With the government takeover, the Paya Indah Wetlands may be in safe hands for now, but it may not be out of the woods just yet. Two factors will seriously affect the ecosystem and biodiversity of the wetlands in the near future.

The first is long-term air pollution from a steel manufacturing company (just five kilometres north, at the Olak Lempit Industrial Estate) which is undertaking a massive expansion in production capacity.

The company will be adding six new manufacturing plants at this site and is now in the process of obtaining the necessary permits and approvals from the Selangor state government, the department of environment and other agencies.

The second factor is that to move large amounts of raw materials to Olak Lempit by barges, the company plans to deepen, widen and straighten the lower 58km of Sungai Langat which has a total length of 120km.

If implemented, these actions, apart from adversely affecting the marine ecology, will also permanently alter the river's hydrology. This will, in turn, affect the water level at the wetlands. It might dry up one day. And what is a wetlands ecosystem without the water?

To ensure the survival of the Paya Indah wetlands, close monitoring of development activities near the park area is essential.

Besides this, the worth of an ecosystem should not merely be seen in terms of its commercial attraction, but rather in its long-term contribution towards preserving and enriching our nation's natural environment for the present and future generations.