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Forest
@ Forest | March-April , 2021
A thorny issue
After an undated video on Gunung Inas durian plantation went viral , authorities are questioning if this is an ‘ old issue ’
BY CAMILIA REZALI
An undated video of a man seen claiming the Gunung Inas area would soon be the “ largest durian farm ever ”, with 500 Musang King saplings already planted , received fervid attention from the authorities .
The man claimed that at least 30,000 acres ( 12,140ha ) of hill land between Kulim and Baling will soon be turned into the “ world ’ s largest Musang King durian farm ”. The area to be cleared will be about two and a half times bigger than the size of Putrajaya .
Gunung Inas is located in southeast Kedah , between Baling in the north and Kulim in the south , with the Perak border not too far away in the east .
Kedah Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md told FMT that this issue was an old one that he had inherited from the past administration , adding it was already addressed last year .
“ I have ordered the relevant agencies to revert with an immediate status report ,” he said .
Why durian planting works on gunung Inas must stop ?
It was reported that on Jan 30 , 2021 , five families were evacuated to a Temporary
The logging and planting activities of Musang King on the mountain are believed to cause the river to turn downright murky – the river which is the source of water for about 3,000 nearby villagers .”
Muhammad Sanusi Meenakshi Raman Mohideen Shariffa
Relief Centers at Surau Kampung Tiak , Mukim Kupang , after their house was flooded .
Previously in November 2020 , the media also reported that more than 100 residents in the Bayu and Kupang areas were affected by the mud floods , which are believed to be caused by the Musang King durian planting project in Gunung Inas .
Sanusi said after he took over as the menteri besar in May last year , he had ordered the durian planting works on Gunung Inas to stop after it caused mud floods in the valley two months later .
The logging and planting activities of Musang King on the mountain are believed to cause the river to turn downright murky – the river which is the source of water for about 3,000 nearby villagers .
What is done and what needs to be done
Last July 2020 , it was reported that Sanusi had ordered a company planting durians on a 600ha site near Gunung Inas to plant cover crops and timber trees there . This was after the Kupang sub-district in Baling was flooded following a downpour , bringing swathes of mud from the cleared hills .
In December 2019 , the then Kedah Environment Committee Chairman , Simon Ooi Tze Min , revealed that the site owners had obtained environmental impact assessment ( EIA ) approval in 2013 , including the nod from the State Forestry Department .
The issue came after the Kupang district was flooded back in 2019 . Ooi had said then that the authorities would investigate if the hill-clearing had caused the flash floods .
Meanwhile , Sahabat Alam Malaysia ( SAM ) President Meenakshi Raman said durian plantations should not be allowed in forested areas as this would result in the destruction of pristine rainforest . “ Already , the country is facing controversy over oil palm and forest destruction , and now it has to contend with durians ,” she said .
“ The forests are our natural carbon sinks , and we must do all we can to mitigate climate change by not allowing more forests to be cleared . The claims in the video must be investigated .”
Environmental activist Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said the ultimate power to stop such land clearing was with the menteri besar .
She said the State government should come clean on whether any EIA approval was given and one who had approved it .
Placing people ’ s rights forward , the Consumers Association of Penang ( CAP ) urged the Kedah government to disclose the investigation results related to the approval of the durian plantation project in Gunung Inas , Baling to the public , Sinar Harian reported on Feb 10 , 2021 .
CAP President Mohideen Abdul Kader said the people have the right to know the truth , including the cause of the area being acquired by the developer who violated the agreement . — @ Forest