ISKANDAR PUTERI: The Kota Tinggi Waterfall remains closed to the public due to safety concerns following severe flooding and water surges.
Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi said that the disasters, which occurred in 2019, 2022, and last year, caused significant damage to the infrastructure at the popular recreational site.
He emphasised that a thorough study is necessary before the tourist attraction can be reopened to the public.
"The state government does intend to reopen Kota Tinggi Waterfall, but the local authorities are currently assessing safety measures in the area.
"We are aware that major floods in 2019, 2022, and 2023 caused RM3.5mil worth of damage to upgraded infrastructure, which was subsequently destroyed by flooding and water surges," he explained.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Muszaide Makmor (BN-Sedili) regarding the continued closure of Kota Tinggi Waterfall during Thursday's Johor State Assembly session at Kota Iskandar.
In May, State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ling Tian Soon reported that the waterfall had been temporarily closed since 2019 for safety reasons following severe floods.
However, the prolonged closure has led to public misconceptions, with certain quarters claiming logging activities were the cause.
"We must learn from past water surge incidents that have claimed lives. In 2021, a water surge and landslide at Gunung Jerai resulted in six fatalities. More recently, on Nov 16, a water surge at Sungai Jahang in Gopeng, Perak, claimed three lives," he added. - Bernama
