Source : New Straits Times, Malaysia, 30 Jun '05
By : Mimi Syed Yusof and Shahrul Hafeez
  

Binapuri Sdn Bhd has done this to allay fears that the project which cuts across the Bintang Hijau forest reserve will adversely affect the wildlife.

Its environment officer, Razali Rahman, said the bridges were built over ravines, rivers and wildlife crossings.

	HIGH ENOUGH: One of the bridges on the Grik-Titi Karangan highway.

Their height is more than enough for elephants and the other animals to walk under," he said.

The area is also home to the Malayan tiger, although sightings have been few and far between.

Razali said although half of the 50km highway ran through the forest reserve, care had been taken to ensure that the wildlife habitat was undisturbed.

The RM224 million road is the second phase of the East-West Highway project with the highway linking Grik to the Kulim Hi-Tech industrial area.

It will cut travelling distance between Kulim and Grik by about 20km.

Razali said 56 silt traps — 20 more than commissioned by the Public Works Department for the project — had been built, ensuring that silt from the earthworks does not enter rivers.

"We have kept work at such sites to a minimum so as not to upset the ecological balance," he said.

Razali said subcontractors were briefed monthly on measures to be taken to ensure that nothing was done to adversely affect the environment.

Barricades were erected at several entry points to stop illegal loggers from using the road and to prevent others from entering the project site.

Clearing of the path where it cuts through the Bintang range is currently under way, with minor rock blasting of the slopes and the clearing of debris. Once this is completed, the road will be surfaced.

The developers have taken pains to ensure that the Sungai Air Pari, Sungai Rhui, Sungai Tebu and Sungai Gendrong are not polluted.

Meanwhile, the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Malaysian Nature Society want the authorities to ensure that the wildlife in the forest reserve is protected.

Senior scientific officer for protected areas Surin Suksuwan said there was a danger of the highway providing access to poachers.

He said one-fifth of about 130 Sumatran rhinos in Malaysia were in the area.

"The numbers are dwindling and more care must be taken to protect this rare animal," he said.

Perak Malaysian Nature Society president Neal Nirmal echoed his sentiments, adding that poachers had to be kept at bay if the wildlife was to be preserved.