Wednesday September 6, 2006
State blamed for river pollution By IAN MCINTYRE THE Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has accused the Kelantan Government of polluting rivers in the state by turning a blind eye to excessive logging activities. Its parliamentary secretary Datuk Sazmi Miah said the state government had given concessions to certain firms for gold mining, oil palm cultivation and mineral excavation. To conduct such work, excessive logging must be undertaken and its effects have resulted in soil erosion and sedimentation of the state's main river artery -Sungai Kelantan. Sazmi was commenting on Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's re-marks that rivers in Kelantan looked like "kopi-o" when he was ferried aboard an RMAF helicopter during his recent visit. Sazmi said the state must be faulted for trying to exploit loopholes in the legislation by awarding concessions to miners for gold and minerals besides clearing land for oil palm estates, knowing fully well that it in-volves felling of trees. It is believed that the tree trunks were sold for addi- tional income to the miners and state government as the land-owner. Technically, they have not done anything wrong as the concessions were for state land but the impact of the environment was there. Now, residents were paying the price as frequency of flash floods had increased dramatically besides river pollution, Sazmi said when attending the Mac-hang Umno division delegates conference. He said the ministry was also informed that the miners were clearing the hilly terrain from the bottom up instead of from the top down, creating more pressure on the ground-level soil. When soil moves due to erosion and sediment flow, the end result would be soil washed into the rivers, Sazmi said. "Our rivers are being enlarged unnaturally causing the banks to erode. So when the monsoon season comes, overflowing from the banks would be greater and floods more massive." The ministry may amend the legislation concerning state land and insist that all mining concessions must require an environment impact assessment (EIA) report. Sazmi also said the ministry would direct the state to relocate the landfill at Teluk Kintan in Pantai Sabak, Pengkalan Chepa, to another site after complaints by 10,000 villagers over the foul stench. Barriers built there have given way, causing rubbish to float into the sea off Pantai Sabak, he add-ed. Sazmi said the Department of Environment (DOE) was directed to monitor the site to prevent pollution. Attempts to contact Deputy Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob, who is in charge of land and environment matters, were futile.//Thestar ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> Great things are happening at Yahoo! Groups. See the new email design. http://us.click.yahoo.com/SktRrD/hOaOAA/yQLSAA/ZP59lB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perakan/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/perakan/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
