BENTONG: A huge water surge phenomenon along Sungai Kerau near Karak here had triggered the wood debris and log slides to be swept towards the Sri Telemong bridge at Jalan Karak-Pelangai.
There are no land clearing activities within the Lentang Forest Reserve while mass wood debris and uprooted trees were also spotted near the Road Transport Department (RTD) weighing station along the Kuala Lumpur-Karak Highway near Karak which forced the stretch to be closed for several days.
Pahang Forestry Department director Datuk Dr Mohd Hizamri Mohd Yasin said he had gone to the site to inspect what had triggered the mass wood debris and logs to flow towards both the locations, the Telemong bridge and the highway today.
"Heavy rain for three days since Dec 16 caused the Sungai Kerau water to rise to an unusual level and resulted in the water surge phenomenon. The rising river water resulted in swift currents.
"Since the fast flowing water was travelling downhill, it resulted in an extreme water column (kepala air) impact which swept along wood debris, large trees and even caused landslides. Aerial surveillance was carried out using drones and we did not find any land clearing activities at the Lentang Forest Reserve," he said after inspecting the affected site at Kampung Telemong here today.
He said the Lentang Forest Reserve, classified as water catchment forest area, has been gazetted since 2002.
Also present was state Forestry Department assistant director (enforcement) Nor Azirim Ahmad and Bentong District Forest Officer Haffiz Baharuddin.
Hizamri said the water-surge phenomenon was caused by water from Sungai Kerau and Sungai Timbul from the Lentang Forest Reserve which then passed through privately owned lands before it clogged the bridge.
Meanwhile, he said there were no indications of logging activities in the area as the trees or logs of various sizes which were swept in the river were uprooted and there were no signs the trees were chopped.
He said the public should not put the blame on the government which has been always trying to safeguard the environment and look into the needs of the community.
"The water column incident last week was unusual after it rained non-stop for three days. Even the residents here witnessed the incident (water column) where rapid water currents brought along logs and trees," he said.
The findings comes less than 24 hours after Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail announced that the State Forestry Department has been ordered to submit a comprehensive report on the presence of mass wood debris in Sungai Telemong near Karak, which had allegedly triggered the major floods on Dec 18.
On Dec 27, it was reported that both sides of the river at Kampung Seri Telemong were covered with wood debris all the way towards the concrete bridge where 16 people were reported to have been swept away by a water column on Dec 18.
The debris, which caused the river to become narrow, had clogged the water flow resulting in the nearby settlements to be completely submerged in what was described as the worst floods in the area since decades.
It had also damaged houses along the riverbank and the logs flowed downstream for several kilometers till Kampung Tanjung near Karak town.
Yesterday, 45 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) urged the federal and Pahang governments to launch independent inquiries on the massive mudflows and log slides that had occurred in Karak.