ALOR STAR: Camping and holiday sites in high-risk areas in Kedah have been advised to be temporarily closed during the monsoon season to prevent any untoward incidents.
State Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Mohd Firdaus Ahmad said the state Tourism Department was compiling a list of tourist and vacation spots in high-risk areas.
"I will present this proposal to the state executive council for a decision on Wednesday. InshaAllah, there will be a press conference after the state assembly meeting," he said in a statement today.
He also advised the people to avoid holidaying at high-risk areas during the northeast monsoon.
"For now, I advise all families who want to go on vacation to consider low-risk locations or visiting theme parks."
The Local Government Development Ministry recently ordered recreational facilities in high-risk areas to close for seven days.
The directive follows a landslide at Batang Kali, Selangor on Friday, which hit a farm that also provided campsites.
The Alor Star City Council has ordered all recreational activities in high-risk areas under its jurisdiction to be halted temporarily.
Mayor Datuk Mohd Yusri Md Daud said the order was made after the Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia) warned of bad weather on Dec 16.
Campsite operators have bemoaned the directive from the Local Government Development Ministry andurged the state government to allow operators in low-risk areas to operate as usual.
Riverside resort and camp operator Zambrose Abdullah, 50, said closing all campsites in the state would undo all the work done to revive the tourism industry after the pandemic restrictions had been eased.
He said his campsite in Perik, that has been operating for over 20 years, had never had any serious incidents and should not be closed as it was not in a high-risk area.
"Hopefully they will think this through. Not all campsites and recreational areas are at high-risk of being hit by natural disasters and many have safety procedures.
"We hope the state government will take into consideration that we have only started to recover from the economic recession caused by the pandemic.
"An immediate closure, even for a short period, would undo all of the hard work," he added.
On Friday, the Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming directed all campsites near rivers and high-risk locations throughout the country to close for seven days.
The Forestry Departments of Pahang, Negri Sembilan, Johor and Selangor have close campsites near high-risk locations, inluding hillslopes rivers and waterfalls, until further notice.