Forestry Department Brought To The Task
About twenty years ago, One friend closed to Land and Survey informed me water catchment were given out to timber company for oil palm plantation after timber removed.
If such allegation is true then the problem highlighted recently in local newspaper is nothing new and it has been on-going thing. Recent weather change could be due to ‘the death’ of water catchment?
It is sad to see no action taken until now. Next thing we have to pay attention is could we reclaim the water catchment area from the private company? After it has been ‘sold’ to these companies. Unless we are not serious about the welfare of our future generation, isn’t it time for Sarawakian to look seriously into the matter and put a stop to such ‘mismanagement’? Should Forestry Department take all the blame or they are just following the instruction and doing their job?
The ‘abuse’ of water catchment zone has indicated very clearly that laws and regulations to protect our water source through protecting the water catchment area has become unenforceable owing to human factor.
Should the land office system, if computerised, give special coding to these water catchment zone or the like to prevent any transaction of protected areas intentionally or unintentionally?
What is next after knowing the mistake (of ‘selling’ water catchment area) made in the past? Will such issue blow out of proportion during the coming 13 general Election?
I was and still have the impression that the Lands & Surveys Department does not allow any area within the water catchment locality to be used for projects and logging operations. I had been informed that the local authority had rejected the applications made by private landowners of their land located within such areas for housing projects. I had seen the restriction of dealing stated in land title in such areas too.
The allegation as highlighted recently in local newspaper is unprecedented incident and this should be investigated according to the prevailing guidelines to see whether any abuse of power in granting such a licence or just another encroachment, which is outside the licensed area!
It is good if one is indeed sad, not just an expression of word which do not represent the reality. Normally any action would not put in newspapers as civil servants have to observe the restriction and hence there is no surprise if the public does not knows any action is taken or not until now.
No doubt everyone is easy to make bare statement of scandalous allegation putting blames of others, and it is equally easy for us to make accusations without knowing the facts and the problems in practice.
Politicians specializing in lies and distortion of facts will capitalize any issue for the sake of gaining support from people in general election. The past elections tell us that they had carried out such practices. So there is nothing new if such issue or even car plate number WWW 15 is taken as issue for he coming general Election.