Some states in India are looking to Malaysia to import river sand, among other things, to protect their own riverbeds. Why should Malaysia export sand to these states at the expense of our environmental degradation?
Talks regarding the need to export river sand from Malaysia to some states in India might have been going on for some years.
In the beginning, Environment and Natural Resources Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar denied that there were sand exports from Malaysia to states in India.
However, he later admitted that two companies had been given the right to mine sand from Sungai Pahang and Sungai Kelantan for export to India. He said sand mining in the estuaries of these two rivers would lessen the danger from floods.
Junaidi did not disclose the names of the Malaysian companies that were given the exclusive right to mine sand, the details of the individuals involved or whether the Malaysian companies were selected on an open tender basis.
He did not really address the environmental concerns of sand mining in these two rivers. The idea of mining rivers to mitigate floods seems to be an excuse or justification to sell sand to the southern states in India.
Last November, the first consignment of more than 50,000 tonnes of river sand was sold to a company in Tamil Nadu.
Allegations that sand imported from Malaysia had high silica content soon faded as a result of a Chennai High Court order.
If the sand from Malaysia did have high silica content, then it makes no sense for another state to import it.
The southern Indian state of Karnataka was the second state to import river sand from Malaysia.
A company from Karnataka, Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL), recently imported 54,000 tonnes from Malaysia. Lack of sand supply from Karnataka, the need to protect riverbeds and the low cost of imported sand from Malaysia were the reasons why sand was sought after in Malaysia.
The cost of importing sand from Malaysia is around 3,900 rupees (RM250) per tonne whereas the sand available from Karnataka costs around 6,700 rupees (RM 430) per tonne. Per sack, sand in Karnataka would be around 195 rupees (RM12.50) excluding GST and government royalty.
It seems that Karnataka’s own sand resources are in a worrying state. There are only an estimated 26 million tonnes available.
Those involved in environmental protection in Malaysia are concerned about sand exports. Their simple question is: if the southern states in India want to protect their own riverbeds, then why should Malaysia allow its riverbeds to be exploited for commercial purposes?
The Malaysian public would like to know whether the companies involved in sand exports to India complied with procedures established by the department of environment, and whether any detailed environmental impact studies were done before permits were granted for sand export from Malaysia.
It is interesting to note that the PAS-led government which talks so much about good governance from a religious point of view seems rather reticent about sand mining in Sungai Kelantan.
Can the PAS government shed light on the company and the individuals involved in sand mining in the estuary of Sungai Kelantan? Surely given PAS’ “high principles”, it will have nothing to hide from the public.
P Ramasamy is Penang deputy chief minister and DAP deputy secretary-general.
The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.