Dr Subramaniam wants bauxite mining scrapped if it threatens health

Pahang’s bauxite industry has been told to clean up its act, with the Government also slapping a three-month mining ban starting Jan 15.

All other mining activities apart from clearing of stockpiles and installation of cleaning facilities will also finish with the implementation of the ban.

Malaysia a year ago emerged as a major provider of bauxite after leading producer Indonesia banned ore exports to encourage more processing at home.

Uncontrolled bauxite mining in Bukit Goh, Gebeng and Kuantan Port from mid-2014 has resulted in residents in the vicinity having to put up with water and environmental pollution that has turned rivers, beaches and the sea red.

He said the decision was made at the Cabinet meeting yesterday which outlined a few steps to be taken by the industry within the three months to resolve the pollution problem due to the mining activities.

Demand for bauxite, which is used in aluminium production, is fuelled by heavy demand from top aluminium producer China. It collected almost 46.7 million ringgit ($11 million) in royalties in 2015 compared to 2.4 million the year before.

There are public complaints about the existence of many illegal bauxite operators who have worsened the environmental degradation.

The former trade and industry minister said the bauxite mining had allowed land owners to become “rich overnight”, but at the cost of river waters turning red.

The government should scrutinise the costs and benefits of projects that impact the environment before giving approval, former minister Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz said today, amid outcry over the pollution caused by bauxite mining in Pahang.

Bauxite mining has brought some revenue to Pahang, a backwater state rich in minerals and rain forests.

In a joint press conference on Wednesday (Jan 6), Malaysia’s Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Pahang’s Chief Minister Adnan Yaakob said the three-month moratorium would give authorities time to get a handle on the situation and clear all existing bauxite stockpiles in Kuantan to avoid further contamination. I noticed he just mentioned the stockpile.