Forest water catchment areas in Pahang gazetted

KUANTAN: Pahang’s forest watershed areas spanning 258,951.88 hectares have been gazetted under Section 10(1)(e) of the National Forestry Act 1984.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said according to the National Water Resources Study ( 2000- 2050), the state was also found to still possess numerous water resources and as a result, there was no urgent need to locate alternative sources.

“This is added with the completion of the Chereh Dam in Kuantan and Kelau Dam in Raub. We have received proposals for the construction of other dams but for now, there is no urgent need for them,” he said at the Pahang State Legislative Assembly in Wisma Sri Pahang here yesterday.

He said this in reply to Datuk Abd Aziz Mat Kiram ( BN- Batu Talam) who wanted to know of the water catchment area gazetted statewide.

Adnan also confirmed that the state government did not intend to set up a special disaster fund as it had long been implemented in the distribution of funds involving various types of aid.

“We have our own way of managing the state. If a disaster occurs, we already have our own funds to assist orphans. All are monitored,” he said when replying to a supplementary question from Sim Chon Siang ( PKR-Teruntum) who wanted to know if the state government would set up a disaster fund like Terengganu’s ‘ Tabung Darul Iman’. — Bernama