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©New Straits Times (Used by permission)
by Marina Emmanuel

KULIM: The Kedah government has assured Penang that water supply is not in jeopardy because there has been no firm decision to log in the Muda catchment area.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak said it was never his plan to cut off water supply to Penang.

Azizan was asked to comment on the outcome of a recent visit to Kedah by a delegation from Penang led by Deputy Chief Minister I Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin.

"It was unfortunate that I was unable to meet them because I had an appointment at the Kedah palace," he said after opening the Fuji Electric Device Technology Co Ltd's semiconductor plant at the Kulim Hi-Tech Park here yesterday.

Azizan maintained that the Federal Government's failure to deliver annual compensation of RM100 million, after the state called off heli-harvesting of timber in catchment areas in 2003, was the reason why Kedah wanted to start logging activities.

The menteri besar said if the funds were forthcoming, Kedah would drop the idea to log in the catchment area.

"However, we will maintain the area by pruning old trees,"

He said Kedah was currently responsible for 53 per cent of the country's rice production and the state government would not even think of cutting back on the supply by jeopardising its water source.

Last month, Azizan announced that Kedah would call for tenders for logging at the Pedu, Muda and Ahning dam catchment areas to cover high state expenditure following the petrol price increases.

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng had expressed the state's concern over Kedah's proposed move since 80 per cent of Penang's raw water comes from Sungai Muda.

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