The Edge has carried a fascinating news story about the degraded Bukit Relau in Penang. But the question remains: how was the land converted from hill-land to low-density housing and who was responsible for that?
Bukit Relau: Tycoon breaks silence
Written by Sangeetha Amarthalingam, fz.com (contributor to theedgemalaysia.com)
GEORGE TOWN (Nov 18): In an astounding revelation, Penang tycoon Tan Sri Tan Kok Ping whose company illegally cleared parts of Bukit Relau early this year has vowed that development will not happen on that land.
Bridge-builder Abdul Rahman Kasim, the Tasik Gelugor Pas information chief, shares with us his predictions for the upcoming party polls on Friday evening (with results expected on Saturday evening).
According to the Penang Hill Local Plan, the recommended maximum carrying capacity of the hill is 10000 people daily – a threshold that has been hit or even exceeded during peak periods with the expanded capacity of the Penang Hill Railway following the controversial decision for the track to bypass the Middle Station.
If cable cars are introduced, even more people will throng the hill, pushing the figure well beyond 10000/day. So no escape from the madding crowd for some peace and serenity then.
The public hearing for the draft Local Plans for Seberang Perai Utara and Seberang Perai Tengah will be held on 26 November – 9 December 2013 at the Mawar Room at MPSP on the mainland.
A proposal for cable car lines from the Youth Park, Botanic Garden and Teluk Bahang has been tacked on to the draft Special Area Plan for Penang Hill, which is being touted as a “green, heritage destination”. There is concern, however, that this could add to traffic congestion around the Youth Park/Botanic Garden area while pushing visitors well past the 10000 people/day carrying capacity of the Penang Hill summit, as gazetted in the existing Penang Hill Local Plan.
Some scientists are making the link between climate change and Typhoon Haiyan. Unfortunately, much of the corporate media remain largely silent about the link, perhaps because large corporations which contribute advertising revenue to the media, are among the major culprits of greenhouse gas emissions.
According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald:
Professor Will Steffen, a researcher at the ANU and member of the Climate Council, said scientists understand how a hotter, moister climate is already affecting storms such as Haiyan.
“Once [cyclones] do form, they get most of their energy from the surface waters of the ocean,” Professor Steffen said. “We know sea-surface temperatures are warming pretty much around the planet, so that’s a pretty direct influence of climate change on the nature of the storm.”
Data compiled from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows sea temperatures were about 0.5 to 1 degree above normal in the waters to the east of the Philippines as Haiyan began forming. The waters cooled in the storm’s wake, an indication of how the storm sucked up energy.
The Bishop of Rome, Francis, has railed against corruption again, severely chastising those who donate to the church on the one hand while stealing from the state and the poor on the other.
