KOTA BARU: The government is confident that the task force set up to investigate the Baling floods is capable of doing its job, said Datuk Seri Takiyuddin Hassan.
The Energy and Natural Resources Minister said there was no need to set up a royal commission of inquiry (RCI) to determine the cause of the floods.
"The ministries and agencies involved in investigating the incident have their own expertise.
"Hence, there should not be any contradiction in the findings as claimed by certain quarters," said the Kota Baru member of parliament after opening SMK Sultan Ismail's Parent-Teacher Association meeting here today.
Takiyuddin said the floods were not caused by the Musang King durian plantation.
"What l can confirm is that the Musang King durian plantation is not the cause of Baling floods. I was informed of this in a recent briefing by the task force."
The floods on July 4 affected 41 areas and claimed three lives, including a 23-year-old pregnant woman.
Energy and Natural Resources Ministry secretary-general Datuk Rosli Isa recently said cascading geological processes — heavy rain, landslides, debris flows and floods as well as mud floods — had been identified as the main cause of the floods in Baling.
He had said this was among the findings of the Sungai Kupang Debris Flood Geological Disaster Study produced by a special team formed to investigate the Baling floods, led by the ministry.
Rosli had said the report summarised that the simultaneous formation of landslides in the hilly terrain of weathered granite occurred due to extreme rainfall.
He had said the extreme rainfall was then followed by the formation of debris flows, debris floods and mud floods.
He had added the flood situation worsened when the bridge in Kampung Iboi, which served as the "temporary dam" when the debris floods occurred, collapsed.
In this regard, Rosli had said several short- and long-term plans had been drawn up to ensure that the chain of geological phenomena could be controlled.
Among the actions that will be implemented are conducting detailed mapping of geological and debris disasters, installing warning systems and establishing a national geological disaster research centre.