PETALING JAYA: Local authorities should always inspect trees and slopes along roads and other high-risk areas in the city to ensure public safety, says MCA Federal Territories State Liaison Committee chairman Datuk Seri Dr Wee Jeck Seng.

He said that the tragedy on Tuesday (May 7) where an uprooted tree in the heart of Kuala Lumpur killed a motorist and injured another comes as a saddening shock.

"The Federal Territories Ministry and Kuala Lumpur City Hall need to inspect the large and old trees in urban areas regularly and meticulously, identify high-risk areas, and undertake trimming exercises to prevent such mishaps from happening again and again.

"This incident has brought immense pain to the next-of-kin of the victims and I hope that the families of the deceased and injured will keep strong.

"This is not the first time that this incident has happened, and unfortunately, continues to recur which suggests that the authorities have not learnt from past experiences.

"I urge the ministry and City Hall to conduct a review on this matter," he said on Wednesday (May 8).

The MCA vice president said the authorities should inspect high-risk areas in the city promptly, especially trees and slopes along roads, to ensure that the branches on the trees in these areas are regularly trimmed and receive proper maintenance.

"As for slopes, this is to prevent severe landslides during torrential downpours.

"Monitoring of these trees needs to be enhanced by the authorities to ensure that the health of trees is assessed promptly to prevent a repeat of similar tragedies.

"Additionally, the authorities should establish a rapid response hotline so that citizens can report issues related to tree health or safety. Once a complaint is received, trimming teams should be dispatched immediately.

"We cannot allow such incidents to recur. The lives of our people are paramount, and we must take effective measures to ensure their safety," he said.

On Tuesday, a motorist who was trapped under a giant tree died at the scene, and another was injured, after a tree fell on Jalan Sultan Ismail, hitting 17 vehicles during the incident.

https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2024/05/08/always-inspect-slopes-and-trees-authorities-urged