>Selangor to clean-up Klang River

The Selangor government will embark on a massive exercise to clean up the Klang river beginning June.

 Mentri Besar Tan Sri Abdul Khalid Ibrahim said different sectors of the 120km-long river would be divided among schools, NGOs and other community groups, including state agencies.

"It is our collective responsibility to keep our rivers clean," he said after officiating Earth Day celebrations at the Kota Damansara Community Forest Park.

He said the cleaning up of the Klang river could take a few years to complete.

"Besides beautifying Selangor, the cleaning up process will also reduce flooding in the Klang valley," said Khalid.

"The state government is also building water retention areas to control the flow of water from the sea to the land and vice-versa."

On another note, Khalid said the forest park in Kota Damansara will be gazetted as a forest reserve within three months.

He said the forest park would be ‘given’ to the people of Kota Damansara because they have put a lot of effort into rehabilitating and preserving the forest in their place.

"We want this forest to be an example to other folks in the state on how they can also play a role in the conservation of mother nature," he said.

The community forest park is an effort by Kota Damansara residents to conserve and protect the forest, which is the last portion left of the Sungai Buloh forest reserve.

The forest, with a size of 857 acres, is home to abundant flora and fauna, including a lake.

A 650m trail through the forest was built recently for joggers - theSun.