GEORGE TOWN — The Penang Island City Council (MBPP) has said it will take preventative measures to stop trees from uprooting, even as strong winds lashed the northern state and toppled more trees today.
27 trees identified will be cut down on Jalan Kelawai and Jalan Burmah as they are found to be decaying and porous with signs of growth decline, MBPP mayor Datuk A. Rajendran said after a council meeting today.
From an assessment study on tree risks, it is estimated that 54 out of 1,321 trees on five roads will be cut down.
Besides Jalan Kelawai and Jalan Burmah, the other three roads are Jalan Utama, Jalan Macalister and Jalan Perak.
Approval was given for tree-cutting works in today’s council meeting, which will begin next week.
Additionally, maintenance work on 13,995 trees on the island will be carried out, under a RM4.3 million allocation for this year.
More tree uprooting incidents were reported today, in ten locations throughout Tg Bunga, namely, along Jalan Tg Bunga, in front of the Lotus supermarket in Tg Tokong, and at Jalan Lembah Permai, Jalan Kg Tg Bunga, Tree Square, Pangsapuri Azuria, and Puncak Bukit Mutiara 1.
In the incident that occurred at Tree Square, a tree fell on the building of a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet, causing damage to the building and a car next to it.
An uprooted tree also fell in front of the Rizqi’s Mee Udang eatery beside the road on Jalan Tg Bunga.
A tree was also uprooted and fell across the road in front of the Wisma Persekutuan government complex in Kepala Batas, according to pictures posted on Facebook. No vehicles were damaged in this incident.
In total, there have been 144 cases of trees uprooting and 40 reports of broken tree branches recorded since Sunday.
MBPP said it is working around the clock clearing tree debris with the assistance of other agencies such as the Malaysian Civil Defence Department (APAM), fire and rescue department, and police.
On other preventive measures, MBPP said it will be using remote scanning to determine the tree health as part of planning for tree maintenance.
“This technology would help the (city) council to identify unhealthy trees to be treated and saved, trimmed or cut down. MBPP would (also) be purchasing Ground Penetrating Radar to scan the trees’ roots.
“(In addition), arborists have been appointed to analyse the health of the trees, and MBPP has been assisted by the Institution of Engineers Malaysia (IEM) who would provide consultations in managing the structure and stability of trees,” the city council said.
As of today, there were 635 flood victims in Penang at 11 relief centres, an increase from 236 victims in seven centres yesterday.
Earlier today, Bernama reported that the number of victims in Penang rose to 635 this morning, with 11 relief centres in operation, up from 236 victims in seven centres reported yesterday.
The victims were evacuated from flooded areas in the Northern Seberang Perai, Central Seberang Perai Tengah and Southern Seberang Perai districts on the mainland.
Penang, Kedah and Perlis are currently under a warning for Category 1 strong winds and rough seas until this Saturday (September 21), according to the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia). — September 18, 2024