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Cultural and aesthetic appeal
Limestone hills in Ipoh have been an
attraction for their cultural and aesthetic appeal. Numerous cave temples and
recreational parks in its vicinity draw tourists from the whole country,
while its importance to science has drawn researchers to study the history of
the landscape and past climatic conditions.
The need to preserve some of the hills is being recognised. However, in the
area where limestone is one of the major contributors to the economy of
Perak, there is a conflict between the need to conserve and exploit.
As unique landscape
Karst is terrain with distinctive hydrology and landforms arising from a
combination of high rock solubility and well-developed secondary porosity.
The rate of karstification is always thought to be fastest where the climate
is wettest. Because of this, much of the Malaysian karst is thought to be in
the mature stages of karstification.
Unlike other type of rocks such as the granite and sediment which when
subjected to weathering, become loose and finally turn into soil, limestone,
which comprises of mainly calcium carbonate, is dissolved in even lightly
acidic water. Therefore, instead of being transported as sediments in water,
the product of limestone dissolution can be seen as rock sculpture. Prolonged
dissolution normally occurs along preferred lines of weaknesses in limestone,
however being always mechanically strong, areas of
less fracture always stand as towers. Dissolution features such as caves form
along fracture lines whereas in vertical to sub-vertical fracture when
intercepted by horizontal dissolution at the foot of the hills resulted in
collapse of the walls. This is how the steep-sided limestone towers are
formed in the Kinta
Valley.
The evolution of the karst processes is thought to have started in the Late
Tertiary when Peninsula Malaysia
was subjected to tropical climate. However, the most extensive dissolution
started during the Quaternary when periods of wetter climates prevailed. What
is seen on the surface are the remnants of the
limestone mass that have been through prolonged karstification, while the
rest of it is in the form of subsurface platform. It is observed that the
most spectacular karst landscape can be
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seen in areas that had been through extensive
dissolution. In the tropical and subtropical areas, karst are being appreciated
for being aesthetically appealing on the surface, while in the temperate
countries the surface karst is totally different, the appreciation always
being given to their caves and their formation. Other examples for the former
are Guilin karst in China,
Jamaican karst, Belize
karst.
The Heritage Value
Limestone in Ipoh is in the form of typical
tropical karst, which consists of scattered steep-sided hills, protruding
from the vast alluvial plain of the Kinta Valley.
Under the alluvium cover the limestone takes the form of an almost concordant
platform. Within these hills and the subsurface limestone, a variety of karst
features, such as closed depression or wangs, caves, notches, and underground
drainage can be found. Each feature has unique characteristics and is
appreciated for being aesthetically, scientifically and culturally important.
The heritage value of the limestone hills in terms of the landscape,
geological characteristics and cultural value is briefly discussed below.
1. Landscape Heritage
The Kinta Valley landscape largely consists of a vast alluvial floodplain and
tropical karst towers, with some part forming gentle slope rolling hills. The
valley is sandwiched in the east and west by two highlands, which consist of
granite. A period of wet climate during the Quaternary brought the alluvium
that now blankets the area. The two highlands provide constant allogenic
water to the valley and create swampy conditions in parts of the valley.
The limestone is thought to have gone through an extensive dissolution
process or karstification. What is left on the surface are the remnants of
exposed limestone after prolonged karstification while much of it takes the
form of subsurface platform under the alluvium cover.
There are 32 limestone towers in an area from south Sungai Siput in the north
to the Gopeng area in the south, covering an area of approximately 429 km
square. Out of these hills, 15 hills are located within the vicinity of lpoh.
2. Geological Heritage
Geologically, the Kinta
Valley is underlain by
the Kinta Limestone, which has been dated from Devonian to Permian. The
limestone includes several relatively thin argillaceous beds, and exceeds
3000 m in stratigraphic thickness. Much of the limestone is found beneath the
general surface where it underlies the tin ore bearing alluvium for which the
Kinta Valley was once famous. The Kinta
Valley Schist occurs mainly below the limestone though parts are found to
interbed with the former.
The limestone and schist were probably folded and metamorphosed during or
near the end of the Permian. After the folding and metamorphism, these
Paleozoic rocks (limestone and schists) were intruded by the Kledang and Main Range
granites during the very Late Triassic. Some Jurassic igneous events have been
detected as well.
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After the folding and
intrusive events the limestone slowly emerged. Calculated rates of emergence
are estimated at 0.1 mm per annum. The Padang Rengas limestone is interpreted
to be the northern most extension of the Kinta Valley Limestone and its
surface expression takes the form of Gunung Pondok.
Karstification processes have produced certain features, which are very
important scientifically, as they are thought to preserve some record of past
climatic condition through the presence of the multilevel notches, which are
a reliable indicator of past base levels. With the advancement of absolute
dating methods such as the Uranium series, Electron Spin Resonance and
Thermoluminecense, caves are becoming more important in the study of karst
landscape and Quaternary geology.
The information from this study often serves as basis for regional
conclusions.
3. Cultural Heritage
Certain features in karst areas, which are easily accessible to the public
such as wangs and caves, are always an attraction for their natural beauty
and scenic landscape. A few wangs were turned into recreation parks and
landscaped into gardens.
Besides that, caves are appreciated especially for aesthetic cave deposits
such as stalactites, stalagmites and whirlpools. These formations sometime
resemble certain objects, which are regarded sacred to Buddhists and Hindus.
Temples were
built in caves and statues of Buddha and Hindu Gods were placed in them and
their surroundings. The combination of recreational and spiritual purposes
draws visitors from all walks of life to these areas.
Caves also contain irreplaceable records of archaeological importance. The
ancient hematite rock drawing in Tambun area is an example. Although in the Ipoh area not many archaeological materials have been
discovered, the first almost complete skeleton of a prehistoric man in
Southeast Asia dated 11,000 years was unearthed from the cave floor in
Lenggong, just north of Kinta
Valley.
Misconception
The lack of efforts towards the conservation of geological heritage resources
is due to the widespread conception that rocks and landforms do not need
special management due to their hardiness. However, there are many that are
highly sensitive to disturbance especially for areas, which are being
commercially exploited or even areas that are being damaged by the very
tourists who go to admire them. For the former, the geological heritage
resources are becoming destroyed by uncontrolled or poorly managed excavation
by developers while they are being degraded by uncontrolled activities by
tourists or over collection by amateurs.
As for the Ipoh
limestone hills, though quarrying of the limestone is a major contribution to
the economy of the state of Perak the importance of preserving some of the hills
is indicated in the Draft Structure Plan (Amendment) of Ipoh City Council
1998-2020. In this draft, it is stated that limestone hills have been
recognised as a
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natural potential as heritage resource, certain
species habitat, and also the presence of caves which can be exploited as
tourism and research centre.
Proposals for preservation:
a) Limestone hills with heritage value and special
characteristics such as Gunung Kanthan, Gunung Rapat, Gunung Datok, Gunung
Tambun, Gunung Lano, Gunung Terendum, Gunung Panjang and Gunung Lang need to
be preserved and gazetted as protected areas under the National Park Act 1980
and Wildlife Protection Act 1972.
b) Only suitable development and activities are permitted
in the areas that are being gazetted for preservation.
Proposals for specific development in limestone areas:
Federal Recreational Park
- Gunung Rapat.
Cave and Geology Research Park
- Gunung Kanthan, Gunung Datuk
Natural Species
Research Park
- Gunung Tambun, Gunung Lanno, Gunung Teredum
Archeological and Historical Park - Gunung
Panjang
City Park
- Gunung Lang
In addition to that, any development located close to the limestone areas has
to follow guidelines for limestone hills slopes and safety zone provided by
the Department of Mineral and Geo-science.
According to their plan, it is obvious that the City Council has acknowledged
the importance of these limestone hills especially for recreational and
educational purposes. However, numerous quarry lease locations exist in the
very same hills that are planned for preservation. Quarry
lease locations in the Kramat Pulai area consists of G. Rapat, G.
Terendum, G. Lanno and other smaller hills. The critical issue here is there
seems to be non-uniformity between land-use plan of
different authorities. However, this assumption is based on limited access to
the landĽuse plan data. This does not include plans of other local authority
such as the Ipoh City Council.
Besides that, if exploitation and preservation are to exist together, there
is a need to have a policy that balances both these requirements. Any plan to
exploit certain areas in the heritage resources should be accompanied by a
well-planned policy. The policy, planning and guidelines pertaining to
development must be formulated based on the principle of deriving benefits
from natural heritage resources (scientific, aesthetic and cultural).
Karst areas and UNESCO
The importance of conserving representative karst areas for science and
recreation has been recognised world-wide. Karst in the Guilin
province in China,
caves of the
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Aggtelek, Slovak Karst
and Nahanni Karst in Canada
to name a few, have been designated as the World Natural Heritage by UNESCO.
In Malaysia Gunung Mulu in Sarawak has been
designated as a National Park, and recently designated as the World Heritage
Site.
Before any effort to conserve can be made, it is crucial to first recognise
what type of conservation can be implemented in certain heritage resources.
For the Kinta Valley karst area, where natural heritage
resources are found in an area where urbanisation has already occurred and
strong economic activities are being carried out, the concept of a UNESCO
geo-park is proposed.
This concept offers the opportunity to recognise, protect and enhance Earth
heritage sites at global level. Geo-parks will relate people to geology and
serve as a focus for economic development.
For geological and landscape heritage resources, the Geological Park,
Geological Monument and Protected Sites concept can be embedded in the Kinta
Valley karst. For aesthetic and cultural heritage resources, such as
recreational parks, temples and archaeological sites can be preserved in the
present state.
However, a systematic assessment must be first carried out to determine the
heritage value of certain features, which exist in the limestone hills areas.
Geological Parks,
Geological Monuments and Protected Sites may
exist side by side with areas that are being exploited. Therefore it is
important to first recognise the boundaries between areas that are being
conserved and exploited.
Limestone hills in lpoh are being appreciated as being of great importance in
terms of scientific value, while to the general public, it has became
culturally and aesthetically appealing. However, in the very same areas,
limestone is being exploited for economic purposes. It is important to
recognise the crucial areas that need to be conserved.
A policy for a balance between conservation and exploitation activities must
be implemented in these areas.
The Geological, Educational and Aesthetic aspects of the Kinta Valley
Limestone Hills with emphasis on Gunung Rapat for the purpose of
Conservation. #
(From a paper presented by Professor Ibrahim Komoo and Ros Fatihah
Muhammad of Universiti Kebangsaan at the Perak Consumers Association.)
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