Environmental Impact Screening (EIS) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for proposed new road alignment at Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia / Prof Dr Shanker Kumar Sinnakaudan ... [et al.]

Cameron Highlands can be access by road via Tapah, Simpang Pulai, Gua Musang or Sungai Koyan. Until 1990s, the only access road to Cameron Highlands was by FT59 which begins in Tapah, Perak. In 2004, a new access road, FT185 was open connecting Simpang Pulai, Perak through the northern part of the Highlands and Gua Musang in Southern Kelantan before terminating in Kampung Kuala Jenderis in Hulu Terengganu, Terengganu. By 2010, the third access road, FT102 was opened connecting Ringlet to Felda Sungai Koyan, Pahang. However, the main access road within Cameron Highlands itself it only via FT59 connecting Blue Valley to Ringlet. Due to the existence of multiple access roads to Cameron Highlands, the number of tourists had increased tremendously especially during public and school holidays. The traffic condition at FT59 is getting worse as there are many tourist attractions spots along the route. Because of this problem, local people have experienced severe traffic congestion due to this sudden traffic influx. Therefore, a study to propose alternative road to serve the traffic demand is urgently in need to overcome this problem. As such Kementerian Kerja Raya Malaysia (KKR) via ZR Traffic & Planner has appointed WAREM to carry out specialized studies on Environmental Impact Screening (EIS) and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) for the proposed road alternatives to curb the Traffic Congestions at Cameron Highlands. Since environmental and social impact awareness in the country has significantly increased in recent years, the government has been developing and reviewing national policies to address environmental and social impact findings in various projects before granting any development approval.