KUALA LUMPUR: Bentong member of parliament Wong Tack today urged all logging activities to cease at the water catchment area for the Sungai Gapoi water treatment plant in Bentong, Pahang.
In a statement today, he called on Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, Environment Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, and Pelangai assemblyman Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob to act immediately and put a stop to the activities.
He said a group of community leaders from Pelangai recently had raised their concern over the logging activities in the water catchment area.
Wong Tack said there were attempts by certain parties to conduct logging activities in this area about a year before the 14th General Election.
"(But) due strong protests from the local communities and environmental non-governmental organisations who were concerned that the source of drinking water for the people will be compromised, the logging activities were immediately stopped by the then Pahang Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob.
"The U-Turn proved that the decision to approve it in the first place was wrong. However, a green light was again given under the pretext it was cleared to make way for a "ladang rakyat".
"This lame excuse was an attempt to mislead the people and legitimise the logging activities," he said.
Wong Tack added thousands of acres of forests had been irresponsibly cut down in the past decades but left abandoned to this day.
"Why do we need to clear more? The intention is clear. Log is what they are after."
He said such an irresponsible act of clearing thousands of acres of forests upstream of a water treatment plant would adversely affect the supply of clean drinking water to more than 50,000 residents of Pelangai, which was the only clean water source left in the area.
"It will also adversely affect the eco-tourism potential of the downstream area which has among others a waterfall and Orang Asli settlements."
Wong Tack said although Pelangai might be a rural area at present, developments were foreseen in the near future once the Central Spine Road section connecting Pelangai and Bentong was completed.
"In the event that this road is further extended to Negri Sembilan, then Pelangai will be the southern gateway into Bentong.
"With development, water demand will increase. Therefore, protecting this water source is crucial to Pelangai's future development," he said.