THE Kedah government must hold an independent inquiry urgently into the floods and landslides that occurred around Gunung Jerai in Yan yesterday, civil groups said today. 

In a joint statement, Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) said while the incidents may not have been a result of logging activities, it is certainly caused by forest clearing. 

CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader and SAM president Meenakshi Raman said all destructive activities in Gunung Jerai’s fragile ecosystem have to be stopped immediately. 

They said the activities must be investigated and rehabilitation measures taken to prevent such trails of destruction as in mudflows, landslides and devastating floods. 

They said based on Google satellite images, many trees have been cleared and mining operations going on in the environmentally sensitive area. 

“The deluge of water with mud that was seen in videos of the incident clearly shows land clearing activities,” they said.

“We would like to highlight that we, together with villagers in Bukit Singkir, Yan had objected to a quarry project in the Gunung Jerai Forest Reserve more than 15 years ago. 

“This quarry was allowed by the then state government despite violating the Yan Structure Plan.” 

Yesterday, a hill resort, several villages and residential areas around the area were hit by floods, believed to have been caused by the upstream water rush phenomenon at the waterfall near Gunung Jerai. 

The flood occurred about 5pm yesterday in areas at the foot of the mountain and near rivers, namely Perigi, Teroi Bukit, Singkir, Kg Permatang Keramat, Kg Lubuk Boi, Pekan Yan Besar, Titi Teras, Kg Acheh and Kg Setoi. 

Three people were found dead in several locations around the area. 

Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said, as of 1am today, three more people are believed to be missing in Titi Hayun. 

“It is a grave warning and the menteri besar must act and not view this as an act of God as this is indeed the activities of companies which have been allowed by the state contrary to the structure plan for Yan,” the civil society organisations said.

They said the affected residents have described the water surge as a dam busting or mini-tsunami with the rapid flow of water, mud, debris, logs and waste.

“Gunung Jerai is an environmentally sensitive area that must be protected and not destroyed. Enormous quantities of silt will be brought down from the slopes, which have been weakened by deforestation and increased destructive activities here,” they said. 

The organisations said the most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is already showing that more frequent and intense rainfalls will be happening due to global warming. 

They added that both state and local governments must collaborate with the federal government to build climate resilience and take all measures that include halting land and forest clearing particularly in environmentally sensitive areas and highlands. 

“We cannot be promoting business as usual activities as the massive and tragic floods in Yan have shown. We need to respect nature, recognise its limits and take appropriate mitigating and preventive measures immediately.” – August 19, 2021.