KUALA LUMPUR:The Environment Department has identified three mining operations in the upper reaches of Sungai Perak in Gerik, following reports that the river water had recently turned blue.
Its director-general, Datuk Wan Abdul Latiff Wan Jaffar (pic), said the area involved one rare earth element (REE) mine and two tin mines.
"Previously, there were four mines, but one has since been closed. Water samples have been taken, and we are now awaiting analysis results from the Chemistry Department. The investigation is also being carried out in collaboration with the Minerals and Geoscience Department,” he said during a dialogue session with media practitioners on Monday (Nov 3).
He said preliminary investigations suggested that nearby mining activities were likely the cause of the river’s discolouration, although other possible contributing factors could not be ruled out.
"In some cases, pollution does not originate directly from factories. Sometimes it is caused by chemicals being disposed of into rivers using certain containers, and when chemical reactions occur, the water can change colour,” he explained.
Wan Abdul Latiff said further investigations are ongoing, and the findings will be announced once the chemical analysis report is received.
On Oct 21, photos of Sungai Perak near the Kampung Sungai Papan Bridge, about five kilometres north of Kampung Air Ganda in Gerik, appeared blue, went viral on social media.
Following that, Perak Department director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the incident was suspected to have been caused by mining activities and investigations were underway to determine the actual cause.
In a separate development, Wan Abdul Latiff said the recent pollution incident in Sungai Johor, which affected more than 450,000 water supply accounts, was caused by a ruptured sand-washing pond at a land-based sand mining site in Kota Tinggi.
"Investigations found that the sand mining project covered an area of less than 20 hectares and was therefore not subject to the requirement of preparing an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report.
"Nevertheless, action has been taken under the Environmental Quality Act 1974, directing the company involved to carry out repair works on the affected pond and embankment,” he said. - Bernama
