ALOR SETAR: Environmentalists are urging the state government to preserve Gunung Baling and Gunung Pulai and not to turn them into quarries.
Sahabat Alam Sik advisor Mohd Sobri Ramlee said the proposal to conduct quarry activities at the mountains would not only jeopardise the natural environment in the areas but also will affect nearby residents as their source of income were from the mountains.
He said based on the latest information, Baling district council has confirmed that the two mountains were located under Green Zone and under Baling District Local Plan 2020, Gunung Baling was located under Tourism Zone. He said the distance between the villages and the foot of Gunung Pulai, which is about only 150m, should be taken into account too.
He said according to the local villagers who claim the area was also home to ancient graves, it also had rich historical value and 17,000-year-old artefacts in the caves. He said the existing quarry at Bukit Puyuh caused air and sound pollution that affected nearby residents who lived roughly 1km from it.