ADUN SPEAKS | Whether the recent massive floods in the area of Bentong-Karak in Pahang were caused by heavy logging in the upper stretches of the river, Sungei Telemong or the other tributaries is being currently debated.
The Pahang forestry department (JPNP) said that logging, licensed or unlicensed was not the cause of the floods.
They argued that the heavy rains for a few days brought about landslides that increased the volume and ferocity of the floodwaters.
JPNP was of the opinion that was no illegal logging behind the flood.
The tree trunks, debris and other materials that gathered at the Sri Temolong bridge was the result of landslides in the upper stretches of the rivers or the tributaries of Sungei Bentong.
In other words, JPNP was of the opinion that although the floods were unusual, they were not the result of logging, illegal or legal.
The ghastly sight at the bridge in Sungei Temelong was the result of the heavy flow of water with the debris.
The view of JPNP is to some extent shared by academician Ibrahim Komoo of the environment and sustainability cluster of Akademi Professor Malaysia (APM) in a article published in Sinar on December 31, 2021.
There were certainly not the remnants of logging in the upper stretches of the Sungei Bentong or the tributaries that flowed into it.
He says that given the steep gradient of the flow of Sungei Telemong, it was only natural the landslides that occurred in the hills contributed to the swift flow of the water containing the debris.
The flow of the water four or five meters above the normal level was devastating in terms of its impact.
He further said that the evidence of tree trunks, wood debris and others could not be the result of logging both legal or illegal.
He says that since there was no evidence that the washed down trees were cut, then they could not be from logging activities.
Of course, Ibrahim does not rule out the presence of illegal logging, something that was denied by the JPNP.
At the same environmental activist Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil of Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (Peka) thinks that floods were caused by human hands (Sinar, December 31, 2021).
She said, “ the floods were caused by human hands and not just by the rain”.
She thinks that the country needs 50 percent of the forest to ensure a balanced environment.
But however, logging both legal and illegal poses a major challenge to maintaining our environment.
She advised us to learn from the experience of the European countries where even a tree is not allowed to be cut let alone logging.
Although I am not an expert on the environment, I must certainly say that the views of JPNP on the recent floods in the Bentong-Karak area are troubling.
Ghastly sight
Their categorical denial of logging in contributing to the floods is something that might not be acceptable.
The ghastly sight at the Sri Temelong bridge indicationed that something bad and horrible was happening in the upper stretches of the river.
I don’t understand the debris that was accumulated could be just dismissed as dead wood or substances washed down as a result of the flow of the river water.
I am not sure whether the JPNP is trying to hide something that is unpalatable.
Ibrahim provided a more sophisticated analysis as to whether or not logging was the cause.
He like the JPNP thought that debris and other material accumulated at the bridge were those things that were washed down from the landslides.
Since the wood or tree trunks were not cut, he thinks that there was not the result of logging, although some form of deforestation could have taken place.
Shariffa does not focus on the floods in the Pahang area, but she thinks that floods were indeed related to extensive logging in the country.
I visited the places of the flood in the Bentong-Karak area a few days after the floods.
The devastation was something incomprehensible.
Too much debris
The sight at the Sri Temelong bridge was something shocking.
I don’t understand how landslides could have brought down logs from the upper stretches of the river.
I believe it was not logging but other forms of deforestation had taken place before, without the authorities knowing about it or pretending there was nothing.
The huge heaps of accumulated debris, wood, trees trunks and uprooted trees could not have been the result of just landslides.
Ibrahim might be right about the landslides but why is he rather silent about the presence of logging in the area.
The Pahang forestry department failed to address the issue of the floods and their relationship to the phenomenon of logging.
Who are they protecting? - Mkini
P RAMASAMY is Perai assemblyperson and Penang deputy chief minister II.
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of MMKtT.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.