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PETALING JAYA: Bentong MP Wong Tack asked Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail to stop logging activities near the water catchment for the Sungai Gapoi water treatment plant in Pelangai, Bentong.
The Bentong MP said he received complaints about logging activities from community leaders there, and also asked Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Pelangai Assemblyman Adnan Yaakob to intervene.
He added that logging attempts before the 2018 elections had met with strong protests from the community and environmental NGOs, prompting Adnan, the then Pahang menteri besar, to intervene.
“Now, the green light has been given again to search this area on the pretext that it is to give way to a ‘ladang rakyat’.
“This lame excuse is clearly an attempt to mislead people and legitimize logging activities. Thousands of acres of forests have been irresponsibly cut down over the past decades, but have been abandoned to this day.
“Why do we need to clean more? The intention is clear. Wood is what they are looking for, ”he said today in a statement.
Wong said logging activities upstream from the treatment plant will affect the water supply of more than 50,000 Pelangai residents, adding that this was the only source of clean water there.
He also said that logging will affect ecotourism potential downstream, where several Orang Asli settlements and a waterfall are located.
He said that protecting this water source would be crucial for the future development of the municipality, especially once the Central Spine Road connection from Pelangai to Bentong is completed.
“In the event that this road extends further to Negeri Sembilan, Pelangai will be the southern entrance to Bentong. With development, the demand for water will increase ”.
