Penang to gazette more forest reserves as water catchment areas

 

Penang will gazette a further 3,790.54 hectares of its permanent forest reserve as water catchment areas under the National Forestry Act 1984.

Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow (above) said in 2004, the Penang government had gazetted 6,288,295 hectares as water catchment areas under the state Water Supply Enactment 1998.

He said it covered some 3,565 hectares of permanent forest reserve in which 70 percent was allocated to the preservation of watch catchment forests since 2004.

“On Dec 2, the state executive council meeting agreed to gazette permanent forest reserve areas as water catchment forests under the National Forestry Act, in which the total area for gazetting purposes also increased by five per cent,” he told reporters in George Town today.

Chow said the Penang Forestry Department was currently in the process of gazetting, which should be completed and published by June next year.

Last Tuesday, Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man urged Penang to immediately gazette water catchment areas to ensure it has a source for continuous water supply in the future.

Tuan Ibrahim said so far, seven states in the peninsula - Kedah, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perlis, Selangor and Terengganu - have gazetted 100 percent of their lands as water catchment areas as proposed.

Chow, however, said this issue arose as Penang had gazetted its permanent forest areas as water catchment areas under the state enactment, adding that both legislation had the same purpose of creating water catchment areas to ensure guaranteed water supply.

“Compared to the other states, Penang, in 2004, was the earliest in the peninsula to gazette its water catchment areas under the State Water Supply Enactment, which covers permanent forest reserve areas,” he said.

- Bernama