ENVIRONMENTAL degradation of frightening proportions are occurring in several locations throughout the country. In Penang, over quarrying, both legal and illegal, in populated areas has become a menace to health and property. In Kuantan, illegal and unregulated bauxite mining is contaminating the water and the air where radioactive poisoning has begun to enter into the food chain. That it is a health hazard goes without saying. In Cameron Highlands, meanwhile, illegal farming is causing the earth to shift, resulting in mudslides and mud floods damaging property and causing death. Extensive damage to the ecosystem, despite the outcry over the years, seems to be falling on deaf ears. In Penang, for example, the chief minister is blaming the previous administration for the problem when all it takes is a firm hand to act against illegal operators and ensure that those licensed, operate within the parameters set. It is not dissimilar in Pahang, where the state government appears loath to rock the boat.
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