Kenyir Lake: Terengganu Forestry Dept temporarily halts logging work

The Terengganu Forestry Department has taken swift action by temporarily halting logging activities in the area near Kenyir Lake, which is alleged to be the cause of water at Sungai Lasir Waterfall turning murky.

State Tourism, Culture and Information Technology Committee deputy chairperson Sulaiman Sulong said it was understood that logging activities in an area about four kilometres upstream of Sungai Lasir had been halted as soon as the pollution issue was reported in newspapers and social media.

According to him, the operation is stopped temporarily until the waterfall, which is a focus of tourists to Kenyir Lake, is pristine again.

“The Forestry Department has taken immediate alternative actions to ensure that the logging activities around four kilometres from upstream of Sungai Lasir can be prevented or minimised.

“At the same time, heavy rain is also believed to have caused the water to turn murky,” he told reporters after officiating the closing ceremony of the tour guide course at Kenyir Lake yesterday.

Sulaiman was commenting on a newspaper report yesterday claiming that the water at the Sungai Lasir Waterfall recreation forest at Kenyir Lake is murky, believed due to logging activities in a nearby area.

Terengganu Tourism, Culture and Information Technology Committee deputy chairperson Sulaiman Sulong

Meanwhile, state Menteri Besar Ahmad Samsuri Mokhtar, in a statement, said the issue of murky water in Lake Kenyir was due to heavy rain and not because of logging activities.

He was reported to have said that all activities related to forestry and logging were bound by a set of conditions, including a suitable distance between the logging area and body of water.

Meanwhile, the Terengganu government’s hope of turning Kenyir Lake into a geopark is expected to be realised next year, said Sulaiman.

He said the state government was now working with several agencies to prepare the necessary documents for the purpose.

Sulaiman added that the effort had been in motion since 2015, with the establishment of the necessary committees, but was delayed due to some technical factors and the local community's acceptance of the move.

"We hope to get Lake Kenyir recognised as a national geopark next year, with efforts being made to make it on par with the Langkawi Geopark and others that have been recognised by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco)," he noted.

According to Sulaiman, the state government is committed to getting Kenyir Lake recognised as a geopark to attract more foreign tourists to Terengganu, as well as to preserve its natural environment.

"The people need to understand that declaring Lake Kenyir as a geopark will not pose a burden to them.

“Instead, they get to benefit from it through job creation, economic and tourism activities,” he said.

- Bernama