Batu Arang
Batu Arang | |
---|---|
MST) | |
Postcode | 48100[1] |
Telephone area code | +6-03 |
Batu Arang is a town in
During
After the closure of the mine, many miners and workers moved out of town and many buildings became ruins, the coal mine filled with water, land faced soil erosion, and the railway line from Kuang was dismantled, effectively ended railway service in Batu Arang. Despite this, some residents remained in the town and shops, facilities, and amenities continue to operate. On October 16, 2011, the town celebrated 100 years since its establishment and was granted heritage town status to boost economic prospects of its residents and make it one of the most important tourist attractions in Selangor.
History
British Malaya era
Coal was first discovered in Malaya in 1908 by Haji Abdul Hadi, a Malay man who was looking for tin near
The company leased 9,000 acres (3,600 ha) of coal deposits, of which 2,000 acres (810 ha) were used for surface plant and miners' housing. Mining machinery was ordered from the United Kingdom and the United States. The village then established to serve the coal mining industry, was named "Batu Arang" from the
The initial output was low; the mine produced an average of 60 tons of coal per day due to it being mined on a small scale and low demand; imported coal was readily available. Most of the coal was used for the colliery's consumption and in 1916, coal from Batu Arang was supplied to two of the largest European tin mines in Malaya. The price of coal was relatively low; it sold at $5 per ton at Batu Arang station. During the
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Batu Arang in 1924
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Batu Arang in 1933
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Batu Arang railway station circa 1918. The station and its railway line was demolished in 1971.
World War II and decline
During
On September 11, 1945, the
Malayan Emergency
Batu Arang was a conflict zone during the
Contemporary era
Since the closure of the coal mine, many miners and workers have moved out of Batu Arang and many of the town's buildings have been left to decay. Some of these buildings are scheduled[
An underground coal-seam fire occurred on September 18, 2011; one family discovered the land behind their house was getting hotter for two weeks before thick, black smoke started emitting from the ground.[12] The fire was extinguished but the family were displaced and that area is deemed to be no longer safe for occupation.[13]
In 2011, as the 100th anniversary of Batu Arang's establishment approached, many residents appealed to authorities to give the town heritage status, citing the development of nearby towns such as
The 0.6 ha (1.5 acres) Christian cemetery in Batu Arang, where foreigners had buried their dead since 2011, has become controversial due to the illegal burial of foreigners, usually of Asian origin, including
On April 9, 2018, a century-old chimney previously belonging to a defunct brick company was demolished after being abandoned by the company and overgrown with trees. The land it stood on was later acquired by a private owner, who plan to demolish the century-old brick factory building, including the chimney. The chimney's demolition shocked the residents and complaints were filed to the Batu Arang branch of the Malaysian Chinese Association, which led to the suspension of the demolition of the factory building. It was later discovered the chimney and the brick factory were not gazette as a Batu Arang heritage site because the previous land owner had yet to sign an agreement with state government. The private owner stated he demolished the chimney because of safety concerns; the chimney itself has fallen into despair and he was planning to rebuild a replica of it.[20]
Geography
Climate
Batu Arang's climate is classified as tropical. Rainfall in the area is quite significant throughout the year. This climate is Af according to the
Climate data for Batu Arang | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.5 (88.7) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.7 (90.9) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.5 (90.5) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.2 (90.0) |
32.1 (89.8) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.7 (89.1) |
31.2 (88.2) |
31.3 (88.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.5 (79.7) |
27.1 (80.8) |
27.4 (81.3) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
27.2 (81.0) |
27 (81) |
27 (81) |
26.7 (80.1) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.1 (80.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.6 (70.9) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
22.9 (73.2) |
22.8 (73.0) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.3 (72.1) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.3 (72.1) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.3 (72.2) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 186 (7.3) |
158 (6.2) |
252 (9.9) |
257 (10.1) |
217 (8.5) |
128 (5.0) |
126 (5.0) |
167 (6.6) |
218 (8.6) |
290 (11.4) |
301 (11.9) |
249 (9.8) |
2,549 (100.3) |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
80 | 78 | 80 | 82 | 80 | 79 | 79 | 79 | 80 | 82 | 84 | 83 | 81 |
Source 1: climate-data.org[21] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: timeanddate.com[22] |
Environmental issues
Illegal dumping of materials containing toxic waste was discovered on January 15, 2004, and a lawsuit was filed against the responsible parties. Among the toxic materials found were paint, glues and chemicals that are used in the construction industry.[23] Four years later, another waste-dumping issue was discovered when two contractors dumped waste collected from a sewerage processing plant in Puchong into their palm oil estate in Batu Arang and left it to dry and become fertilizer. The waste generated strong odors that affected the lives of the town's residents.[24]
Since 2010, flooding has frequently occurred on an annual basis in some parts of town, especially the roundabout, which cut off access to schools, the police station and the fire station. It was caused by the aging drainage system, which had fallen into despair. More complains were filed by residents in 2019. To mitigate the flooding problem, a new drainage system was constructed in February 2020, and was completed in April 2020.[25]
Transportation
Batu Arang is accessible via several roads that link Batu Arang with Taman Tasik Puteri and Kampung Baru Kundang,
Health
A public clinic in Batu Arang was opened by the government in 1970 to provide medical services to Batu Arang residents.[31] Residents can also access the clinics and hospitals in Kundang and Sungai Buloh via the free bus service provided by Smart Selangor, which stops at these medical facilities since the introduction of these new stations[clarification needed] in June 2019.[32]
Batu Arang houses a Welcome Community Home, a rehabilitation center for drug addicts and
Sports
After the town's foundation, two separate sporting facilities were built for different demographics. A sports center known as the Asiatic Sports Club was designed for Asian residents; this had a
Batu Arang has become the venue for several
Films
Several Chinese New Year films have been filmed in Batu Arang. A 2018 film, A House of Happiness, was filmed in March 2017 for 13 days.[45] Fight Lah! Kopitiam was filmed in Batu Arang in 2019 and was released in 2020. The red lanterns that were used during filming were the only items that remain in the filming location.[46]
References
- ^ "Batu Arang, Batu Arang – Postcode – 48100". postcode.my. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Kaur, A., 1990, pp. 75–76
- ^ Kaur, A., 1990 pp. 77–80
- ^ a b Kaur, A. ,1990 p. 80 - 83
- ^ Kaur, A., 1990 pp. 83–84
- ^ Kaur, A., 1990 pp. 84–85
- ^ a b Price, Liz (2010-02-06). "Stepping back in time". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ a b Communist Terrorism in Malaya: The Emergency: June 1948 – June 1952 (PDF). Kuala Lumpur: Department of Information Federation of Malaya. pp. 46, 48, 53, 61, 82, 92, 152.
- ^ Reuters (1948-07-15). "Malayan Communist Plan Reported To Declare "Soviet Republic"". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
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has generic name (help) - ^ a b "煤炭山的故事" [The history of Batu Arang]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 2018-01-13. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ a b Michael, Stuart (2011-09-10). "Batu Arang still boasts of its rustic charm". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Jayaraj, Jayagandi (2011-09-19). "Coal fire forces family to flee". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Jayaraj, Jayagandi (2011-09-20). "Putting out underground coal fire takes time". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "Residents want heritage status". The Star. 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Michael, Stuart (2011-10-20). "Mining Batu Arang's rich history". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ 谢仲洋 (2019-06-22). "谢仲洋‧美丽乡镇煤炭山" [谢仲洋‧: Batu Arang, a beautiful village]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ Michael, Stuart (2014-09-17). "Foreigners laid to rest in Batu Arang". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Michael, Stuart (2014-09-18). "DO says Christian cemetery illegal". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Michael, Stuart (2014-09-25). "Call to confirm status of burial grounds". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "百年砖窑烟囱被拆各方震惊.煤炭山古迹毁了" [The demolition of the century-old chimney shocked the public as one of the Batu Arang heritage site has been destroyed]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 2018-04-19. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ a b "BATU ARANG CLIMATE (MALAYSIA)". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "Climate & Weather Averages in Batu Arang, Malaysia". timeanddate.com. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Meng Yee, Loong (2004-01-15). "Toxic waste found at garbage dump". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Michael, Stuart (2008-04-24). "Foul smell in Batu Arang". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "解决逾10年逢雨必灾.煤炭山修建排水沟" [Solving the annual floods that occurs in the last decade, Batu Arang finally reconstruct the improved drainage system]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 2020-03-08. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ Jayaraj, Jayagandi (2010-06-22). "New road to link Batu Arang". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "New road to cut travelling time by 20 minutes". The Star. 2012-06-26. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Michael, Stuart (2015-07-02). "Smoother drive for Rawang residents". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Low, Christina (2019-12-28). "MPS persists in illegal dumping fight". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "Time travel ride: Batu Arang". The Malaysian Foldie. Sam Cheong. March 2014. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ "蔡伟杰:让病患舒适候诊·煤炭山政府诊所搭阳棚" [Chua Wei Kiat: Give patients a more comfortable place for medical treatment. Batu Arang public clinic provides shades to patients]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 2020-06-14. Retrieved 2020-08-23.
- ^ Lim, Jarod (2019-06-03). "New bus route for Selayang municipality". The Star. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ Fernandez, Charles (2006-10-27). "Leaving behind their past and moving on". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Malay Mail (2020-01-04). "Documentary on stateless youths with HIV in Malaysia". Daily Express. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ a b Kaur, A. , 1990 p. 89
- ^ SRJK (C) Chap Khuan staffs (2015-08-31). 雪兰莪煤炭山集群学校 90 周年校庆纪念-李振和 [SRJK (C) Chap Khuan Batu Arang, Selangor – 90th Anniversary] (in Chinese). SRJK (C) Chap Khuan. p. 68.
- ^ a b "Things to do in and around Batu Arang". Positive Living Community. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- ^ a b "Reviving a sleepy town to achieve heritage status". The Star. 2015-04-14. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Low, Christina (2019-01-14). "From election volunteer to Rawang state rep". The Star. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ "美丽生活节发掘亮点·百年煤炭山爆红" [Beautiful life has its bright side, a century-old Batu Arang gone viral]. Sin Chew Daily (in Chinese). 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ Clarke, Les (2010-03-07). "Shaw-footed finale for Drapac-Porsche". cycling news. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Ming Wai, Tan (2015-12-09). "Sky rider Mancebo takes first stage of Jelajah Malaysia". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Low, Christina (2017-05-31). "Running with horses at Batu Arang course". The Star. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
- ^ Foo, Daniel (2017-03-22). "Batu Arang". Horse Riding Malaysia. Retrieved 2020-07-20.
- ^ Kit Yan, Seto (2017-03-27). "Happily together again". The Star. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
- ^ "三族通力合作 马来西亚雪兰莪煤炭山镇挂起红灯笼" [Three races working together. These red lanterns has been placed in Batu Arang, Malaysia.]. China News Service (in Chinese). 2019-12-25. Retrieved 2020-09-23.
Further reading
- Kaur, A. ,1990. Hewers and Haulers: A History of Coal Miners and Coal Mining in Malaya. Modern Asian Studies, 24(1), 75–113.