Over-logging, land clearing cause of log jam in Balui

KUCHING: The massive logjam stretching over 30km at the upper reaches of Balui River is caused by a combination of factors including on- going logging and land clearing by provisional lease ( PL) holders.

Assistant Minister for Environment Datuk Len Talif Salleh said the state government was fully aware of the issue and has been trying to come out with a report with recommendations for more stringent operation guidelines and a comprehensive policy to prevent such incidences from recurring.

“It ( the logjam) is due to a combination of factors including logging, land clearing by provisional lease holders and shifting cultivators. We are at the moment preparing a report for the Chief Minister ( Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg).

“We are looking into details so that we can come out with recommendations which involve a more stringent SOP (standard operation procedure) and a comprehensive policy to protect our environment.

“We want to provide a long term solution which will prevent such incidents from happening again,” Len told The Borneo Post yesterday.

Len asked to give the ministry more time to look into the issue where it would later come out with a report for Abang Johari who will the make final decision on the recommendations as well as a solution to the log jam.

Meanwhile, a source told The Borneo Post that more than 20 companies have been given timber concessions around the Bakun Lake area.

“Judging from the massive amount of debris, I believe that it is caused by over- logging in the vicinity of the river.

“Only in areas where there is over-logging will there be such serious log jam.”

He said the over-logging could be carried out by the company holding the concessions or the sub- contractors appointed by the company for which the company might not be in the know.

“Remember the log jam in Rajang River in 2010?

“That was also caused by overlogging. I saw the picture of a mountain which was totally laid to waste by over-logging where there was practically nothing left. The mountain was ‘ botak’ ( bold).

“So when the rain came, it carried away everything with it and washed it down into the river,” said the source who is a timber industry stake holder.

He said that for all the concession holders around Bakun Lake, State Forestry has set a new rule about 10 years ago where a buffer zone needed to be set between the forest area and the Bakun Lake flood area.

“This is to say, between the area where we extract timber and the Bakun Lake banks, there must be a buffer zone of 300 to 1000 metres to be set aside. And no logging should be done on the buffer zone. This is to prevent any possible soil erosion that may pollute the river,” said the source.

He, however, pointed out that whether that rule had been adhered to would depended on concession holders or the sub- contractors they appointed.

According to him, it has been nothing new that illegal logging was happening on the buffer area without the knowledge of the concession holders.

“For example, a new consortium had proposed the new concept of water logging to extract trees that were submerged and also to collect useful logs floating in water after the impoundment of the Bakun Lake.

“This company is supposed to do water logging - that is to harvest trees submerged under water after impoundment. However, it was found out that they did not do that.

“All they had done was to fish the floating logs from the water and harvest the trees at the buffer zone.

“No timber tracks are supposed to be found on the buffer zone as no harvesting should be done there. When there are timber tracks at the buffer zone, it means there is illegal logging.

“And if the concession holder is sure that it did not do it, then who was responsible? “asked the source.