SG PETANI – Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor today swore in God’s name that there has been no logging at Gunung Jerai, and denied that the floods there this week were triggered by such activities.
“The floods were caused due to unusually heavy rain at the peak of Gunung Jerai,” he told the press after visiting Taman Lembah Merbok in Tupah, one of the housing estates at the foot of the mountain.
“There are no logging activities on Gunung Jerai. Do I need to swear for that?”
He said reports by the Environment Department (DoE) and Meteorological Department are sufficient, and that residents themselves know that there is no logging in the area.
Sanusi denied that quarrying in Tupah and tin-ore mining in Singkor, Yan, contributed to the Wednesday disaster, saying the mining operations are located at the foothills, and not the peak.
“If it was because of quarrying, why are areas without such activities affected?”
DoE and the Meteorological Department indicated that heavy rainfall at Gunung Jerai peak began about 2.30pm two days ago.
DoE chief secretary Datuk Seri Zainal Ujang said this caused a landslide and mudflow from the peak to the foothills, as well as massive flooding.
Penang Consumers’ Association legal adviser Meenakshi Raman told The Vibes that the impact of logs and mud washed downhill cannot be ignored.
“The Kedah government has to prove to the public that there have been no logging activities, as Google Maps and pictures have shown otherwise. The state must order an immediate inquiry into the cause of the disaster, along with recommendations, to prevent a recurrence.
“What we are saying is, cutting down trees and quarrying could have contributed to the disaster. More projects are being approved, and we don’t know what more has been approved in the local structure plan.” – The Vibes, August 20, 2021
