‘Log jams a failure of enforcement authorities’
KUCHING: The log jam in Balui River is a glaring evidence of the negligence and irresponsibility of the relevant authorities in Sarawak.
SAVE Rivers Chairman Peter Kallang in a press release lambasted the relevant authorities for not taking good care of rivers of Sarawak.
“There is yet another log jam happening in Sarawak, proving the laissez- faire attitude of those irresponsible. The rivers in Sarawak are generally left neglected and ruined after the various extractive and mega industries since 1980s.”
He said no matter what triggered the debris to wend downstream, the root cause for such a massive quantity to accumulate could not be natural.
“The reckless human exploitations of timber and land use cannot be ignored. Judging from the quantity of the debris, it can’t be from the subsistence farming normally carried out by villagers in Sarawak, but from hectares of commercial clearings and loggings by corporations.”
“Whatever is the cause of the tragic incidents, the relevant authorities should ensure that will not happen again. Negligence and irresponsibility for rivers are so glaringly noticeable as shown by the polluted rivers in Sarawak,” stressed Kallang.
Apart from Balui River, he believed that Baleh River has not been spared from human exploitations and later total negligence and abandonment.
“One very good example of dirty rivers is Baleh River, where wreckage of barges, tugboats and express boats littered the river. There were also wooden loading jetties and rejected logs scattered along the banks.”
“What about getting those offenders to clean their mess? Where are the enforcement authorities,” questioned Kallang.