ALOR STAR: The Kedah government will decide on the next course of action over the Musang King plantation on Gunung Inas after it was found that a burst reservoir caused the deadly floods in Kupang, Baling.
Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor said the state government would hold a discussion with relevant departments and agencies on the matter.
He said among the main issues to be decided would be which party should replant the exposed sites in Gunung Inas.
"The company was ordered to plant cover crops on the exposed sites two years ago.
"The issue now is who will carry out the replanting.
"The company insists on planting Musang King, but the EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) approval was for TLC (timber latex clone).
"If they want to carry on with forest farming, the company will have to plant TLC and only 20 per cent of the site is allowed to be planted with Musang King trees.
"If they plant TLC trees, in 15 years the trees will be harvested. So, the sites will be exposed again.
"Many factors need to be considered before we decide on the next course of action," he said after launching the Kedah Cashless and iHasil initiative here today.
Sanusi was responding to Environment and Water Minister Datuk Seri Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man's announcement in Parliament today that the floods that ravaged 12 villages in Kupang, Baling, on July 4 was caused by a burst reservoir at the Musang King plantation on Gunung Inas.
Tuan Ibrahim said the cause of the floods was determined following studies conducted by his ministry.
He said rain was not a main factor in the floods as the amount of rainfall recorded at the site during the incident was not more than 40mm.
Sanusi said he supposed the reservoir that burst must have been very big and contained a lot of water.
"I only saw reservoirs that were intact when I inspected the farm from a helicopter recently."
More than 800 homes were damaged in the worst flood ever recorded in Kupang. It was initially claimed that a water column that began upstream in Gunung Inas caused the flood.
The flood completely destroyed 16 houses, seriously damaged 18 homes and left 700 homes with minor damage.
A woman, her 14-year-old son and her pregnant daughter-in-law died after their house in Kampung Iboi was swept away.
Villagers had claimed that the floods were triggered by burst reservoirs at the Musang King plantation.
They claimed that there were at least 10 reservoirs, each the size of half a football field, still intact at the plantation.