Shah Alam banjir akibat penebangan hutan, kata kumpulan alam sekitar

Flash floods ravaged certain regions of the Klang Valley last evening, after intense rainfall, with Kampung Melayu Subang in Shah Alam suffering the most damage. An environmental organization, Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (Peka), suggested that the flooding in Shah Alam was a result of deforestation in the area. The group noted that residents had been raising concerns since 2020, specifically about forest clearings at Bukit Cerakah, which had been stripped of its forest reserve status.

Rajesh Nagarajan, Peka's president, further explained that the 174ha Shah Alam community forest, one of the few remaining lowland rainforests in Shah Alam, was under constant threat of development. Forests act as natural flood protection systems, absorbing rainfall, regulating water runoff, and stabilizing slopes. When these natural catchments are replaced with concrete and intense development, downstream communities become more susceptible to flash floods and landslides.

Peka had raised these dangers to the Selangor government in June 2025, but the situation in Shah Alam has repeated itself 17 months later. Rajesh urged the government to place an immediate ban on forest clearings and hillside developments in environmentally sensitive areas, and to designate the Shah Alam community forest and certain areas of Bukit Cerakah as permanent forest reserves.

He also demanded an independent public inquiry into Shah Alam's recurring floods, examining the role of deforestation and development. The Selangor government cannot keep sacrificing forests for development and then express sympathy when communities suffer. Every tree cut down, every hillside cleared, and every catchment destroyed raises the cost for ordinary residents, according to Rajesh.