BESUT – It looks like the authorities are fighting a losing battle against illegal loggers, who are not only causing widespread damage to the environment, but also threatening rice output by padi farms here.
Illegal logging has been detected at eco-sensitive water catchment areas in the Pelagat and Gunung Tebu forest reserves, which are essential to fill the Paya Peda Dam in Hulu Besut.
Water from the dam is used to irrigate 10,000ha of padi fields. The dam was recently completed at a cost of RM349 million and can store 168 million cubic metres of water.
However, illegal logging could cause the dam to be filled with sediment, thus, making it shallower. “The problem is going to start when the dry spell arrives.
“The dam might dry up, and when it rains, it might not be able to contain excess water because it has become shallow,” said Terengganu Forestry Department director Azmi Nordin, adding that he feared the consequences of illegal logging in catchment areas.
He said primary forests and forest reserves in catchment areas acted like sponges, absorbing 20 per cent of rain, which would be released slowly into streams and rivers to prevent floods and landslides.
“Imagine what would happen if excess water from the Paya Peda Dam overflowed and rushed downstream to Jerteh town, which is just 17km away. Floods would be inevitable. “This is why we have boosted enforcement to prevent such a thing from happening.
“But, illegal loggers don’t care about the environment or the consequences of their actions on the livelihood of others,” he said, adding that awareness programmes would be stepped up, including distributing flyers to inform people of the consequences of illegal logging and how they could stop such activities.
Azmi said numerous raids had been conducted, but enforcement personnel were fighting an uphill battle. “The area encroached by these people is too widespread, and there is a lot of them.
“These illegal loggers are organised, but we have detected their operations using drones equipped with heat-seeking sensors. They have provided enforcement units with images of machines working at night, as well as heat trails leading to illegal sawmills.” He said the department’s enforcement unit, with the help of the General Operations Force, had conducted six major operations this year, scoring a major success earlier this week, following a tip-off from villagers in Setiu and here.
“We sealed shut an illegal sawmill in Kampung Hulu Seladang, Setiu, at 2am on Monday. Among the items seized were a forklift, an excavator and two band saws. We also seized sawn timber that was ready to be shipped out of the factory, and we are assessing its value.
“The 47-year-old sawmill owner was arrested when he dropped by the factory to check on the presence of our men there. He failed to explain why the logs and sawn timber were there. He has been handed to district police, and will be kept under temporary custody.” He said the team raided another illegal sawmill in Kampung Bukit Payong, Hulu Besut, two hours later, and seized a gripper, three band saws and a lorry laden with logs.
The team arrested eight people — four locals and four Indonesians, including a pregnant woman believed to be the wife of one of the Indonesians.
“We believe the logs were illegally extracted from the Pelagat and Gunung Tebu forest reserves, which are in the Paya Peda Dam catchment area,” said Azmi.
He said a 4.30pm follow-up at the Keruak 10 compartment near the Paya Peda Dam saw that more than 20ha of the forest reserve had been cleared of valuable trees, including balau and meranti.
Those arrested will be charged under Section 84 of the National Forestry Act 1984 with the illegal possession of forest products, and face a fine of not more than RM50,000 or a maximum of 20 years’ jail.- nst
