KUANTAN: The State Forestry department has been working closely with various agencies to implement rehabilitation programmes to restore the greenery around Tasik Chini.
Besides, efforts to revive the vicinity of the country's second largest natural freshwater lake, the department conducted enforcement to prevent activities that might interfere with plans to restore the lake's glory.
Pahang Forestry Department director Datuk Dr Mohd Hizamri Mohd Yasin said that in July last year the department had teamed up with the private sector to expedite the rehabilitation activities on an area measuring 0.45ha near the lake.
"Since the site was encroached by minersthe state government instructed us to complete restoration works and we collaborated with the private sector under their corporate social responsibility (CSR) .
"The state forestry department along with the state Land and Mines Director's Office worked closely with mining operators to provide technical advice on the importance and need for rehabilitation at the mining lease sites. Continuous monitoring is done on the rehabilitation efforts to further improvise (from time to time) and ensure the operators enhance their awareness and responsibility," he said in a statement today.
Once described as a floating garden with thousands of white and pink lotus flowers covering the lake's surface, Tasik Chini has been in the spot light for the wrong reasons for more than a decade due to extensive mining and logging activities.
To make matters worse, it was alleged last week that the Pahang government had given the green light for mining operations in the vicinity of Tasik Chini in Pekan to a royalty-linked company.
The State Land and Mines director's office yesterday cleared the confusion saying no new mining licences were awarded since March 2019, and there would be zero-mining works near the lake next year once the licence of the two existing operators expired this year.
Meanwhile Hizamri said to involve the participation of the local community, the state government through the department had launched the "1Pokok, 1Rakyat Negeri Pahang" campaign which targets to plant 5 million trees (state-wide) this year.
"Trees planted in Tasik Chini will be recorded through this campaign. The campaign is to support the Malaysia Greening Programme which aims to plant up to 100 million trees (nationwide) by 2025.
"Since 2018, the department had cooperated with the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry to conduct a series of consultation with the Orang Asli at Kampung Gumum and Melai under the social forestry project to equip the community with a better understanding of the jungles," he said.
Meanwhile Hizamri said the state government had never hesitated to issue stop work orders to mining lease holders or operators near Tasik Chini who breach the conditions stipulated under the mining approvals.
"Each time enforcement is conducted, the state government will immediately embark on rehabilitation efforts at the illegal mining site. Since no new mining licences were issued for mining in Tasik Chini since 2019, the state government had intensified efforts to restore the former mining sites with funds from the Joint Rehabilitation Trust fund.
"Reforestation is mainly implemented in the buffer zone areas measuring about 13.12ha. Various species of bamboo, ground cover plants as well as suitable high commercial rainforest trees such as Merawan Siput Jantan and Meranti Temak Nipis species were planted," he said, adding RM10 million from various resources will be allocated for reforestation at a site measuring 202ha.
Meanwhile, the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Tasik Chini Research Centre(PPTC), in a statement said, they have been working with the Pahang government to conserve, preserve and ensure the sustainability of the area around the lake.
Set up in 2004, PPTC said their role includes to teach, conduct field work, create environmental awareness and spread information on proper lake management in an integrated manner.
An area measuring 4,498ha at Tasik Chini which is equal to the size of 6,000 football fields, was gazetted as a permanent forest reserve in March 2019.
