IMU Collaborates with PSM for a Cleaner Environment at Bukit Komenwel

A clean and safe environment is vital for human health and well-being. It is therefore vital to clean the environment in order to reduce pollution, protect its unique ecosystems, prevent extinction of endangered species and conserve resources, such as water, land and air. With this in mind, the Academic Services Department (ASD), Academic Programme Development (APD) and the School Administrators teamed up to start an environmental project under IMU Cares: Gotong-Royong at Bukit Komenwel. This project is one of the four GO Green initiatives under IMU Cares. The organisers who comprised of staff from ASD, APD and the School Administrators, planned the project with the objective of increasing awareness among the IMU community and the public on the importance of protection and conservation of the environment. It also brought together staff from different departments and schools to engage in voluntary activities while promoting IMU’s core values. The organisers also had to obtain approval from Perbadanan Sukan Negara (PSM), Bukit Jalil for this project. Numerous meetings and discussions were held for this purpose.

Main organiser and Head of Academic Services, Pratheeban Krishnan, said, “Chief Officer, En. Khairul Azhar of PSM and his colleagues were glad to be able to collaborate with us. They were very keen to have any kind of collaboration with us in future for the betterment of all parties and the community of Bukit Jalil (to be known as Kuala Lumpur Sports City in a couple of years’ time).” On 12 November 2016, 40 PSM staff and 78 IMU staff from 15 departments and four Schools gathered at Bukit Komenwel for the gotong-royong. The warm Saturday morning also saw a tree-planting ceremony where Prof Ong Kok Hai, IMU’s Director of External Affairs and Encik Azman Fahmi Osman, Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif PSM planted two trees near the lake at Bukit Komanwel. After the tree-planting ceremony, all participants from IMU then returned to the University to listen to an environmental talk by an IMU lecturer, A/Prof Verasingam Kumarasamy. Those who met the general public during the gotong-royong were pleased to note that they were happy to see IMU taking such an initiative. They also felt that as a University, we should do it more often and include the community around Bukit Komanwel to be part of this gotong-royong.