By Zareef Muzammil
SHAH ALAM, Nov 27 — State government agencies and local councils have been urged to collaborate with the private sector and ramp up efforts to achieve the target of planting 26 million trees in Selangor by 2026.
State executive councillor for environment Jamaliah Jamaluddin said this is in keeping with the decree by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj, who wants the target to be met as a symbolic gesture for his 26-year reign.
She added that the effort is also in line with the First Selangor Plan’s third strategic theme on driving environmental sustainability.
“This desired greenery not only promises to soothe the eyes and surrounding climate, it also plays a crucial role in lowering carbon levels, besides acting as a rain shelter and enriching the state’s biodiversity.
“Therefore, a large-scale collaboration between the public and private sectors, including the participation of the general public, is essential to achieve these goals,” she told Selangorkini.
On Saturday, Jamaliah officiated a tree-planting programme organised by the Selayang Municipal Council (MPS), which saw 1,850 saplings of 20 different species planted in three locations.
Among them are Tecoma, Eugenia, Jasmine, Ixora, Bougainvillea, Bucida and Molineti.
Commending the effort by MPS, Jamaliah said the programme aligns with the state administration’s aspiration for more trees in the state, ensuring a fresh natural environment.
She also congratulated the local council for successfully planting over 35,000 trees since the start of the year and hopes it will keep up the commitment to help the state realise its target of 26 million trees by 2026.
In the recent tabling of the 2024 Selangor Budget, the state government allocated RM400,000 for the planting of 11 million remaining trees to ensure the target can be met.
