BY: AKMAL AZIZ

After many years of not visiting Penang Hill, a Malaysian was shocked to witness the changes especially the disappearance of the forest cover and the presence of blazing heat that it can no longer be considered a hill station.

Hill stations are basically the legacy of the departing British colonialists of which Cameron Highlands, Fraser’s Hill, Maxwell Hill were where they retreated for a refreshingly cold weather holiday to remind them of good old England.

But if Penang Hill is no longer a highland, others such as Cameron Highland’s are now recording temperatures of 16 to 28 degrees Celsius daily while over at Genting Highlands it is between 14 and 27 degrees Celsius in a day.

What has happened? Deforestation, illegal logging, the indiscriminate clearing of land on all the highlands, an over built environment and the failure by Malaysian authorities to protect and safeguard these highlands are the root causes.

Even in East Malaysia, tourists, visitors and hikers complain the temperature is rising in Mount Kinabalu in Sabah and the beautiful Mount Penrissen near Kuching, Sarawak, once a nature lover’s hangout, is no longer appealing.

If the authorities in Malaysia are serious about preserving the highlands, they should be more vigilant in monitoring these delicate places and plan and execute their plans to ensure any changes or development is sustainable.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher