The Friends of Ulu Muda, a coalition of 13 groups with interest in the preservation of the Ulu Muda forest reserve in Kedah, made the call in an open letter to Kedah menteri besar Muhammad Sanusi Md Nor and Penang chief minister Chow Kon Yeow.
The letter, written by Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president Meenakshi Raman, said the forest is under serious threat from land clearing, logging and mining.
“While Penang may have the legal rights to extract raw water from its side of Sungai Muda, it is to its long-term benefit to help Kedah to protect the Greater Ulu Muda forest.
“The forest provides ecosystem services in capturing the rainwater, filtering it and regulating its release into the streams and rivers that eventually drain into the Sungai Muda.
“The millions of ringgit for diverting and building water storage facilities would be better spent on protecting and maintaining the forest which is already providing the ecosystem services as described above,” she said, citing recent plans announced by Sanusi.
Meenakshi said both Sanusi and Chow should appoint a neutral mediator between both states and later consult an expert for a “water-based payment for ecosystem services”, or PES, from the Sungai Muda water catchment area.
She said a mutual agreement on the PES would see the major beneficiaries of the river contribute funds to the protection of the forest.
“Protection activities should include gazetting the entire area as a state or national park; patrolling and enforcement against encroachment and wildlife hunting; forest cover monitoring; and environmental education and awareness activities,” she said.
Since last year, Kedah has demanded Penang to pay for water it takes from Sungai Muda in Kepala Batas, with Alor Setar asking for RM50 million a year in “compensation”.
This was flatly refused by the Penang government, who said it was its right to draw water from a river that flowed into their land.
Sanusi recently mooted a water storage plan along Sungai Muda, which threatens to slow down the river flow to Penang. The river originates from the Ulu Muda forest upstream and empties into Penang waters in the west.