A student of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Qayyum (@qayyumraub), claimed that people had been trespassing into the Blue Lagoon area in Puchong.
He said this was despite the “No Entry” sign in the area.
Blue Lagoon is within the Ayer Hitam forest reserve (HSAH) in Puchong and together with Bukit Wawasan or Bukit Puchong are under the management of UPM.
According to Qayyum on Twitter, hiking in Bukit Puchong was actually prohibited before, but since it has become a recreational trail for the residents for a long time, UPM no longer hinders the activity.
However, the trail to the HSAH waterfall is still closed to public, especially the Blue Lagoon area.
Qayyum said only UPM researchers are allowed to enter. In addition, individuals who are found to be trespassing can be fined RM10,000 or three years in prison.
According to the Bachelor of Science student, Blue Lagoon is used to conduct studies, including for students’ final year assessments.
Intruding will not only pollute the ecosystem in the area, but can also damage data collection.
Qayyum said that even UPM’s own forestry researchers or students need permission to go to the area.
Also known as the Sultan Idris Shah Forestry Education Center (SISFEC), HSAH is a Permanent Reserved Forest awarded to UPM through an agreement with the Selangor government in 1996.
The agreement was intended to give permission to UPM to undertake activities based on education, research and forest development until 2095.
Now, UPM is in an effort to make the 1,176.1-hectare forest as a model of educational and research forest at the international level.
Source Link: TRP