Perak exco member: Efforts under way to preserve Gua Matsurat

Ventrex Outdoor recreation president Mohamad Fadly Md Noor (squatting) showing the man made hole,destroying the nature cave beauty at the cave.

IPOH: The Perak government will take steps to conserve the Gua Matsurat limestone cave, which is not only facing intrusion from humans but herds of buffaloes as well.

State exco member Datuk Nolee Ashilin Mohd Radzi said the Perak government would prioritise safety and the cave's conservation as well as study the possibility that Gua Matsurat could be a tourism product.

Although the cave is located within the Kinta Valley National Geopark, it is not listed as part of the site.

"Local authorities have taken the initiative to clean the cave, together with the community and the Perak State Park Corporation.

"A report is being prepared to see whether urban farming is suitable in the surrounding area. The Perak Mineral and Geoscience Department (JMG) have also mapped out the cave," she said.

A joint site visit to the cave will be carried out soon with the agencies concerned for an expert opinion.

"There is potential for caving activities as well as rock climbing if the site is preserved well," she said, adding that there was a need to set up a team for site management, promotion and enforcement to ensure the preservation of the cave.

Nolee was responding to a July 16 article where nature lovers raised concerns over possible damage to the cave due to a herd of buffaloes roaming inside, graffiti as well as the illegal mining of crystals.

Nature guide Mohd Fadly Md Noor took journalists into the cave situated within the Ipoh township last month, and expressed fears that the walls of the cave would collapse if people continued to dig further.

He also said that buffalo dung could damage the structure of the limestone and added that some people were seen digging inside the cave for crystals and treasure since February, destroying the floor.

Nolee said with the cave's strategic location, the JMG would study the potential of turning it into a geological heritage or geopark site, pointing out that there was a possibility of geological and archaeological findings.

"However, intrusion by both humans and animals can hamper such efforts. There are probably some archaeological aspects to the cave with some old drawings on its walls."