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Johor’s Iskandar Puteri still has some way to go before it can further reduce its carbon footprint and be as green it wants to be, but it is heading steadfastly in that direction.

On Nov 22, 2017, Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar officially proclaimed Iskandar Puteri as Johor’s second city after Johor Baru. This also made it the 14th city in Malaysia. The Johor Baru Central Municipal Council, which was established on March 1, 1978, was upgraded to the Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) on Jan 1, 2001.

The name “Iskandar Puteri” has historic significance in Johor: in 1885, the then-divided kingdom’s capital was relocated from Telok Blangah in Singapore to Tanjung Puteri, which was renamed to Iskandar Puteri. This lasted for only about a year before it was again renamed, this time to Johor Baru.

The contemporary version of Iskandar Puteri is located in the current administrative capital of Johor, which is Kota Iskandar.

“As a city, we are only about six years old, but efforts are already in place to make the city one of the greenest in the country, and we are on the right track,” says Iskandar Puteri mayor Datuk Haffiz Ahmad.

MBIP has already won three international and six national awards for its low-carbon activities and programmes. The first international award was from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) – All About SDG Campaign (Sustainable Development Green Campaign) for its Iskandar Malaysia and Low Carbon School Exhibition 2019. It also won two Commonwealth awards for the Skudai River Rejuvenation Plan and the Community Farming Projects at the Kenari Low Cost Flats.

At the national level, it won the Sustainable City Award from PLAN Malaysia for three consecutive years, from 2019 to 2021; Royal Institution of Surveyor Malaysia Excellence Awards; and also awards from the Malaysian Institute of Planners.

Despite these accolades, “We are not resting on our laurels and will continue with our best efforts and commitments to achieve a low-carbon society within the next two years”, says Haffiz.

The Low Carbon Action Plan 2025 was launched in Iskandar Malaysia in 2015 involving five councils within the region, including MBIP, whose iteration of the plan is the Iskandar Puteri Low Carbon Society Action Plan 2025 (IPLCSAP2025).

Haffiz says 73% of the initiatives under IPLCSAP2025 have been implemented via 149 projects, with a further 26 ongoing and 66 more to be launched.

“We are anticipating that 90% of the programmes and projects under the IPLCSAP2025 will be implemented this year.”

Its latest records show that from 2021 to 2022, a total of 13,770 residents were directly involved in low-carbon projects and programmes within MBIP’s jurisdiction.

The low-carbon initiative has also seen the council collaborating with international bodies such as the Japan International Cooperation Agency, UNDP, Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), and UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transition.

On March 30, 2023, the council also launched the Iskandar Puteri Climate Action Plan 2030 in Bangkok. The launch took place in conjunction with the GCoM South-East Asia Regional Workshop where seven other cities participated: Petaling Jaya, Putrajaya, and Segamat from Malaysia; and Medan, North Minahasa, Pontianak, and Tangerang from Indonesia.

“We are proud to be working closely with these cities in addressing climate change issues,” says Haffiz.

Iskandar Puteri’s low-carbon initiative also covers the development and maintenance of public facilities and existing public infrastructure. This includes replacing conventional lights with LED lights for streetlights and lighting systems in existing housing projects in stages.

“We allocated RM2.1mil in 2022 to replace conventional streetlights with LED ones, and plan to spend another RM1mil this year on this.”

As for new projects, developers are required to install LED lights from the get-go.

Haffiz says a study is also being conducted on using solar lighting systems for playgrounds and bus stations, which he hopes will happen in the near future.

Meanwhile, in 2022, the council allocated RM750,000 in grants for Iskandar Puteri Low Carbon Society-related programmes and RM1mil to build bicycle lanes in the city.

In 2021, a total of 46,519 trees were planted within MBIP’s jurisdiction, a further 44,783 in 2022, and some 500,000 trees will have been planted by 2030.

Haffiz says the amount of funds to ensure the success of low-carbon programmes will be increased each year depending on MBIP’s plans and needs.

“On top of it, we are allocating RM3mil this year to transform MBIP into a smart city,” he adds.

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Autor(en)/Author(s): Zazali Musa

Quelle/Source: The Star, 20.05.2023

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