KUALA LUMPUR — The Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) has officially launched a high-priority emergency tree audit across critical zones in the city. This move follows a distressing incident in Section 7 yesterday that left two local academics injured and raised urgent questions regarding urban forestry management.
The incident occurred along Persiaran Tun Arshad Ayub, a busy stretch near an apartment complex. A mature tree reportedly uprooted and collapsed directly onto a moving Mitsubishi Xpander. The victims, identified as two female lecturers from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, were trapped in the wreckage before being rescued and treated for injuries.
In a detailed press briefing today, MBSA Corporate and Public Relations Director Mohd Fauzi Aziz Maamor emphasized that the council is not taking the matter lightly. To prevent a recurrence, MBSA has commissioned a certified arborist to lead a specialized technical task force.
The emergency audit is designed to be exhaustive, moving beyond simple visual checks. Key components of the safety drive include:
- Root and Soil Stability Analysis: Inspecting the ground conditions and root systems of mature trees to ensure they can withstand shifting soil or heavy rainfall.
- Structural Integrity Assessments: Identifying internal decay, trunk cracks, or imbalanced canopies that may not be visible to the untrained eye.
- GIS Integration: Updating the city’s Geographic Information System (GIS) data and implementing a “tree tagging” system to track the health history of every major tree in the vicinity.
- Immediate Mitigation: Any tree flagged as “high risk” will face immediate intervention, ranging from canopy thinning and branch load reduction to complete preventive felling.
Addressing concerns regarding previous maintenance, Mohd Fauzi revealed that routine pruning and the removal of dead trees had actually been carried out along that specific road as recently as early February 2026.
“Despite our scheduled maintenance earlier this month, this incident underscores the unpredictable nature of biological structures in an urban environment,” Mohd Fauzi stated. “We are now shifting toward a more proactive, data-driven approach to ensure that public safety remains our absolute priority.”
Immediately following the crash, MBSA enforcement personnel were deployed to cordon off the area, facilitating a temporary road closure. This allowed for a controlled environment where cleanup crews could remove the debris and the technical team could begin their forensic assessment of the fallen tree.
The council has reiterated its commitment to the well-being of Shah Alam residents, promising that follow-up actions will be implemented in stages across other high-traffic sectors of the city. For now, Persiaran Tun Arshad Ayub remains under close observation as the audit continues.
Residents and road users are advised to stay alert during stormy weather and are encouraged to report any leaning trees or suspicious cracks in trunks via the MBSA emergency hotline.
