I refer to the report ‘Stop logging or our water supply will deplete, Kedah told’ (The Star, May 16).

I was shocked to find out that logging activities were running rampant in important water catchment areas such as Ulu Muda. What is even more shocking is that the logging activities in this forest reserve received approval from the authorities.

The water catchment of Ulu Muda is an important source of water not only for Kedah, but also Penang. In fact, it was reported that 80 percent of Penang’s water supply comes from that catchment area. Kedah itself depends heavily on the water catchment as 96 percent of their water supply comes from there. So, why was the logging activities approved?

There may be arguments that this logging activity can bring more wealth to the state, or other reason regarding how the approval was given, but as a member of the consumer, I want the water that comes out of my tap to be clean, safe and undisrupted. Even if the state becomes richer, it will be meaningless to its residents if they have to face problems with their water supply, what more for a state that has no share in the earnings?

Now, there are statements from the government side saying that the logging activities did not pollute the water source, but on the other hand, we have other government agencies saying that logging activities can destroy the water catchment, some, were even unaware of the logging activities. Meanwhile, villagers near the area were interviewed and they stated that the condition of the river has deteriorated. So, who should we believe?

This discrepancy is a sign that not enough attention is given to the protection of our water catchment areas. We have approvals given to conduct logging activities despite the presence of a water catchment, and we also have water that has turned murky even though the official statement says that the logging activities do not affect the catchment areas.  

We have government agencies who want to protect the water source, but there are also those that do not care that much. In the end we get half-baked environmental protection and enforcement efforts, which puts our water resources in grave danger.

Water is a basic human right, so it should always be given the highest priority. Ulu Muda is only one example of a threatened water catchment area. Can we be sure that similar problems are not occurring in other water catchment areas?

The country is slowly running out of space to develop, so it becomes even more important for development around water catchment areas to be prevented. Revenue may be important for a state’s development, but the method used must also be sustainable. Was the recent hot weather and critical dam levels around Malaysia not a harsh enough lesson?


I sincerely hope that authorities in all states become more aware of this issue and give more attention to the protection of water resources. Policies to protect our water catchments already exist. Now we simply need cooperation and good communication between government agencies, as well as actual enforcement of these policies.


 NAH KOK WAI is research and policy executive, Forum Air Malaysia.