The proposed 31.8 km Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE) should be reviewed, according to the Environment Advocate Law Alliance Worldwide (ELAW). The international environmental advocacy group noted that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report had failed to provide information of the hazards of air pollution, The Malay Mail reports.
It’s understood that the EIA report was submitted to ELAW by ‘Say No to SUKE’ (SNTS), a local group opposing the project. As a response, the Oregon-based group stated, “without such information, the document cannot provide decision-makers with a basis to reach a rational decision about whether the environmental costs of the project exceed the claimed benefits of the project,”
Protem chairman of SNTS, Agos Hasan described the report as a “flawed document,” and a generic statement without relevance as to how it would impact air quality, particularly in the project area. In this, he was referring to the hazardous air pollution that residents along the alignment of the expressway would have to bear with.
“Without providing quantitative information on how the project would impact air quality and how this would impact the respiratory health of children and preventable death from coronary heart disease in adults, the document cannot be a reasonable basis for deciding whether the claimed benefits of the project exceeded its potential human costs,” Hasan reiterated.
According to the chairman, three major schools will be affected. To add to that, he said that residents in Ampang and Bukit Mandarina will be exposed daily to a 150 Air Pollutant Index (API) – three times that of the national limit. Aside from air pollution, Hasan also stated that the project had exceeded the maximum permissible sound level, which is currently set at 65 dBA.
“The noise level for the project is expected to be between 87 and 96 dBA for those living within 20 metres of the highway,” he said. Furthermore, citing the Town and Country Planning Act of 1972, Hasan stated that SUKE was not listed in the Ampang Jaya town and Kuala Lumpur city plans, a requirement underlined in the Act.
Hasan also highlighted that based on the same report, 64% of the public were not aware of the expressway, while there has been almost no public engagement by relevant agencies, even until today. The group will be taking legal action against the Selangor state government and Ampang Jaya Municipal council, with affidavits to be submitted to the courts in January, next year.
It’s time to hear it from you guys. Will you be negatively affected by this project, or do you think it will bring some positive plus points? Share your thoughts below.
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All i know once the highway is approved, prices of properties will go up skyrocketed.
Ada project baru boleh rasuah mah. Kalo aku x join BUMNO la
Bro, Selangor is not ruled by UMNO/BN since the last 2 elections. Have you not noticed?
PROLINTAS is a PNB company, a GLC – what more can one say ?
It causing congestions and it will be like Pudu market.What the hell are you talking about.The higway is only meant from tranferring Sg Besi to Kuantan route especially.Its bringging more traffic jams and polutions.Its a very bad design.All we need a wider roads to exit not cutting thru residential homes.It should cut in an outer rings of residential homes.It it has to go thru hill,it must.
Stay away from residential areas.
As the secretary of Resident Association Kuala Ampang(RAKAn), I have today faxed our letter of protest to the office of Selangor MB. Our main complaint being that there were not even a single attempt to engage the residents. Recently, some residents have received letters from the authorities to acquire their properties for the project. Even the office of our Assemblyman for Ulu Kelang, YB Saari Sungib do not have details of the project.
Hi Sam, please feel free to contact our group say no to Suke so that we can work together
Mr Agos, I’m student from UTM, currently doing project on environment impacts based on this SUKE highway project. I live at Taman Permai Jaya where this project is carried out. I have been searching for the said EIA report but could not find any copy of the report. Do you mind to tell me where could I find the report? Thank you in advance.
Nobody will help us except ourselves n the governments don’t practice Wht they preach..
after study the route this SUKE proposal.. it’s shame that this project are really bulldoze je rakya punya right & never care about rakya at all.. wonder why planner proposed to built new highway partially route thought residential area and partially on top of MRR2 ??instead planner should look in to building an complete new elevated toll highway on top of existing MRR2 ( few done in US,china & Indonesian ) that will avoid to demolish any house/building at all..
Hard to belip these eviron reports telling opposite stories, that was produced by different environ agencies paid by opposing sides.
The EIA is written by the body appointed by PROLITAS. What are you talking about?
PROLINTAS team came out with EIA say no problem. SNTS team came out to say this exceed, that exceed.
So who do you trust? Please read what is mentioned above before you wanna bash.
John – when PROLINTAS actually said EIA no problem? They don’t even allow SNTS access to the EIA. SNTS obtained the EIA from World Bank. Initially PROLINTAS wanted to get loan from World Bank which requires them to submit the EIA.The EIA states the impact of SUKE and the results are very bad. Despite that, PROLINTAS still bulldoze everything and somehow managed to get it approved. This is what SNTS is fighting for – Transparency and truth.
Its the same EIA la we are talking here. Same one prepared by prolintas. Of course they dont highlight the nasty stuff, SNTS is doing Ampang & Cheras folks a favor exposing the hidden truth.
It’s all from the EIA Report which was commissioned by PROLINTAS. This, and other documents had not been forthcoming from PROLINTAS nor any other party despite many requests. This was finally secured through the good offices of MIGA/World Bank who opine this is a public document.
As a thinking man, ask yourself why this was withheld from the Rakyat despite repeated requests ? Go figure that out !
Dude, what is stated in the EIA prepared by Prolintas still not enough to support SUKE highway. In fact telling us it is actually hazardous for residents living near to it. ELAW is just summarizing the jargon. Truth is in the EIA itself, even prolintas cannot hide it
There are many hidden agenda.
Hi Paul, thanks a lot for carrying out story. I think it’s only fair the people have enough info on the highway before making decision to support it or not.
The SUKE higways are also domolishing people homes and coming throught residential homes.The projects are killing residents slowly with the emissions of CO2 gases emitted from vehicles.The highway are 6 lanes.This will sliwly choked the residents with poisonous gasses.Destroying and will pollute beautifuls rivers from Bukit Belacan and coming across next to schools.Wouldvit be healthy for our kids to play outdoor in the fields. They boast of compensations but its chicken feet and all are driven out of the homes forcefully.MB Selangor, despite knowing we are coning had avoided the cry of the rakyat.Prolintas even stated during the meeting with Adun Zuraida Ampang that they were unable to follow the World Bank standards as its too high standard to follow where the IPU reaches 150 and could be further above.Most of the people are unable to get homes within Ampang and it effects ALL races.This is a suicidle projects where the effected residents are already suffering from pyschological effects.They are very sadden being driven off forcefully from their homes where they have been living there for many many years.Selangor govt is curring giving deaf ears to the plight of the current sufferings.
No Suke Highway. We don’t need them.
Arent we a little nation with alot of highways! Must be a lucrative business or extremely poor town planning that is making KL and greater KL in need of so many highways. MRR should have been a 4 lane carriage way.
DONT NEED ANOTHER HIWAY ESPECIALLY SUKE HIWAY.. ALWAYS WANNA SUCK PEOPLE’S BLOOD
If there’s no transparency how can the rakyat decide! What we want is just what Pakatan promised us!
I disagree of this project. Macam mana dengan resident2 di sana. Haihh, stop lah pijak rakyat
Is the EIA still valid; oredi E X P I R E D !!
Here we go. “Flaws” reports from Prolintas.
Let us say no to highways in a dense and developed neighbourhoods. DASH-ed it. Tak SUKE.
The SUKE project will definitely ruin the quality life of residence in the affected area. We will be leading a hazardous lifestyle for the rest of our lives due to the pollution which will be part of the package brought along by the expressway..I am still wondering why these so call ‘intelligent’ project managers & engineers chose residential area as part of the route..My house which is in Alam Damai plus the rest of the other houses affected will not be ‘damai’ anymore..might as well change the name to Alam Sesak!! Just imagine a few rows of toll booths with cars rampaging away at only 15-20 feet from your house!! everyday!! Sickening!!
Nobody want a highway just outside your window, we are all victims of our government and the developer, IJM definitely took us all for a ride. A dream house become a nightmare.
The life of road users are exposed to danger due to poor traffic control systems. Furthermore, affected residents are suffering from air pollution and noise pollution every day.
Besides that, despite several reminders, Prolintas still refused to provide affected residents with the Dilapidation survey report which they carried out the inspection 2.5 years ago.