Act on the Orang Asli community’s complaints that logging activities in the Galla Forest Reserve have harmed them, says Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun.
The Mentri Besar said he has also instructed the Forestry Department to continue monitoring the logging activities and take steps to minimise problems.
“I have asked the Forestry Department to review the area to see if there are violations. However, according to them, no such activities have been detected.
“The logging activities are legal; only selected trees and mature trees are felled. It is also far from the area that is populated, so there should be no issue,” he told reporters after the state executive council (exco) meeting.
Meanwhile, the Orang Asli community in three villages here claimed the logging activities had caused the river water to become murky, especially when it rains heavily.
Resident representative Panjang Pandak said more than 1,000 residents in Kampung Tekir, Kampung Belihoi and Kampung Sungai Mahang were affected by the murky water.
He claimed that the residents of these three villages were completely reliant on the river in their daily lives.
“We hope the government takes appropriate action as this water source is important for us here,” he said when met at Kampung Sungai Mahang in Nilai.
Panjang said the Orang Asli community knows that the logging activities are allowed, but the relevant agencies should be aware of the effects they have on the villagers.
He claimed the logging had also affected their food sources and income, as herbal plants such as Tongkat Ali and Kacip Fatimah are among the sources of income for the villagers. — Bernama