She also questioned the standard operating procedure (SOP) for processing ores, noting the involvement of wastewater containing heavy metals which makes sustainable mining difficult to achieve.
“We have had previous enforcement issues,” she told FMT, adding that heavy metals from the mine often found their way to rivers and other bodies of water, causing pollution.
She voiced disappointment with the water, land and natural resources ministry for failing to discuss the new SOP with the people as it involves the processing and washing of ore.
“Previously, there was no washing and processing (of the ore), and yet there was pollution. The people should be informed about the new methods of handling the situation,” she said.
Fuziah was responding to Putrajaya’s decision not to extend the moratorium on bauxite mining, which ends on March 31, due to strong demand for the industry.
Malaysia was once the biggest supplier of bauxite to top buyer China, with shipments peaking at nearly 3.5 million tonnes a month at the end of 2015.
Bauxite is mainly used as an ingredient in the production of aluminium.
But unregulated mining and run-offs from unsecured stockpiles in Pahang have contaminated water sources, turning roads, rivers and coastal waters red.
Former natural resources and environment minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the moratorium was imposed to stop environmental degradation.
He said his officers undertook a study which showed the operations in the area were causing pollution on a massive scale.
“Based on the report, I prepared a working paper for the Cabinet. I discussed with everyone, including the Pahang palace, and everyone agreed that it was causing environmental problems,” he said.
Wan Junaidi said it was agreed that the moratorium would only be lifted if the stockpile was reduced, and the bauxite didn’t seep into drains or flow onto roads, even during heavy rain.
“Even at the Kuantan port area, the bauxite should be covered and should not spill into the river. Lorries must be washed and the stockpile in them should be covered,” he said, adding that there was a delay in lifting the moratorium as these conditions were not met.
Wan Junaidi said his ministry found that the lorries involved in the loading and unloading of bauxite were unregulated and came from all corners of the country, including Kedah and Johor.
He also claimed that a lot of illegal work was carried out at night when the police were away.
Noting the demand for the industry, he said business at the Kuantan port was also affected after the moratorium was put in place.
“The intention of the moratorium was not to stop it but to stop the pollution. If Australia can extract it in a clean way, why can’t we?”