The floods in Johor are an alarming sign that some of the development in the country over the last 20 years has been done in an unsustainable way. There is a lax quality control considering the damage done to the environment. The inept planning done without regards to the environment will one day hit us, somehow. Aceh in Sumatra is a perfect example.

As far as the floods are concerned, many may not be aware that Johor is the worst-hit state due to its location away from the Main Range mountains which starts in the far north and ends at Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.

In other words, we should be grateful that we still have some forests left in the Main Range. Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Penang, Perlis and Kedah have been saved from severe flooding due to this mountain cover, which is the ecosystem's natural protector. We must preserve whatever little forests we have left including in Sabah and Sarawak. The custodians of the forests and environment should ensure that our natural heritage is kept for the betterment of all present and future Malaysians.

I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise to all stakeholders to be wary of development encroaching towards forests or any jungle cover and canopy, including our precious and fragile wetlands. Often, the wetlands are regarded as wastelands when in fact they absorb the excess water in times of floods and reduce devastation. In this respect, the local authorities should exercise rigid control to make sure our fragile ecosystem is protected.

Similarly, the Forestry Department should take more stringent measures to save our forests from unscrupulous logging. Supervision should be tightened using new approaches. Better cooperation with the local community is needed to, among others, to ensure they are the 'watch dogs' of the forest to give feedback to the relevant government agency on any violation and intrusion. Perhaps environmental NGOs can be ask to voluntarily 'adopt a forest' to help ensure there is no illegal logging.

There is so much to be done for Mother Nature so let's work harder to ensure every Malaysian understands and implements the concept of sustainable living. Schools, teachers and parents must actively do their part for such education. I hope every politician, too, plays his or her role to ensure that his area of constituency is free from irresponsible logging and indiscriminate deforestation. Education on the environment at all frontiers is vital.

As this well-known native American quote aptly says: 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children'.