KUALA LUMPUR: The Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department (JPSM) has proposed Gunung Inas, Baling be turned into a protected forest that functions as a water catchment area.
Energy and Natural Resources Minister Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan(pix) said the suggestion was made so that the area cannot be encroached upon and to provide security to the people in the Baling area.
He added that investigations by JPSM and Kedah State Forestry Department found that there was hybrid durian or Musang King durian cultivation carried out in the area.
“I would like to state that Musang King was the not species identified to be planted as a forest plantation. There are 11 species (identified as forest plantation species), among others, acacia, batai wood, rubber clones, logs, teak and not including hybrid durian.
“But it (hybrid durian) was cultivated in Kedah as early as 2017. The then government approved 20 per cent of Musang King cultivation in 2019 and it is allowed until now,” he said.
He said this during the Minister’s Question Time, in response to a question from Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim (BN-Baling) on the ministry’s solutions to ensure the people’s safety, especially those around Gunung Inas Baling, Kedah, following the recent water surge incident.
Takiyuddin said the Kedah State Forestry Department saw the matter as a violation of the conditions because as many as 5,000 trees of this hybrid durian were cultivated in 52 hectares of land on Gunung Inas. He said this violation issue is under the state government’s jurisdiction, adding that it is up to the Kedah government to take action.
However, he said JPSM suggested that the state government replants the 5,000 hectares of land that have been approved for forest plantation on the mountain.
“The federal government can only give advice including technical views but not enforcement measures in that area,“ he said.
Meanwhile, Takiyuddin said the ministry’s initial investigation conducted by the Department of Minerals and Geosciences (JMG) found that the areas surrounding Gunung Inas are still unstable and vulnerable to incidents of landslides and rockfalls due to the presence of loose rocks on the mountainside.
Besides that, he said sudden changes in the rapid current when there is rain in the upstream area and rock debris in the river course can pose a risk and endanger public safety, hence, the ministry had sent an official notification regarding the matter to the Kedah government on July 22 as a preventive measure to ensure the safety of the residents.
He said the ministry wanted the state government to focus on the danger and control zones set up by the JMG for the purpose of disaster management, adding that the department has also advised the state government to close the area to the public.
As for the comprehensive solution method, the ministry through the Baling 2022 Disaster Investigation task force is preparing an integrated report and is expected to propose the creation of impacted, at-risk and safe zones, he said.
The report will also provide recommendations and follow-up actions on policies and disaster management to comprehensively reduce disaster risk in the area through structural and non-structural solutions, he added.-Bernama
