Ask several environmentalists and they will tell you that the contaminated patches of land in Pahang will need decades to recover from the extensive pollution inflicted on them by bauxite mining. Ask Ahmad Fuad Embi, vice-president of the Malaysian Stormwater Organization, however, and he will tell you that a mere…

Durian farmers in Pahang have had enough. Local growers of the “king of fruits” are planning to embark on a two-week-long march next month by foot all the way to Putrajaya in a show of protest at what they see as the government’s mishandling of the bauxite mining disaster. With…

If you live in Pahang, you’re better off not drinking water from the tap. Fresh water sources in Kuantan may have been contaminated with heavy metals by bauxite mines in the area to such a degree that locals could be at risk of the horrifying effects of heavy metal poisoning….

We’re several weeks into a three-month moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang, but things aren’t looking up as much as they could be. It will take an estimated 50 years to repair the environmental damage done by irresponsible mining – sad news to local farmers and fishermen – and short term goals are…

Once the three-month moratorium on bauxite mining in Pahang expires on April 14, local mines will be back in action. That is the bad news. The good news (such as it is) is that local operators have acquiesced in some new guidelines set by the government to ensure that the…

A lesson from the recent bauxite mining fiasco in Pahang, which has inflicted massive damage on the local environment, has been this: local politicians and authorities cannot be trusted to have nature’s and local people’s best interests in mind. They are supposed to be in charge, and yet when push…

Out of sight, out of mind. That is often our attitude when it comes to environmental issues. For a  few days or weeks, we get hot under the collar over yet another case of misconduct, yet another case of negligence, or yet another case of willful destruction. Yet often we…

Palm oil production is an integral part of Malaysia’s economy. On second thought, make that a vital part: the country is the commodity’s second largest producer in the world, after neighboring Indonesia, producing nearly 20 billion tons of palm oil annually. The industry, which accounts for up to 6% of…

Malaysia is now the world’s top producer of bauxite.  Go back just 18 months, and the country barely had a bauxite mining industry at all. The meteoric rise from zero to powerhouse producer of this necessary ingredient in aluminum production has come with fantastic environmental repercussions for Malaysia – problems that…

The ecological fallout from bauxite mining in the Malaysian state of Pahang has affected the east coast town of Kuantan in myriad ways. Its water sources have become polluted and its tourism industry, a vital source of revenue for locals, has taken a hit. But the worst may be yet to…

Whoever may be responsible, it isn’t me. That seems to have been the attitude of officials in the Malaysian state of Pahang, where hazardous chemicals from bauxite mines have inflicted untold damage on local ecosystems through the unscrupulous actions of local operators. The latest official to reject responsibility for the…

Protecting Malaysia’s unique natural environments is in the collective interest of all Malaysians, yet citizens of the country, individually and collectively, often end up doing more harm than good to their environments through reckless actions and irresponsible choices. Corporations can be especially guilty of placing profits ahead of the good of…

The Malaysian state of Pahang has been seeing its forests and farms leveled, its earth dug up, its waters polluted with vast amounts of mercury and arsenic, and its people suffer increasing cancer risks for over a year now.  The reason?  Bauxite mining.  The pace?  Frantic.  The government?  Unwilling to…

In order for an environmental issue to receive real attention – no matter how important, impactful or terrible it may be – a certain ignition factor is required.  It’s unfortunate, but it often takes something like an explosion, mass species die-off or natural disaster to spur action for an important…

‘Rivers, Seas run red in Malaysia as Bauxite Exports Boom,’ reads a recent Reuters headline.  ‘Malaysia may Suspend Bauxite Mining,’ intones the Bangkok Post.  ‘Malaysia Seeks to Suspend Bauxite Mining after Environmental Scare,’ says Stuff.co.nz.  The heavy metal pollution and reddening of the ocean and rivers surrounding port town Kuantan have earned Malaysia’s…

It appears that some of Malaysian resident’s worst fears concerning the irresponsible bauxite mining sweeping parts of their country may have come true – traces of known bauxite contaminants have been discovered in treated water. A December analysis of treated water in and around bauxite mining hotspot Kuantan revealed the…