70% of Kedah's historical buildings under threat

ALOR STAR: A research conducted by Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) in Sintok here has found that 70% of historical buildings and heritage sites in the state are increasingly under threat.
Associate Prof Dr Rohani Abdul Ghani of the School of Languages, Civilisation and Philosophy, College of Arts and Sciences said based on the National Historic Building and Heritage Site Index, of the 133 heritage buildings and sites, only 30% could be restored and developed.
The rest, she said, had been badly damaged and would eventually disintegrate if no action was taken.
"The index was developed since 2011 to measure the integrity level of a monument or building for restoration, in order to convert it into a tourist attraction and focal point for students to do research," she said in Bicara@Museum programme on Kedah Sultanate buildings at the Kota Kuala Kedah Museum here today.
The programme which was organised by the museum saw the participation of over 100 people comprising students and non-governmental organisation (NGO) and government department representatives.
According to Rohani, among buildings and heritage sites that should be given attention were the Istana Tengku Kudin which is located in Bukit Pinang, and some historical arches in the state.
"We cannot rely on the government to carry out a conservation programme as this would be very costly. Nevertheless, we can invite the community to help protect and clean up historical sites found in their areas," she said.
Meanwhile, museum curator Azhar Mohamed Noor said Kota Kuala Muda historical buildings were among sites which the Department and Museums Malaysia should look into for conservation.
"We need to work on restoring the old British walls and arches which are over 100 years old as these structures make attractive tourism products.
"We applied for an allocation in 2015 but it was rejected as preserving this valuable historical area requires a huge allocation," he said.
As of last month, some 180,000 people visited Kota Kuala Muda to view the collection of archaeological artefacts, including 13 artillery shells and six-century-old British-made cannons being exhibited at the museum gallery.
"We are targeting 230,000 visitors and we are confident this can be achieved in the next three months," said Azhar. — Bernama