KUCHING: Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB) Sarawak enforcement officers will be equipped with firearms during the course of their duties.
Sarawak Chief Minister Tan Sri Adenan Satem said NREB enforcement officers were like the Sarawak Forest Department forest guards and also faced threats while on duty.
“I want NREB enforcement officers to be properly trained and armed (to combat illegal logging activities,” he said at the NREB Sarawak 20th anniversary dinner cum Chief Minister’s Environmental Award 2014 here last night.
He said Sarawak would turn into a desert if illegal logging and smuggling of timber was allowed to continue.
He said those people who were involved in illegal logging were causing the mess and, if allowed to continue, would one day deplete Sarawak’s forest.
Hence, he appealed for public co-operation in the war against illegal logging and smuggling of timber in the state by reporting such cases to the relevant authorities.
Touching on the preservation of environment, Adenan said there was a growing consciousness with regards to the issue.
“After the Cameroon Highland mess, the Hulu Rajang blockage and river erosions causing our rivers to become muddy, only then people have realised how important the environment is in order to live a healthy life,” he said.
Adenan expressed his satisfaction that NREB Sarawak had done a lot in preserving the environment.
Meanwhile NREB controller Peter Sawal said NREB had prepared itself for future challenges, especially the development of mega and sensitive projects under Sarawak Corridor Of Renewable Energy (Score).
NREB has been actively involved in many multi-sectorial development activities in ensuring all development activities were being regulated and projects implementation were complying with the set environmental standards and guidelines, he said.
This year’s biennial Sixth Chief Minister Environmental Award 2014, jointly organised by NREB Sarawak and the Sarawak Chamber of Commerce and Industries (SCCI), attracted a total of 73 companies in various categories compared to 39 companies participated in 2012.--BERNAMA