Wednesday August 1, 2012

Kota Kinabalu’s diseased trees to go

KOTA KINABALU: New trees will be planted to replace at least six trees which will be removed from the city’s main thoroughfare at Jalan Gaya.

The six – out of the 20 trees planted on the road dividers in the area – were found to have problems, which was why they had to be removed as they posed safety hazards, City Hall Landscape Department director Walter Kenson said.

Those trees had either become weak due to rotting in its main branches and roots or developed lesions and termite infections.

As a result, they could be unsafe as they may snap or break at any time, especially during strong wind conditions.

Walter said City Hall had no choice but to remove them and plant new trees.

City Hall, he said, had planted 4,075 trees, with 180 of them planted in the downtown area this year under the current 10th Malaysia Plan.

Last month, Mayor Datuk Abidin Madingkir said City Hall had embarked on a greening campaign, which included planting fruit trees indigenous to Sabah.

Trees such as bambangan and belunoh (a type of mango) and galid (wild durian) have been planted on a 24ha area along Signal Hill here.

“The trees will not only remind city folk about Sabah’s natural heritage but it will also provide a good source of food for the wildlife in the area such as macaque monkeys and birds.”

Sabah had allocated some RM1mil for the greening efforts around Kota Kinabalu, Abidin said.

More News