Wrath of nature

Thursday December 20, 2007

KOTA BARU: Mother Nature is fighting back. Years of hillside cutting and pollution of the rivers are proving costly, and a new "age of floods" is at hand, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry has warned. With trees gone, nature is unable to retain rainwater, forcing rivers to carry more water than they can handle.

Bare hills will also result in erosion, causing mud and debris to make rivers shallower;

A task force has been set up to review all development projects under the Ninth Malaysia Plan and will get down to work next week; and

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said the school holidays could be extended if the flooding continues.