NO logging has been reported in the Gunung Inas Forest Reserve area that could have resulted in a headwater phenomenon and flash floods in Baling yesterday, Energy and Natural Resources Minister Takiyuddin Hassan.

He said a report by the Forestry Department confirmed that there was no active logging in the area but that state-sanctioned development had occurred a section of the forest reserve since 2019.

He said the project was for reforestation and that so far, more than 5,000 trees had been planted in the ​​52ha area.

“(The Forestry Department) has investigated the matter and confirmed that the trees that were washed away are not from logging activities as they are swept along with their roots,” he told Bernama after appearing as a guest on Bernama Radio’s Jendela Fikir programme today.

Mud floods in Baling yesterday caused hundreds of residents to be evacuated to several relief centres (PPS) with more than 80 houses affected.

“This is a natural disaster; there could be many reasons why it happened and that is why the ministry is very serious about taking care of biodiversity and the environment,” he said. – Bernama, July 5, 2022.