KUANTAN, Nov 16 (Bernama) -- The Pahang state government was today urged to ask RM2 billion from the federal government as compensation for the state government gazetting water catchment areas for the country.

Datuk Md Sohaimi Mohamed Shah (BN-Sungai Lembing), when debating the 2010 Pahang state budget, said the amount is seen as appropriate given the state government's sacrifice for gazetting 972,839 hectares of forest land as water catchment areas in the interest of the nation.

"If we ask for a lower amount, we'll get still less, so we ask for RM2 billion," he said when debating the Pahang state budget.

On Nov 13, when debating the 2010 Budget, Menteri Besar Pahang Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said a large part of Pahang's 3.6 million hectares was reserved for Taman Negara, Wildlife Reserve, water catchment areas and lake and river reserve.

He said the state government had asked the federal government for RM280 million a year as compensation for its sacrifice in gazetting the forest water catchment area but the federal government was not ready to consider the request.

"If all of Pahang's forest was destroyed, it would not just affect the state's water supply but also that of Selangor, Negeri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kelantan and Perak as the water of the main rivers in these states are from the water catchment areas in Pahang," he said.

He said till now the government had gazetted 972,839ha of forest as water catchment areas with all logging disallowed whereas the commercial returns from the areas could exceed RM28.1 billion.

Md Sohaimi said the state government had taken positive action in efforts to preserve the precious forest in the interest of the country and gazetted the land as per the needs and policy of the federal government.

He said the RM2 billion was important to develop the state and meet the needs of the people.

He also proposed that post of deputy state assembly speaker be revived