“The moratorium is until Dec 31, as there is still half a million tonnes of (bauxite) stockpiled at the ports,” a spokesman for the water, land and natural resources ministry said today.

Malaysia was once the biggest supplier of bauxite to top buyer China, but unregulated mining and run-offs from unsecured stockpiles in Pahang contaminated water sources, turning roads, rivers and coastal waters red.

This led to a ban on all bauxite mining activity since early 2016.

Malaysia’s shipments to China peaked at nearly 3.5 million tonnes a month at the end of 2015 as miners rushed to fill a supply gap that opened up after neighbouring Indonesia banned ore exports.

Former natural resources and environment minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar estimated in March that there were still 10 million tonnes of uncleared bauxite stockpiled in the state.