Villagers concerned over sand mining

Lorries along Sg Mahang kicking up dust as well as health and safety risks

KULIM: Despite villagers’ concerns that Sungai Mahang may be polluted due to logging and sand mining activities, heavy lorries carrying sand and logs continue to move in and out of Kampung Ulu Mahang.

Villager Mohd Zaini Abdul Halim, 34, said the logging and sand mining activities had caused Sungai Mahang to turn murky.

“My house is just 50m from the site. My two daughters, aged four and six, are having difficulty breath- ing due to the dry and dusty air.

“We see about 30 lorries transporting logs and sand every day.

“The safety of my children is at risk as they often play outside the house.

“We also have to clean the house four times a week,” he said.

The company has the necessary permits from the state government to carry out logging and sand mining.

About a month ago, one worker told reporters at the site that the company had ceased operations.

However, Zaini did not buy it and claimed that he saw them working on Wednesday and Thursday.

Farmer Abdul Shukor Hussain also claimed that the mining and logging has brought sediments down into the river, which flows into his padi field.

He alleged that the water washed away the fertiliser he used for his crops, affecting the yield.

“The situation has never been this bad since I started farming in 1979,” he claimed.

The village’s action committee chairman Mohd Saufi Husin, 50, said the issue of Sungai Mahang’s pollution affects about 3,500 villagers.

“Villagers here use water from Sungai Mahang daily when there is a shortage of clean water from Syarikat Air Darul Aman Sdn Bhd.

“We are also worried about soil erosion and flooding if the forest is destroyed,” he said.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) research officer S. Mageswari and her team urged the Kedah government to look into the matter.

“Although they have approval from the state, it must be reviewed because it involves a forest reserve and the alternative water source of the villagers in Kampung Bukit Kabu, Kampung Bukit Kubur, Kampung Padang Kering, Kampung Charok and Kampung Ulu Mahang,” she said.

Earlier this month, The Star took a 10km drive up the logging trail and found a sand mine at the foot of the hill where active hill clearing was conducted about 500m above sea level.

Efforts to get comments from the state government have been unsuccessful.