Bukit Kiara

Bukit Kiara is an affluent suburb of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The area is in proximity to other exclusive suburbs such as Bukit Damansara, TTDI, Mont Kiara, Sri Hartamas and Bangsar.

Bukit Kiara has often been described as the 'green lung' of Kuala Lumpur, boasting many jungle trails through its characteristic hills and is a favourite amongst the health and nature conscious locals. Despite rapid housing and commercial development in the area, the area is still known as an enigmatic and exclusive area of Kuala Lumpur. Lately, Bukit Kiara is experiencing a rise in housing demand as the area becoming increasingly important; the Malaysian Securities Commission headquarters, the National Science Centre and the Educational Technology Division "(Bahagian Teknologi Pendidikan)" are located here.

For avid hikers and bikers within the confines of Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Bukit Kiara's routes and technical trails are just about the best in the area. The trail roads stretch to a lengthy 15 kilomethres but these trails are distressfully diminishing by the minute. Owned and maintained by DBKL (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur or KL Municipal Council), many segments of Kiara's lush greenery have been compromised for development, mostly attributed to the manifestation of Vision 2020. Many of such cases include the destruction and deforestation of previous trails such as "Dogs", "Banana Ridge" and "The Creek" for what Malaysians now know as the Sprint Highway Tunnel.

Putting behind the non-existent, existing trails are still of a relative abundance. Among these routes are fancily named trails; Janie's Addiction, Boner, Snakes & Ladders, Pat's Egress, Twin Peaks and Mondo Cool. What's more interesting are the stories at which these trails were derived. "Janie Ravenhurst was obsessed with the idea of finding a link from Summit 1 to the upper pondok on Pondok-to-Pondok, to avoid risking the parting of body and soul by riding down Mondo Cool. After many reconnoitres and with the help of several GPSs, Pat finally found the link sometime in late 1999 or early 2000. The trail was named after Janie, and with a nod to the punk rock group Jamies Addiction". Another example lies in Boner. "Originally you could ride this trail all the way downhill at speeds in excess of 35km/h to exit at what is now the Garden International School. Now it's interrupted by the construction for the Sprint Highway. Contrary to what some might think, it was not named after the excited state of the rider after having successfully negotiated this twisting, high-speed descent, but for the fact that it was a bone-rattling descent. I don't notice the bumps anymore, either because they've have gone away or my bike now has front suspension" (Brunsdon, 2002, [http://www.bikehash.freeservers.com/kiara.html] ). Currently though, reckless construction works have begun deep in heart of the forest. Excavators and tractors have been spotted widening trails, cutting down trees and leveling the trails. What concerns users most is the fact that works have been carried out throughout the rainy season with little to no consideration for water control and supportive measures to prevent landslides and erosions. "Trees felled unnecessarily, wide roads with no regard to water control and erosion, and no support to prevent further landslides mean that these trails will be unsuitable for both man and beast and will become riddled with Aedes breeding playgrounds", [http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/1/21/focus/20071418&sec=focus] . Cyclists have testified to the shock and disappointment of cycling through their favourite trails e.g. Bar-A-Kuda to see large segments of it vanished and crudely transformed into a construction site. Resident users and frequent visitors of Bukit Kiara are in dismay and deeply concerned with the ecological and health effects and careless coordination of DBKL's ongoing development. What remains crucial however, is the growing anxiety and expectations of what purpose is the development meant to serve and whether action will be taken to prevent further ecological discruption of Bukit Kiara's lush environment.

As development goes, Bukit Kiara in its present state is already well equipped for recreational purposes as the area is home to Bukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort, Selangor Club, Sime Darby Convention Centre, Kuala Lumpur Golf & Country Club and Bukit Kiara Sports Complex. Private facilities for members include a swimming pool, spa, gym, indoor and outdoor tennis, basketball, and badminton courts, a bowling alley, horse riding and polo facilities, restaurants, golf, fishing and billiard rooms.