A report on the environmental impact of a disputed quarrying project in the Gunung Jerai forest reserve, Kedah, appears to support objections of local residents who want work to be halted.

According to Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM), among the disclosures in a preliminary environmental impact assessment (PEIA) is that nearly 40% of Compartment 16, the area targetted by the quarry operators, should actually be off-limits for development.

SAM education officer Anuar Mahmud said this is because 39.93% of Compartment 16 had been identified, by the PEIA, as sloping at 35 degrees or more.

"Land that is more than 35 degrees are areas categorised in the DOE's (Department of Environment) 2002 Guidelines for Steep Land Development as 'Class IV," he added when contacted.

He said in the PEIA, the areas in Compartment 16 were listed detailing the gradient of their slopes, and it was found that of the areas listed, 39.93% is actually Class IV land

"Based on the Guidelines, quarrying activities, or any other physical development activity, should not be allowed for at least 39.3% of the targeted area," he added.

Despite these disclosures, SAM urged the state and federal DOE to reject the PEIA for its failure to address the local community, or provide adequate information on the impact of the quarrying project on them as well as the natural environment.

The socio-economic welfare of local residents, for instance, who are living around Bukit Singkir in the Gunung Jerai forest reserve have not been addressed in the PEIA, said Anuar.

Causing floods

Previously, malaysiakini reported about residents' protests against the quarrying activities. They claimed that it led to unprecedented flooding in the area and damages to their houses.

"The developers failed to incorporate the objections of the residents in the EIA, whereas these residents living around the area have suffered directly from the quarrying activities," said Anuar.

Even the villagers had not been able to see the detailed EIA that had been prepared by the quarry operators, he added.

"We (SAM) were only able to see the PEIA after we applied to the DOE to do so. Even then, we could only view it at the department, and were not allowed to take it out of the office," he said.

In its statement on the issue, which was jointly signed by another Kedah-based environmental group Angkatan Sahabat Alam Sekitar (Asas), SAM said the PEIA also failed to provide critical information relating to quarrying operations, steps to mitigate environmental damage, and other technical works.

SAM also reiterated its position that past and future quarrying works breach policy guidelines set out in the Yan District Structure Plan, released on June 3, 1997.

The structure plan stipulates that Gunung Jerai is to be set aside as a forest reserve area, while any plans for its development, including for purposes of eco-tourism, have to ensure the preservation of its natural environment, eco-system, and water catchment areas.