KUANTAN: The massive landslide that occurred at KM52.4 of the Karak Highway on Wednesday is believed to be caused by uncontrolled logging at the Lentang Recreational Forest area.
Puan Seri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, the Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam Malaysia (Peka) president, said she had warned of a possible landslide before when she saw uncontrolled logging activities in the forest area following the construction of the Tenaga Nasional Malaysia Berhad (TNB) passageway from Bentong, Pahang to Lenggeng, Negri Sembilan.
She said several protest letters were sent to the state government, and the problem highlighted in the media, but lax enforcement resulted in the illegal clearing of more forest land.
"It is understood that logging activities started in late October 2013 and the encroachers wantonly cleared more land at the Lentang Recreational Forest in the name of development," Shariffa told Bernama, Wednesday night.
"When we knew about this, Peka sent an official letter to the Pahang state government on Jan 20 last year, expressing our concern over possible adverse effects of the uncontrolled logging activities," she said.
Shariffa said despite this, uncontrolled logging remained rampant, leading to more forest land being stripped of vegetation, leading to the massive mudslide on the Karak Highway.
She said the problem could worsen if illegal clearing of forests in Bukit Tinggi and Lentang Recreational Forest area continued.
She added that the downpour and landslide also caused a one-metre high flood at the Tanah Aina Fareena area, the first such incident to occur at the three-hectare eco-tourism getaway since it opened 12 years ago.
According to her, all the furniture and equipment at the popular eco-resort was damaged.
Shariffa is urging the state government and other relevant authorities to view the problem seriously and take immediate action to stop uncontrolled logging to avoid a worse incident, including the loss of lives. - Bernama
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