KULIM: The Forestry Department has confirmed that there is no illegal logging or encroachment in the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve in Sik, says Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad (pic).
However, he said the ministry will keep tabs on the situation to ensure that no such thing occurs.
“We will continue investigating because we receive complaints from NGOs and others,” he told reporters after attending the Green Worship House programme at SM Agama Tarbiah Diniah here yesterday.
Nik Nazmi said the basin in the forest reserve was sensitive as it affected the water supply of Kedah, Perlis and Penang, Bernama reported.
Recently, environmental NGO RimbaWatch claimed that logging activities in the Ulu Muda Forest Reserve area caused Tasik Muda, the main source of water for consumers in Penang and Kedah, to experience sedimentation problems.
A study conducted using satellite imagery found that the Muda Dam has accumulated deposits since March 2023 and that the situation worsened last October.
Meanwhile, Nik Nazmi said Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow’s proposal to set up the Ulu Muda Basin Authority to manage water resources in Ulu Muda was not new.
Kedah Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor was reported to have said that the proposal was an interference in the affairs of Kedah and that he would disallow the implementation of such a proposal.
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