LAST month, Baling residents renewed their call for Kedah caretaker Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor to revoke the approvals for the Gunung Baling and Gunung Pulai limestone quarry projects.

Activist Mohd Sobri Ramlee said residents hope to see the area become an eco-tourism zone, according to the Baling Local Plan 2020.

Sanusi said the state government would look into the legal and financial implications of rescinding quarry approvals. He assured the residents their concerns would be addressed.

The residents have already protested 12 times against the plan. Their letters to the MB have gone unanswered.

Two years ago, Sanusi said the approvals were for existing 1980s quarries and asked “Why are they making noise now?”, and going so far as saying no new quarry plans were approved.

In a far cry from his previous statements, Sanusi said his administration is listening to the people as state elections are approaching.

But in 2019, when he was opposition leader, he stood before Gunung Baling and Gunung Pulai to speak out against quarrying and rallied for the conservation of biodiversity for future generations.

All his great insight was left behind when he changed positions. No doubt he will turn a deaf ear again to the people after the state elections.

Bayu assemblyman Abd Nasir Idris was also part of a demonstration against the quarry projects in 2019, claiming PAS elected representatives would urge the state government to revoke the approvals. Would he continue to fight for the environment and the people?

The key reason the area is not suitable for quarrying is the presence of Palaeolithic artefacts estimated to be 17,000 years old.

Three years ago, the National Heritage Department unearthed more than 100 prehistoric artefacts (such as stone tools, pottery fragments, and river snails) from Gua Kelambu, Gua Tembus, and Gua Akar.

Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s Malay World and Civilisation Institute and Universiti Malaya’s Geology Department were present to excavate the site.

The discovery of these artefacts is a glimpse into the area’s prehistoric settlement, probably one of the oldest in the country, thus making Gunung Pulai a highly important archaeological site.

The artefacts discovered so far are located on the surface of the land and the National Heritage Department believes there are more artefacts yet to be unearthed.

In 2019, the Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) discovered a critically endangered plant Sohmaea teres at Gunung Pulai. With less than 250 plants in existence, it is indeed a highly rare species, according to the researchers.

Based on current data, this plant is known to exist only in Gunung Pulai. However, the area is now under the threat of quarrying.

On July 14, I interviewed Sobri, an active proponent of environmental issues in Kedah.

He said the Environmental Impact Assessment of the Baling quarry projects did not mention anything about the archaeological value and its impact on surrounding flora and fauna. 

The local community was never a part of the decision-making process and has not been fully informed of the proposed projects.

The buffer zone to the nearest settlement is only a few hundred metres, which means quarry operations would gravely impact residents.

They have already suffered from the blasting of the nearby Bukit Puyuh quarries and have been exposed to hazardous dust. Some houses have damaged air-conditioners and even cracks in the walls.

Apart from noise and air pollution, water security is also a problem. Sungai Ketil, which flows through Gunung Baling and Gunung Pulai, is a freshwater source for the Sungai Limau water treatment plant.

Two years ago, the Kedah government signed a RM90 million contract with the Widad Group to upgrade the plant.

Widad would later subcontract the project to Grand Hoover (renamed PTT Synergy Group) for RM75 million.

Isn’t it absurd to spend millions to upgrade the water treatment plant while allowing the river to be polluted by quarries? – July 17, 2023.

* 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.