'Kuantan MP wants moratorium on bauxite mining extended

Kuantan MP Fuziah Salleh wants the three-month moratorium on bauxite mining in the state be extended until a more comprehensive standard operating procedure (SOP) is put into place.

Fuziah also urged that existing licences for bauxite mining activities be cancelled and new applications be made compulsory. This way, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) must also be made mandatory as one of the requirements for a successful application, she said.

Citing the moratorium, which will end come April 15, Fuziah said Kuantan residents were still unsure of their fates.

“The SOP previously mentioned by various quarters, including the Pahang state government, is still hazy – it doesn't include solutions to all aspects of pollution,” she said.

Recalling bauxite activities which took place before the moratorium, the PKR lawmaker said Kuantan residents could feel the effects of air pollution.

“They also witnessed the sea turning red but because no EIA was implemented, we didn't have a mechanism to identify the real impact of mining on the environment and people’s health.

“Therefore, the best way to ensure the safety of Kuantan residents is to conduct an EIA on the mining sites, bauxite-cleaning areas and central stockpilng e sites,” she said.

Bauxite mining in Kuantan is now under a three-month moratorium until April 15 after widespread pollution in the state and even in neighbouring Terengganu.

Putrajaya has proposed several measures to allow bauxite mining while minimising pollution, including the construction of a new road to avoid transportation of bauxite-rich soil through residential areas.

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