Pahang still not free from bauxite mining pollution

Unregulated bauxite mining seems to have affected the environment of Pahang too deeply than it was initially thought to be. A recent audit report by the Department of Environment (DOE) revealed that high concentration of heavy metal was detected in the river water in Kuantan's bauxite mining area.  

The water quality sampling of the river was carried out at nine locations on the basis of three parameters as outlined by the Auditor-General’s Report 2015 Series 2: heavy iron metal, mercury and aluminium contamination. The result- all three parameters were found to have exceeded the National Water Quality Standard For Malaysia.


“The highest parameter for aluminium was 7.3mg/L in Sungai Kuantan in February 2016, while the highest parameter for iron was 10.32mg/L in Sungai Riau in August 2015,” said the report. The chemical analysis on aluminium at Sungai Rong and Sungai Taweh also exceeded the given standards, namely 1.5mg/L and 0.96mg/L respectively.

The schematic sketch map submitted by the DOE showed the unregulated bauxite mining and laundering activities near Sungai Rong and Sungai Taweh with water from Sungai Taweh and Sungai Rong, will result in flowing in of the effluents into the Bukit Sagu and Bukit Goh water treatment plants' intake point.

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Pahang's bauxite mining came under the scanner in 2016 beginning when people living near Kuantan complained about the effluents from the mining areas turning the colour of the water bodies red. A ban was shortly put into place to clean up environmental damage caused by irresponsible mining practices, and to give the government a chance to revise the bauxite mining regulation regime. The original term of the ban was to be three months, but the government extended the ban till the end of this year, before it was set to expire in April.

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