He said a state government delegation, led by state secretary Ahmad Suaidi Abdul Rahim, met last Friday with the secretary-general of the natural resources and environmental sustainability ministry and technical agency heads, including the department of mineral and geoscience (JMG).

“This meeting was important for the state government to obtain clarity on the issues that have been raised.

“Alhamdulillah, it has helped shed light on several matters that required further explanation,” Bernama quoted him as saying when winding up the Supply Enactment Bill 2026 in Ipoh, Perak.

Saarani said a similar phenomenon was recorded in 2018 in nearly the same area before the rare earth element (REE) mining industry began operating in Perak.

He said the incident had occurred after unusually heavy rainfall.

“The JMG has also confirmed that the Hulu Perak area is naturally rich in mineral deposits such as tin, copper, manganese, arsenic and pyrite. Whenever it rains, these minerals can be carried into the river,” he said.

Saarani said the blue hue could be caused either by sunlight refracting through suspended minerals or by high mineral concentrations forming solutions like ferric sulphate and copper sulphate, which would appear blue naturally.

He said a task force had been set up to examine the issue, provide technical analysis, and conduct field investigations.

The atomic energy department will also assess radioactivity levels at the REE mining site, he added.

“Investigations are ongoing, and stern action will be taken if any breach of standard operating procedures (SOPs) or regulations under the Minerals (Perak) Enactment 2003, the Mineral Development Act 1994 or the Environmental Quality Act 1974,” Saarani said.