Logging ban at Ulu Muda?
ALOR STAR: A member of the newly-formed Kedah state government has voiced out on the possibility of banning logging in the Ulu Muda forestry area following complaints and reports lodged by civil society and the Penang Water Authority (PBA).
State executive councillor Tan Kok Yew, who oversees the housing, local government and tourism portfolio, said the consequences of dealing with the after-effects of rampant logging outstrips the benefits of continuing with it.
Hence, it is only fair that Kedah reviews the concessions allotted for logging in the Ulu Muda area, which PBA classifies as an integral part of the water basin system between Kedah and Penang, Tan said in an interview.
He added that logging was acceptable if conducted within the scope of the agreements inked between the state and logging companies.
“What I am aggrieved with is the lack of enforcement, which has led to illegal logging practices up in Ulu Muda,” said Tan.
Eventually, Ulu Muda should just be set aside for eco-tourism ventures in areas of conservation and preservation rather than land clearing.
For now, he said the losses incurred by damages to hilly areas and the water basins tend to outweigh the revenue earned from logging for Kedah.
Tan said that eventually, he hoped to see Ulu Muda transformed into a site for ecofriendly ventures only.
But for it to happen, the federal government needs to assist Kedah in receiving a substitute form of income rather than relying on logging.
Tan’s remarks were lauded by civil society, where a spokesman with Sahabat Alam Malaysia cited that they have been championing for a halt to logging in the area for the past two years.
His remarks have also come on the heels of a report quoting a source from the state forestry department, indicating that water samples from the Sungai Muda basin showed there was no pollution.
It was reported that last year the department had recorded 30 cases of illegal logging activities in the state, and that forest rangers had collected a total of RM1.3 million in compounds.