KOTA BARU: Four companies operating vegetable farms in Lojing Highlands in Gua Musang have been served with temporary stop-work orders for breaching regulations on the clearing of vegetables and polluting rivers in the district.
The stop-work orders were issued by the Kelantan Department Of Environment (DOE) separately early this month.
State DOE director Hamzah Mohamad said the four vegetable operators were found to have breached regulations under Section 34A of the Environment Act.
"This owners were all operating in Lojing Highlands and they were found to have violated regulations by causing a some rivers to be polluted; and other environment rules," he said.
Hamzah said the department would continue to monitor other farm operators to ensure they adhere to the regulations.
It was reported that some 500 Orang Asli in the Lojing Highlands had raised concerns about serious pollution in the two rivers that they depend on for their daily needs.
They said Sungai Jedip and Sungai Belatok were badly polluted, and believed that it was due to agricultural activities upstream in the highlands.
The farming activities have also resulted in sediment accumulating in the two water sources.
Kampung Jedip Orang Asli village headman Nasir Busu was reported to have said that the pollution of the two rivers had been going on since 2015 when agricultural activities began.
He said it worsened in the subsequent years.
Commenting on this, Kelantan Deputy Mentri Besar and state Public Administration, Regional Development, People’s Well-being and Integrity Committee chairman Datuk Mohd Amar Nik Abdullah said the state government was aware of the issue.
He said the state government only allowed agricultural activities in the Lojing Highlands after farmers had complied with conditions set by the district Land and Mines Department and DoE.