KULIM: Residents in three villages here are crying foul over sand mining activities in their area which they claimed has caused serious riverbank erosion along Sungai Kulim over the past three years.
Residents claimed that sand mining activities at a quarry site had resulted in an alteration to the water currents, posing a threat to the life of villagers in Kampung Tok Rasul, Kampung Sungai Badak, and Kampung Dusun.
Checks revealed that the quarry site is located close to the villagers' homes and orchards.
The residents claimed the sand mining had caused serious erosion along the river bank besides widening the river, causing the river current to be stronger than usual.
One of the affected villagers, Borhan Ayob, 43, claimed that the quarry site which is located just 150m away from his orchard had expanded over the past two years.
He said every day, lorries transported sand mined from the river.
"Sungai Kulim riverbank acted as a natural border to my property. However, since the mining operations started, the riverbank has eroded.
"The river now flows into my property," he said, claiming he had lost some 9m of the actual orchard size due to the riverbank erosion.
He said the residents had raised their complaints to the Kulim District Office and the Drainage and Irrigation Department (DID) several times before.
Borhan said following the complaints, the agencies had set up a discussion between the residents and the quarry operator.
"In a meeting with the Kulim District Office and DID, the owner of the quarry promised to construct a wall to mitigate riverbank erosion but it never materialised.
He added that the quarry activity was temporarily shut down for a while after the residents of the villages lodged a report with the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Committee (MACC).
However, he said the mining activities had resumed not long after.
"We hope that the authorities will take swift action and not wait until it is too late as the safety of the villagers here is at stake," he said.
Another villager, Azhar Hussain, 58, said the riverbank erosion was getting worse as the distance between his home and the riverbank had reduced to just 20m.
In response, state Public Works, Energy, Water Supply and Resources Committee chairman Datuk Suraya Yaacob said the state Agriculture and Food Industries Committee chairman Azman Nasrudin had inspected the site recently.
When contacted, Azman said he would be issuing a statement regarding the issue soon.
