Kuala Lumpur, Wed. - A botanist today refuted claims by the Malaysian Nature Society that the Sungai Selangor dam project would destroy Berembang trees - home of Kuala Selangor's famed fireflies.
K.M. Kochummen said there were many such trees at the river mouth which had a higher salinity level than upstream.
"Since Berembang trees are growing even more luxuriously downstream where the salt content is higher, the claim that the trees upstream are highly sensitive to salt and will not survive is not true," he told the New Straits Times.
However, Kochummen acknowledged that Berembang trees at the river mouth did not contain a firefly population unlike those in Kampung Kuantan, about 10km from the river mouth. He was commenting on Press reports that quoted the MNS as saying that the dam would contribute significantly to the reduction of the firefly population.
This was allegedly because there would be less fresh water flowing through Sungai Selangor and more sea water flowing upstream.
The reports had said that the Berembang trees on which the fireflies court and mate were "highly sensitive" to salt and may not survive higher salinity levels.
In addition, the society claimed that firefly larvae population which live in the mud below may dwindle because of salt water moving upstream.
According to the MNS, an earlier study by the Japanese International Co-operation Association (Jica) showed that the minimum flow of fresh water required to prevent salinity intrusion was 1,700 million litres per day.
The EIA report recommends a minimum of 300mld of fresh water flow.
Extracted from NST report.
By Marina Tan
