Rali Selamatkan Bumi Kedah #savekedah

Kedah Darul Aman is a state blessed with natural resources, like water. Not only it can supply homes and industrial areas water for personal, commercial and industrial, Kedah also supplies water to Perlis and Penang, despite the island state trying to deny the fact. Padang Terap was chosen because, of all places, it is the most geographically strategic. Before the 2nd World War, there was a village located in one of the valleys that is now the Pedu Lake, but abandoned during the Japanese attack.

The lush forest and vegetation was considered the most suitable for being a water catchment area. In 1952, the Pedu Forest was gazetted as a Forest Reserve. However, for years, the encroachment of illegal loggers and poachers threatened the integrity of the forest in relation to the dam, not to mention the dwindling number of animals in the forest. To counter this, the Menteri Besar of the time, Dato Syed Nahar Shahabuddin gazetted Pedu forest and certain locations around the lake as a Permanent Forest Reserve and Animal Sanctuary.

For years since then, logging activities only involve the non-gazetted areas, but beginning in 2008, things took turns for the worse.

An interesting point: for many years before 2008, pas has always been harping, criticizing the state for the logging activities, accusing the state government of stripping the environment dry.

It seems that the pas government of Kedah has realized that logging, illegal or not, is the biggest cash cow ever, and seemingly addicted to it. For many years people have reported the logging activities happening in gazetted areas, but they were not taken seriously. It was finally revealed that, despite running out of non-gazetted areas, pas still tenders out logging concession areas, and they are not bothered whether the area is protected or not.

Of course, many people still ask; with all those massive income from logging concessions, where is the money? And why do the state's finances going further down? But that's another story.

Somebody please tell azizan, the plant he's watering, is long dead.

We understand that pas kedah's guard-dogs of media, the expensively paid but cheaply worked Kedah Lanie has been defending the state. Of course, it would have been nice if they actually take pictures from the stated area instead of going somewhere else. Maybe they were afraid to go out from their air-conditioned car to stand under the sun.

Pas state government has so far refused to stop any of the logging activity as they have an "agricultural" industry going on there. So, big huge trees felled, to be replaced by mangoes and grapes...grapes? We understand that even the state Exco was against this idea but as usual, azizan's shouts and screams of obscenity ensured that it is his way or the highway, no matter how stupid and absurd his plan was. They didn't even wait for the Environmental Impact Analysis, simply destroy first, study later and see whether they care or not. Why would they care? Money coming in, man.

Here are some latest pictures of the water-catchment area that fell victim to pas' greed.

The massive unnatural destruction, the sign of mischief on earth by pas?

To save the natural heritage of Kedah, and the importance of keeping the destruction of the water catchment area in relation to Kedah's main water supply, the will be a rally by the name of Rali Selamatkan Bumi Kedah to be held on Saturday, February 9th 2013 at 10:00 a.m. at Charok Batang Padi, Tasik Pedu Kedah. Here are the objectives, I apologize for not having the time to translate them:

#savekedah
Sebuah kempen sosial media

Bertujuan menyedarkan rakyat Kedah khususnya terhadap kepincangan dan kelemahan pentadbiran kerajaan Negeri dan sekutunya

Tidak hanya terhad kepada satu-satu isu; #savekedah merangkumi pembalakan, pengurusan air, ketidakcekapan pentadbiran kerajaan negeri, rasuah, pembohongan dan pelbagai isu terkini.

#savekedah adalah hashtag untuk kempen di twitter, instagram dan facebook

6 jurucakap dari kalangan pelajar, mahasiswa, NGO, wakil penduduk setempat dan parti politik

Turut bersama adalah penyanyi Zainal Abidin-ikon alam sekitar

Digerakkan oleh Jaringan Gelombang Merah Kedah

Jangkaan kehadiran minima 5,000 peserta

Membawa masyarakat melihat sendiri kemusnahan yang berlaku atas nama pembangunan dan tanaman semula hutan balak dengan pokok buah-buahan

Kerajaan Negeri bercadang untuk lakukan lagi atas 1000 ekar:

PADANG TERAP 30 Dis. – Di sebalik kebimbangan banyak pihak terhadap kerakusan aktiviti pembalakan di negeri ini, Kerajaan Pas Kedah merancang meneroka sekurang-kurangnya lebih 1,000 hektar lagi hutan bagi tujuan pembangunan tanah.

Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak berkata, keputusan itu diluluskan dalam mesyuarat Exco kerajaan negeri dan Jabatan Perhutanan Kedah telah memaklumkan kepadanya bahawa mereka sedang mengenal pasti kawasan yang terlibat di sekitar negeri ini.

Dalam mewajarkan tindakan berkenaan, beliau mendakwa, langkah itu selaras dengan keputusan Wilayah Ekonomi Koridor Utara (NCER) yang mahu menjadikan Kedah sebagai jelapang makanan negara.

“Jadi orang yang tidak reti (tahu) jangan duduk melompatlah,” katanya ketika berucap pada majlis penerangan ladang buah-buahan Charok Genting Bunga yang terletak berhampiran Tasik Pedu di sini hari ini.

Come and witness for yourself, the unnatural destruction done by pas in less than 5 years.

Here's one of the many impact of the disruption in the balance of nature in the water catchment area of Pedu:

It's shocking to see how debris created by logging, combined with the unnatural strength of the flood water carried the bridge away, and the bridge was only 27 days old.

If you think the flood of 2010 was bad enough after all these illegal logging and sand excavation in Padang Terap, you might dread on what's going to happen after you see the area for yourself. The impact will be devastating. There have been many areas around Padang Terap and Sik which were hit by mudslides during heavy rain. If this goes on, the Rancangan Pengairan Muda will be damaged, further damaging the agriculture sector of Kedah as well.

Yes, the Envoy of Environment will be there!!

Bear in mind that the Pedu Permanent Forest Reserve is also a Wildlife Sanctuary. The deforestation by pas will disturb the balance in the ecosystem, now with more and more trees being felled to satisfy pas' pockets, where will the elephants, seladang, pelanduk, rusa and wild boar go?

Of course, we would also wish that, since they love to protect environment so much, we wish the anti-lynas would be there as well, but so far, we have not sighted any pigs with wings...so far. That's understandable because the rally is for the ACTUAL environment, not the dap sponsored one.

So, come to Charok Batang Padi, Tasik Pedu on the 9th of February and be a part of the movement to save Kedah from the ravages of pas' greed. Make that change, stop pas and the rest of pakatan from creating further mischief on Kedah's earth.