In light of the recent water head incident involving two hikers at Gunung Suku near the Bukit Kinta Forest Reserve, the state has temporarily banned all activities in the forest reserve area.
Menteri Besar of Perak, Dato’ Saarani Mohamad said the directive was issued by the Perak government as a precautionary measure to prevent further incidents from happening as well as to protect the climbers and visitors to the forests.
“The weather is unforeseeable and the water head phenomenon will surely happen, especially during the rainy season. The order will be in place until the weather is calm and the forest is safe for the public.
“In Perak, there are 14 recreational spots under the direct supervision of the Perak State Forestry Department, where waterfalls are present and are open for picnics.
“A new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to use mountain guides will be enforced by the State Forestry Department. This is to prevent unforeseen incidents even if visitors have an entry permit to the forest reserve,” he explained during the Perak Forestry Department’s Hari Raya Celebration at Taman Eko RImba Kledang Saiong, Bandar Meru Raya, recently.
Another case of death involved a 66-year-old climber while hiking with 13 other friends at Mount Yong Belar recently.
“The cause of death was due to extreme fatigue and the victim was rushed to the hospital in a helicopter,” he said.
Rosli
