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KUANTAN (Bernama): Next month (November) will be D-Day for farmers to abandon their illegal farms in Cameron Highlands as the Pahang government prepares to embark on its “Op Lestari” law enforcement operations.
In January, 172 advisories were issued to farmers operating in ecologically sensitive areas in the highland Bertam Valley, such as the river reserve and road reserve. Final eviction notices were mailed to you on August 27.
Among those who received eviction notices are about 100 farmers who were granted temporary occupational licenses (TOLs).
According to Pahang Secretary of State Datuk Seri Dr. Sallehuddin Ishak, since last year, the state government has stopped approving and renewing TOLs.
Enforcement action under Op Lestari was supposed to have started in March, but was postponed due to the motion control order (MCO) implemented to contain the spread of Covid-19.
Op Lestari aims to “clear” 35,000ha of land in the Bertam Valley illegally occupied by farmers, including 12ha of road reserve land and 23ha of river reserve land from Lembah Bertam fire station to Mansion Goat Cottage.
Sallehuddin told Bernama that the affected farmers had enough time to vacate the land, as law enforcement activity was supposed to have started in March.
“The decision not to renew their TOLs was not popular, but it is effective. The TOL land will be turned over to the Cameron Highlands Development Corporation, which will dispose of all agricultural activities in sensitive areas such as road and river reserves.
“Farmers who really want to do agricultural activities will be offered land suitable for agriculture,” he said.
The Cameron Highlands Development Corporation was established by the state government in November last year to ensure sustainable development in the highlands.
Sallehuddin said the state government is also proposing to create an agricultural zone in the Cameron Highlands to allow agricultural activities to take place in areas that pose less risk to the environment. It will also facilitate proper enforcement and control activities.
“We need to monitor them properly because in the past, we have had farmers with TOL who extended their farms beyond the assigned area,” he added.
Hill slopes, water quality
For years, illegal land clearing and agricultural activities have been blamed for the landslides, landslides and floods that frequently occur in the Cameron Highlands.
In November 2014, a mud flood that swept through the town of Ringlet and the Bertam Valley claimed three lives. In January 2017, a Bangladeshi worker was buried alive after a landslide struck Kuala Terla after a heavy downpour.
In October 2018, three citizens of Myanmar died after their workers’ homes in Kuala Terla were destroyed in a landslide.
Commenting on these tragedies, Sallehuddin said the state government is determined to put an end to all illegal activities parked in ecologically sensitive areas, including class III and IV slopes with slopes greater than 25 degrees and 35 degrees respectively.
And, following last year’s pollution incident at Sungai Ichat in the Cameron Highlands, the state government is implementing stricter measures to protect upland rivers, especially Sungai Bertam, which is among the main sources of raw water supply. in Pahang.
“The conservation of Sungai Bertam is more critical because it is not only a source of water for the people of Cameron Highlands, but for many others in the state,” said Sallehuddin.
In addition to the Habu Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in Cameron Highlands, Sungai Bertam also supplies raw water to 17 WTPs located throughout the Sungai Pahang stretch, starting from Terla to Pekan district and with 122,049 water account holders .
“If Sungai Bertam gets contaminated, it will affect a lot of people,” he added.
Based on data collected by 11 water quality monitoring stations located at various locations throughout Sungai Bertam, Sallehuddin said that three of the stations recorded readings indicating Class III water quality, meaning that it is required an intensive treatment to clean the water.
One station revealed readings requiring conventional treatment for the water, while readings provided by four other stations showed the water was suitable for recreational use. And, based on readings from three other stations, the water was still in its natural state.
Pesticide Hazard
In Cameron Highlands, land clearing and uncontrolled agricultural activities in areas located near riverbanks have always put rivers at risk of contamination.
Heavy rains often result in high levels of turbidity in rivers and when turbidity exceeds 1000 NTU (Nephelometric Turbidity Units), the WTP must be closed as the water cannot be treated, causing supply interruptions of water to consumers.
“The state government is responsible for protecting the interests and well-being of residents in the state who obviously outnumber people who earn income from agricultural activities that are carried out in an uncontrolled manner,” Sallehuddin said.
He said illegal flower farms in the Cameron Highlands were more of a concern as they may be using larger amounts of poisonous pesticides and fertilizers, the residues of which can penetrate the soil and flow into water resources when it rains.
“That is why the state government has proposed to create an agricultural zone in Cameron Highlands that will make it easier for us to monitor the impact of their crops,” he said.
He said that intrusions into road reserves must also be stopped, as they can cause damage to roads; in addition, road reserves are enabled for use for emergency purposes.
Illegal agricultural activities on the slopes are even more dangerous as they can cause landslides, he added.
To protect the land in the river reserve, the state government agreed to declare those areas as forest reserves and to collaborate with the Malaysian Forest Research Institute to identify the rainforest species that can be planted there.
The state government will also work together with the National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia to strengthen its river reserve conservation plans.
“We will also use the latest technology, including drones and satellites, to ensure that there is no more illegal exploitation of land in the Cameron Highlands,” he said.
The state government is also working closely with the Malaysian Space Agency to obtain the latest reports on the Bertam Valley that went under the agency’s radar several weeks ago, he added. – Bernama
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