Land clearing, water pollution leaves Malaysia's Cameron Highlands in terrible shape

Cameron Highlands (The Star/ANN) - Once famed for its cool temperatures and verdant growth, Malaysia's Cameron Highlands is now battling unsustainable land clearing and water pollution.

Rampant land clearing for agricultural cultivation riddles the hills, carried out by farmers who either do not have a permit or are flouting regulations.

Heavy machinery are also seen working during the weekends, when their use is prohibited.

Some of the land clearing is being done on hillslopes, which are clearly "class three" or "four", meaning those above the 30-degree gradient. This poses high risks of landslides and soil erosion.

When it rains, especially during the current inter-monsoon season, muddy water gushes down the slopes into rivers which have turned a murky teh tarik colour.

Some of the clogged drains and streams have already begun overflowing each time it rains, flooding the roads nearby.

The situation is compounded by huge stretches of farms being covered with white, plastic sheets, causing rainwater to travel swiftly into the rivers without being "filtered" through the ground.

Soil erosion is not the only cause of river pollution at the hills; pesticides used at the farms are also washed into the once pristine rivers.

The Star visited several locations, including Sg Menson, 49 Mile, Blue Valley and Kuala Terla, all of which were suffering from extensive land clearing.

There was little or no evidence of any effort by farmers to create a proper drainage system, including setting up silt traps to prevent soil from washing into the rivers or streams.

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Land clearing, water pollution leaves Malaysia's Cameron Highlands in terrible shape