KUALA LUMPUR — The logs that washed out during the Karak Highway landslide indicate that excessive land clearing may have played a part in the disaster, Malaysian Works Minister Fadillah Yusof said yesterday, as an environmental watchdog claimed that it had alerted authorities to possible landslides along the road due to the clearing of forests but the warning fell on deaf ears.

According to Malaysian media reports, Mr Fadillah said he could not confirm the cause behind Wednesday’s landslide before speaking to the Pahang state government. “I cannot confirm it is logging,” he stated.

Environmental watchdog Pertubuhan Pelindung Khazanah Alam (PEKA) Sekitar said yesterday it had alerted the Pahang government and state-owned power company Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) last year to possible landslides along the Karak Highway.

PEKA president Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil said she had written the letter on Jan 20 last year to TNB CEO Azman Mohd, objecting to the clearing of forests at the highway for the construction of high-voltage pylons. The letter listed how hill clearing could cause soil erosion and landslides. A copy of the letter was also sent to Pahang Chief Minister Adnan Yaakob.

Ms Shariffa said the area including Bukit Tinggi, Genting Highlands, Janda Baik and Lentang was part of a mountain range that should not have been disturbed after the highway was built. “Logging, land clearing and development should not have been done in the area … When we disturb the ecosystem there, landslides, mudslides and mud flooding will tend to occur,” she said. “We wrote the letter, telling them what was going on but nobody cared.”

The mudslide, which happened on Wednesday evening at the KM52.4 location on the Karak Highway — an arterial road connecting Kuala Lumpur to Pahang — saw traffic come to a standstill for more than 24 hours.

Four vehicles that were buried under the mudslide were unearthed on Thursday. The eight passengers who were trapped in the vehicles were rescued. No casualties were reported.

Clean-up work along the highway was still ongoing yesterday. While it may be finished today, the police will have to give the green light before the highway is reopened.

However, Mr Adnan told Malaysian media yesterday that excessive logging did not cause the landslide. “We admit some trees were felled for TNB’s construction 1.2km from the affected area. It’s not just anybody’s logging project and it is not a concession given to any Tom, Dick or Harry,” Mr Adnan was quoted as saying. Mr Adnan added that the state government had, in fact, asked TNB to defer the project to “find another alignment” for the construction.

TNB senior general manager (corporate affairs and communications) Mohd Aminuddin Mohd Amin said two transmission line projects had been carried out about 800m from the area affected by Wednesday’s landslide. “TNB always complies with conditions imposed by the technical departments, especially the Forestry Department,” he said.

The Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), too, said yesterday that the landslide was not caused by logging activities, but rather, an overflowed water catchment. The department’s deputy director-general (operations) Soiman Jahid reportedly said that heavy rains over the past few days caused the catchment to overflow and to pick up sediment, turning it into the mudslide that blanketed part of the busy expressway. AGENCIES