Peka urges public inquiry before Pahang forest reserves are degazetted

Pekah, a Malaysian environmental organization, has called for a public inquiry into the potential degazetting of permanent reserved forests in Pahang state. Pekah's president, Rajesh Nagarajan, stressed the importance of transparency and accountability in such decisions, urging the state government to reveal the specific forests affected, the reasons behind the degazettement, proposed developments, and potential environmental impacts.

Nagarajan also highlighted concerns over Sungai Pahang, noting reports of it becoming increasingly shallow with exposed riverbeds in parts of Maran. While acknowledging the state's responsibility for land and forest management, he urged a thorough examination of the relationship between forest loss, land-use changes, erosion, sedimentation, and river health.

According to Nagarajan, environmental damage should be prevented before it occurs, rather than addressed after it becomes a serious problem. Notably, Pekah did not assert that forest degazettement caused the river's condition but called for scrutiny of the potential links between these factors.