KUALA LUMPUR – Photos of damage at the Tg Batu Teluk Sera waterfall are inaccurate and confusing as the area is in good condition and unaffected by quarrying works, the energy and water minister said late Friday.
In a statement, Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said investigations into the Tg Batu Teluk Sera waterfall have been carried out by the Irrigation and Drainage Department.
After a visit by ministry and state officials, Tuan Ibrahim said there was only a failure to manage wood and soil waste, known as “overburden”, and they ended up in the river.
“Initial investigations at the site found six violations of the EIA (environmental impact assessment) conditions, especially regarding earthworks that were carried out without adhering to the approved ‘land-disturbing pollution preventing mitigation measures’.
“The operator also failed to inform the Department of Environment on the start of the earthworks as outlined in the EIA.”
He added that the stop-work order on the quarrying has allowed for repair and maintenance works to control erosion, run-off, sediment and slope stabilisation.
On Monday, the Perak government had ordered a temporary stop-work order, including for quarrying activities, at the Tg Batu Teluk Sera waterfall.
Menteri Besar Datuk Saarani Mohamad had said the order was issued pending a report on the alleged destruction of the waterfall area in the Segari Melintang forest reserve, which holds permanent forest reserve status.
Last Sunday, environmental groups again voiced their concerns over quarrying in the Segari Melintang forest reserve, after a Facebook post on its condition was widely shared.
Sinar Harian had reported Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) field researcher Meor Razak Meor Abdul Rahman as saying the concerns were first highlighted back in 2017, when the Perak government approved quarrying and mining for laterite in Compartments 13, 14, 15 and 16 of the forest reserve.
“Mining and quarrying activities in the forest reserve can affect its diversity and sustainable forest management, which is core to national forest management.” – The Vibes, January 24, 2021
