PM Najib joins efforts to conserve Tasik Chini

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak today spent more than an hour and a half at Tasik Chini here, to support conservation efforts for the popular tourist destination in Pahang.

Najib arrived at the lake at 3.10pm and together with the local community including Orang Asli, students and environmental groups, planted 350 trees, among others the 'Meranti Temak Nipis', to help reduce carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere.

The 350 trees were symbolic of the government's commitment to achieve the safe level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, namely 350 parts per million.

The Pekan member of Parliament then released fish into Tasik Chini to symbolise the lake's water quality improvement, as well as an initiative to increase the number of fish in the lake, which has a variety of different species such as 'lampam', 'sebarau' and 'kelah'.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob and ECERDC chief executive officer Datuk Seri Jebasingam Issace John also participated in the event.

Also present were Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) vice-chancellor Prof Datuk Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali, Pahang Department of Environment director Rosli Zul and state Forestry director Datuk Mohd Paiz Kamaruzaman.

During the working visit, Najib also launched the Tasik Chini Freshwater Laboratory Complex, which was developed by the East Cost Economic Region Development Council (ECERDC) as a water research and quality monitoring centre.

The complex, which is part of the Tasik Chini Research Centre (PPTC), was built on a four-hectare site. It is the facility to carry out research initiatives, management, conservation and ecotourism development of the nature heritage site.

UKM is PPTC's first coordinator since its inception in 2004.