Minister to meet Kuantan officials over bauxite mining issue

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said he will meet Kuantan officials this Friday, February 26, to obtain the latest information over the state’s efforts to clean up the city after it was affected by the rampant bauxite mining activity.

“I will get all relevant information on Friday and if you (the media) are willing to join me there, I will hold a press conference immediately after to inform of what’s latest there,” Wan Junaidi said recently at a news conference.

When asked about the condition of air quality there, Wan Junaidi said he was yet to receive information on that but stressed that the government was seriously looking at ensuring air quality in the state did not deteriorate to a dangerous level.

“Just like during the haze situation, authorities are carefully monitoring to ensure air quality there is free from harmful particles,” he said.

Following public backlash last December, the federal government imposed a three-month moratorium on bauxite mining. The operation to clean up the areas involve more than 100 personnel, including from the department, Kuantan Municipal Council, firemen, Alam Flora Sdn Bhd and the Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp).

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh, however, recently said that the port authorities had failed to meet the phase one dateline for the ore to be removed from the vicinity of the port by February 15. Considering that over two million tonnes of the ore are still at the port, she said it seemed as if the port authorities were slacking on their commitment in meeting the term of the moratorium.

Wan Junaidi previously said that the amount of ore stored at the port had been reduced from more than three million tonnes to 2.4 million tonnes after the moratorium was enforced on January 15.