KUALA LANGAT, 29 Sept: Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd (KSSB) has begun planting 1,500 Acacia saplings at a former mine to restore the Olak Lempit Mine here today.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of KSSB, Datuk Dr Azimuddin Bahari said that the rehabilitation programme at the mine site will be carried out in stages for future use.
He said that the reason they selected the former Olak Lempit mine as the first site for the success of the programme is because it is among the earliest mines. It was chosen because its location is near Paya Indah Wetlands. The area should be preserved seeing that abandoned mines have an impact on the surrounding area.
“Abandoned mines are normally filled with water or ‘water retention ponds’ which can overcome flooding in its surrounding areas.
“To ensure that it is preserved and can be commercialised, conservation should be well maintained and organised,” he told reporters when met.
In addition to planting trees, Azimuddin also released 200 Climbing Perch fry into the Paya Indah Wetlands pond so that it would be a breeding ground for fishes to add to the commercial value.
The Chief Assistant Director of the Selangor Department of Environment, Amirul Aripin was also present.
Azimuddin said that they target for a total of 5,000 saplings to be planted at the mine which has an area of 48.56 hectares.
“KSSB does not just run sand mining operations and merely is in it for profit, but it is also very concerned about the mining process according to the established procedures,” he said.
KSSB is among the subsidiary companies of the state government.