riverside slope.

Illegal road works ahead!