Clearing more Selangor forest reserves for the East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE) will worsen the state's water troubles, warned a coalition of environmental groups

"The EKVE is a federal government project that has the approval of the Selangor  government.

"The two forest reserves within the Selangor State Park affected by the EKVE are the Ampang and Ulu Gombak Forest Reserves, both of which are important water catchment forests," the Coalition for the Protection of the Selangor State Park said in a statement yesterday.

"The reality is that if more water catchments are cleared in the name of development, the less water we will have in the future.

"As custodians of the forests in the state, the Selangor government needs to ensure that the park and water catchment forests are protected so as not to compromise the quality and quantity of water supply in the Klang Valley," it said.

The group comprises the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), Save our Sungai Selangor (SOS Selangor), Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES) and the World Wide Fund for Nature Malaysia (WWF-Malaysia).

It said it is mobilising for an urgent petition to lobby the federal and Selangor governments against the project as it is now in the final stages of approval.

The Selangor government is presently conducting town hall meetings to consult over a request to de-gazette the forest reserves where the highway will cut through.

Water planning must start now

The coalition pointed out the two-month of water rationing affecting 6.7 million residents in Klang Valley saw some 832 projects in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya put on hold due to water shortage.

The rationing was only lifted at he beginning of this month.

"Solutions to overcome the water crisis will take years. We need water for development - but development should not be at the expense of compromising existing water resources," it said.

Late last month, Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim conceded that there were many objections against using the forest reserves for the construction of the EKVE, which is part of the Kuala Lumpur Outer Ring Road (Klorr).

However, he said a final decision on whether to de-gazette parts of the forest reserves for the highway will only be decided after the town hall sessions are completed.