Moratorium extended

Bauxite mining suspended for another three months

PUTRAJAYA: The moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang will be extended by another three months.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said the extension was to allow the bauxite stockpiles to be cleared and exported.

“There are 28,905 tonnes of bauxite at Kuantan Port, 1.3 million tonnes outside the port and 2.3 million tonnes at the mining sites.

“This totals to about four million tonnes that have yet to be exported. So, the Cabinet has agreed for the moratorium to be extended for another three months,” he told reporters at his office after the weekly Cabinet meeting here yesterday.

Only when the stockpiles were cleared could these areas be cleaned, added Dr Wan Junaidi.

To make it easier to export the bauxite, the ministry, he said, would issue special Approved Permits (APs) to companies to transport the stockpiles to either Kuantan Port or Kemaman Port – depending on the port’s capacity.

Those given the APs, however, are subject to several conditions, including ensuring that their lorries are fully covered and obtaining a special licence for their vehicles from the Land Public Transport Commission.

Dr Wan Junaidi said the Department of Environment would be monitoring the transportation to ensure no pollution occurred during the clearing.

The Pahang government, he said, must also identify an area for a central bauxite centre to store the mineral as well as build dedicated roads for the lorries from the mines to the ports.

“The dedicated roads must be away from residential areas or villages where there are people,” said Dr Wan Junaidi.

Imposed on Jan 15 this year, the threemonth moratorium called for a halt to bauxite mining activities to address industry concerns such as pollution, the lack of regulations as well as excessive extraction by the operators.

The initial moratorium was scheduled to end on April 15.