THE Baling flood disaster in early July has become a political football for politicians to pass back and forth.

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor has denied that the Musang king durian plantation in the Gunung Inas Forest Reserve was the cause of the flood, insisting that the incident was a natural disaster caused by excessive water flushed down the hills.

He said that no development was allowed on the hills 300 metres above sea level and wondered how the durian plantation project could have been approved by the Environment Department. The latter denied approving the project and that a 2013 environmental impact assessment report it received for development of the land for a rubber tree plantation.

Islamist PAS alleged that the plan to plant durian trees was approved by former Kedah menteri besar Mukhriz Mahathir of Pakatan Harapan.

Mukhriz refuted the claim, stating it was instead the work of his predecessor, Ahmad Bashah Md Hanipah of Barisan Nasional. But Bashah claimed that approval had been granted to plant more trees after logging.

The durian tree is not a species recommended by the Forestry Department for reforestation. Thus, it is nonsense to approve the planting of durian trees in a forest reserve on such grounds.

The Prime Minister’s Office has also instructed the Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan to investigate the flooding.

The findings were published on August 5. Takiyuddin said Gunung Inas was not previously classified as a high-risk area prone to natural disasters.

Environment and Water Resources Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man said preliminary investigation showed that the flooding was caused by a breach in the durian orchard water retention pond on the hilltop. The amount of rainfall at the time was below critical heavy rainfall level as it did not exceed 40mm.

Even though the report indicated that cascading geological processes (heavy rain, landslides, debris flows and mud floods) are the main cause of the Baling floods, it did not reveal the actual root causes.

The government has been ignoring the warnings of environmental groups and the complaints of residents four years ago about the Gunung Inas hill logging that could cause soil erosion.

Less than a year ago, when civil groups questioned whether the logging activities in the forest reserve had caused flooding in Gunung Jerai, Kedah menteri besar Sanusi had insisted that it was an act of God.

Last December, Tuan Ibrahim announced that two sabo dams, costing RM22.8 million, would be built in Yan and Merbok after the floods in Gunung Jerai.

Following the Baling floods, Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob has announced that the government will build more sabo dams.

The government has earmarked RM393 billion to combat the effects of climate change over the next 50 years. The construction of sabo dams is one of the flood prevention projects.

However, the floods in Jerai and Baling were not caused by extreme weather conditions.

According to Tuan Ibrahim, the rainfall in Baling at the time was not exceptional. Last year, less than two hours of rainfall had managed to flood Jerai.

There are many indications that both floods were linked to hill deforestation. Blaming flash floods on the effects of climate change would undoubtedly divert attention and obscure the real factors behind the incidents, leading to the so-called solutions being based on false assumptions.

The general function of sabo dams is to stop sand, mud and moderate water flow. They are widely used in upper streams.

However, the effectiveness of sabo dams in suppressing debris flows decreases over the years due to siltation. And this eventually changes the direction of the flow to scour the foot of the slope on both sides.

Sabo dams also fill up quickly in structurally unstable hilly areas, making it difficult to stop debris flows when severe storms hit.

Studies have also shown that the construction of sabo dams increases riverbed erosion, which in turn reduces their lifetime and function.

In addition, large areas of forest land would have to be cleared to make way for the dam construction. Dams also interrupt the continuity of the river, affecting water quality and its ecosystems.

Therefore, the environmental impact and cost of building a dam may outweigh the benefits we expect.

In Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Taiwan, which are mountainous with few plains and often threatened by earthquakes and typhoons, the construction of sabo dams is the last resort.

Malaysia’s situation is vastly different. Deforestation is the main cause of severe flooding.

Sabo dams are costly and their effectiveness remains questionable. The most realistic way to prevent flooding is to eliminate hillside development and deforestation. – August 22, 2022.

* Veronica Lim Yi Hui is the Agora Society chairman. She holds a degree in biochemistry and is a PhD candidate in Philosophy. She has great interest in human creative endeavours like films and music. At the same time, she is concerned over the destructive impact of humans on the planet.