Samples taken from bauxite mining area

Friendly banter: Adnan chatting with lorry drivers who transport bauxite at a coffee shop in Bukit Goh, Kuantan.

KUANTAN: Samples have been taken from the Sungai Pengorak area here to be tested for radioactive contamination allegedly caused by bauxite residues.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Adnan Yaakob said the results would be known in about a month’s time.

“The Department of Environment (DoE) and the Atomic Energy Licensing Board have already collected water, earth and bauxite samples from the sites. They have been sent to Dengkil for analysis but the findings can only be established one month from now,” Adnan told reporters after the state exco meeting here yesterday.

He said the DoE had reported that water samples collected from Sungai Pengorak and the nearby sea contained pollutants that exceeded acceptable standards.

Adnan also said the state government was not in denial of the issues raised but for the time being, bauxite mining operations would still be allowed to continue.

“There have been some improvements to bauxite mining activities ever since we issued strict orders.

“However, we cannot take the drastic measure of cancelling all of the mining licences outright because these activities contribute to the economy,” he said.

Adnan was responding to a news report alleging that unregulated bauxite mining had released radioactive materials into the environment.

The latest report contradicted state Public Amenities and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Seri Mohd Soffi Abd Razak’s earlier statement that samples from the same sites did not contain heavy metals hazardous to life forms.

Mohd Soffi said his previous statement was based on the results of a test conducted following the “red sea” incident on May 14.

“The Environment Department took samples from Sungai Pengorak and Pantai Pengorak as well as lorry wash troughs in the area. It was sent to the Chemistry Department for analysis, which did not find any traces of heavy metals.

“The Fisheries Department also confirmed that dead fish found on the beach were actually thrown overboard by fishermen who sorted out their catch while still at sea,” he said.