BALING: The Prime Minister has called on the state government to immediately resolve concerns raised by Kampung Iboi villagers over the presence of three large reservoirs on the Musang King farm in Gunung Inas.
Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said he understood the fear highlighted by the victims to him during his visit to the village this morning.
"I understand their fear. If the reservoirs collapse it may cause an even bigger disaster compared with the previous one (on July 4).
"I was informed that one of the 'tandak' (smaller reservoir) had burst during the recent flood disaster.
"For the sake of the villagers' safety, the menteri besar needs to take the necessary action as soon as possible. I will speak to him about it," he told reporters after presenting cash aid to the flood victims at Dataran Keluarga Malaysia here.
Present were Rural Development minister Datuk Seri Mahdzir Khalid, and Baling Member of Parliament Datuk Seri Abdul Azeez Rahim.
Ismail Sabri said the reservoir issue must be addressed to prevent further damage to the properties that had occurred during the destructive floods nearly two months ago.
"We are worried that the houses that have been repaired after the floods will suffer even greater damage than before if we don't do anything about the reservoirs," he said.
Following the July 4 disaster, Kampung Iboi villagers have been calling for the state to demolish the reservoirs located on top of Gunung Inas.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor had rebuffed the pleas, saying that agencies under the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry had concluded that the floods were a geological disaster and the Musang King farm had not contributed to them.
He said the reservoirs could not be demolished as "they were owned" by the company.
Yesterday the victims demanded answers from the authorities on how the Musang King farm project was approved in 2016 without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
Ismail Sabri said the Environmental and Water Ministry was reviewing its initial plan to build a sabo dam in Gunung Inas.
"In an earlier discussion, we agreed to the ministry's proposal to build the sabo dam. But I was made to understand recently that more feasibility studies need to be done as the location for the dam is not a flood disaster prone area.
"The sabo dams should be located in areas that are prone to massive flooding during the monsoon season between November and January every year," he said.