KUALA BERANG – The Terengganu Forestry Department has taken swift action by temporarily halting logging activities in the area near Tasik Kenyir, near here, which is alleged to be the cause of water at Sg Lasir Waterfall turning murky.
State Tourism, Culture and Information Technology Committee deputy chairman Sulaiman Sulong said it was understood that logging activities in an area about 4km upstream of Sg Lasir had been halted as soon as the pollution issue was reported in the newspapers and social media.
According to him, the operation is stopped temporarily until the waterfall, which is the focus of tourists to Tasik Kenyir, is pristine again.
“The Forestry Department has taken immediate alternative actions to ensure that the logging activities around 4km from upstream of Sg Lasir can be prevented or minimised.
“At the same time, the heavy rain is also believed to cause the water to turn murky,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the tour guide course at Tasik Kenyir, yesterday afternoon.
Sulaiman was commenting on a newspaper report yesterday claiming that the water at the Sg Lasir Waterfall recreation forest at Tasik Kenyir is murky, believed due to logging activities in a nearby area.
Meanwhile, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, in his statement yesterday, said the issue of murky water in Tasik Kenyir is due to heavy rain and not because of logging activities.
He was reported to have said that all forestry and logging activities were bound by the set conditions including a suitable distance between the logging area and body of water. – Bernama, September 15, 2022
