Compiled by FAZLEENA AZIZ, C. ARUNO and R. ARAVINTHAN
GOLD panning activities approved by the Kelantan state government must be managed carefully to prevent environmental damage, says an expert from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK).
Senior lecturer Dr Mohd Syakir Sulaiman of UMK’s Faculty of Earth Science said poorly regulated panning can harm rivers, disrupt surrounding areas and lead to unsustainable gold losses.
“UMK’s findings show that unregulated panning increases water turbidity, causes riverbank erosion, disturbs aquatic habitats and leaves behind waste piles that alter river flow. Even if the activity is small-scale, the impact becomes significant when many people pan in sensitive areas,” he said, Utusan Malaysia reported.
Mohd Syakir said UMK advocates designated panning zones and clear guidelines on environmentally-friendly techniques.
Granting permission is not the issue; proper control is, he said.
“With licences, special zones, training and monitoring, panning can generate community income while keeping environmental impacts low. The best approach is community-based controlled mining, as practised in several countries,” he said.
He noted that Kelantan’s gold potential is concentrated in several zones within the central gold belt, including Gua Musang (Pulai and Galas), Tanah Merah (Sokor) and Jeli.
“These areas are linked to geological structures, metamorphic rocks and volcanic formations that support gold deposits,” he said, adding that Sokor has shown commercial production by licensed operators.
More detailed studies are needed to determine Kelantan’s overall gold reserves, he said.
The above articles are compiled from the vernacular newspapers (Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese and Tamil dailies). As such, stories are grouped according to the respective language/medium. Where a paragraph begins with a, it denotes a separate news item.
