KUALA LUMPUR, April 21 (NNN-Bernama) — The government’s move to leave the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge in Gombak, Selangor, untouched under the renegotiated East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) project will facilitate the ratification of the area as a national and world heritage site, a heritage expert said.
Describing the decision as timely, Malaysian Institute of Architects’ (PAM) Heritage and Conservation Committee chairman Datuk Zulkhairi Md Zain said the naturally-formed quartz ridge in Malaysia was part of nation’s assets that should be protected and well-maintained.
“The development to boost the country’s economy can change the shape of the earth’s surface easily but if the naturally formed site is destroyed as a result, it will be lost forever and can’t be replaced,” he told Bernama.
Under the original proposal of the ECRL construction by the previous Barisan Nasional government, the 16-km long and 200-metre wide pure quartz dyke, the longest of its kind in the world, was part of the project that involved tunnelling through the country’s mountain ranges.
“Perhaps, they don’t see any impact now, but in the future it may affect other parts of the area such as flash floods and landslides due to the construction of the tunnel.
“Development is a ‘man-made’ that can be adjusted according to the condition but this nature forming site is very difficult to find and it is why the area has been proposed to be recognised as the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) World Heritage Site,” he said.
Zulkhairi, who is also Malaysia’s International Council on Monument & Sites (ICOMOS) deputy president, also suggested that scientific research and impact on various aspects should be carried out before the development to commence, especially if it involved historical and nature forming sites.
“If there is a study carried out, there are possibilities of the existence of historical or valuable nature forming sites due to earth movements along the route, so that the authorities can install fences around the areas first to protect them from intrusion and development,” he said.
On Monday, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the new ECRL alignment had taken into consideration the views of the Selangor government which disallowed development through the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge that was earmarked for application to the UNESCO heritage list.
For the record, the site is now in the UNESCO’s tentative heritage list.
NNN-BERNAMA
