Orang Asli Village Development and Safety Committee chairman Jimi Arifin claimed that the river would become murky and dirty each time it rained due to mud from the logging site.

“When the water becomes murky, we can’t use it. The children are affected as they are unable to bathe in the evening,” he told FMT.

Aznan Siam, a representative from NGO Jaringan Kampung Orang Asli Pos Pasik, voiced concern over the possibility of long-term effects in the event that the area is used for agriculture.

He said if the site was turned into a rubber estate or oil palm plantation, the river could become polluted with pesticides.

He also urged the authorities to act, given the current state of the river.

“We fear for the safety of the villagers at Pos Pasik as the river is our water source,” he said.

In 2015, Bernama reported that some 1,000 residents of Kampung Star Baru and Kampung Kala in Gua Musang claimed that the water catchment area supplying water to the villages had been contaminated due to logging and plantation activities lasting over six months.

They claimed that such activities had caused murky water and odour pollution.