The Bentong MP said he received complaints of logging activities from community leaders there, also calling on Environment and Water Minister Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man and Pelangai assemblyman Adnan Yaakob to intervene.

He added that logging attempts prior to the 2018 elections had met with strong protests from the community and environmental NGOs, prompting Adnan, the then Pahang menteri besar, to intervene.

“Now, the greenlight has again been given to log this area under the pretext that it is to make way for a ‘ladang rakyat’.

“This lame excuse is clearly an attempt to mislead the people and legitimise the logging activities. Thousands of acres of forests have been irresponsibly cut down over the past decades but left abandoned till this day.

“Why do we need to clear more? The intention is clear. Timber is what they are after,” he said in a statement today.

Wong said logging activities upstream from the treatment plant will affect the water supply of more than 50,000 Pelangai folk, adding that this was the only clean water source there.

He also said the logging will affect the potential for ecotourism downstream, where several Orang Asli settlements and a waterfall are located.

He said protecting this water source would be crucial for the township’s future development, especially once the Central Spine Road connection from Pelangai to Bentong is completed.

“In the event that this road is further extended to Negeri Sembilan, then Pelangai will be the southern gateway into Bentong. With development, demand for water will increase.”