She said the DoE must provide readings from the 15 monitoring stations located in the area, so that the public can stay informed of the status of the lake.

She said the state government must do this “if it wants to prove that it is dedicated to ensuring the sustainability of nature and the conservation of the Unesco Biosphere Reserve, as promised”.

Earlier, the Pahang DoE insisted that water in Tasik Chini was clean after a news report and several images circulated online, purportedly showing the polluted state of the lake.

The department added that it had monitored the lake since it was declared a Unesco Biosphere Reserve in 2015, adding that data collected up to March this year showed that “the water is clean and safe for all living creatures, especially those living in the lake”.

In her statement, Fuziah pointed to the 40.51ha manganese mining project nearby that was recently approved, as well as other mines in the vicinity of the area, and said the public needed to be able to monitor whether these projects were impacting the water quality in Tasik Chini.

“It is feared that these projects can affect the environmental sustainability of the lake area,” she said.