KULAI: Turning Gunung Pulai Recreational Forest into a state park will help ensure better management of the area, following the death of an 18-year-old boy on Friday from leptospirosis.
Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said he has yet to forward the proposal to upgrade to the state government but was confident that the move would improve the management of the park.
Gunung Pulai is currently managed by the Forestry Department, which works closely with the local authority. A cooperative was also set up for the maintenance of the park.
"With the upfgrade, visitors to the park will have to refrain from discarding food waste and rubbish in the area to keep the place clean and hygienic," Ayub told the New Straits Times.
Ayub said for now, the park would remain closed to public for two weeks from Friday for the relevant authorities to conduct tests on the water samples collected from the waterfall areas in the park, among other things, as a precautionary measure.
Part of the park was also closed for three months after water samples were tested positive for leptospirosis in 2015.
An 18-year-old boy from Pekan Nanas, Pontian, died of leptospirosis, or ‘rat urine infection’ and organ failure at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA) at about midnight on Friday.
It was reported that the youth died after spending three days in HSA’s intensive care unit (ICU).
The victim had gone swimming at the Gunung Pulai waterfall in April before complaining of stomach ache, cold and fever, as well as general weakness for three days.
Ayub had advised anyone who had been to any waterfall or recreational park in April and May to go to the nearest hospital or health clinic for a medical examination.