Don’t call it ‘Act of God’, green group tells Kedah MB

[superadmin]

GEORGE TOWN: A green group says incessant clearing of parts of Gunung Jerai caused the mud floods in Singkir, Yan, which affected 700 homes in the Kedah coastal town yesterday.

Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), in a joint statement with the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) , showed satellite pictures of hill clearing in two reaches of the Gunung Jerai range, which they feel were contributing factors to the mud floods.

The Kedah menteri besar, however, said the incident was due to natural causes after heavy rain on top of Gunung Jerai caused a river there to overflow, bringing mud and debris to villages at the foot of the hill.

Menteri Besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor refuted SAM’s assertion that Google Maps photos suggest clearing of the hills, saying the images were “over four years” old and were unreliable.

He pointed FMT to a Facebook posting by a Yan native and victim of the floods, who said the hill clearing pointed out by SAM and CAP was “completely off”.


- More -