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….
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 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…
As the monsoon season approaches in Malaysia, a wave of anxiety larger than normal is washing over areas of Pahang used for bauxite mining. Flooding is normally a big problem for the port city of Kuantan, but the many open-pit bauxite mines dug this year threaten to unleash torrents of…
It appears that Malaysian communities suffering under waves of pollution, industrial takeover and governmental inaction thanks to a surge of irresponsible bauxite mining have finally hit the breaking point. Five lorries (trucks that blow through towns leaving large clouds of bauxite dust in their wake) have been set afire by…
For almost an entire year now, the Malaysian public has been asking its government for help with a frightening pollution problem: irresponsible bauxite mining. A tide of toxic dust and mud is issuing from open bauxite mining pits and scarcely-covered trucks, spreading a layer of carcinogenic material over towns, countries…
Bauxite mining in Malaysia has been causing quite a stir of late. Irresponsible mining practices have unleashed dust clouds and muddy flows laden with arsenic, mercury and heavy metals upon nearby rivers, roads and cities. The pollution has already caused terrible environmental trouble, and is now creating serious short- and…
Bauxite mining in Malaysia – and the heavy metal contamination it sews across land, air and water – is coming under increasing scrutiny as its industrial activity causes more and more public and environmental health problems. The latest in a series of worries including cancer risks, economic upset, groundwater corruption…
The debate surrounding Malaysia’s bauxite mining industry is nearing a fever pitch. National bauxite exports have exploded from around 100,000 tons in 2013 to over 2.5 million last year to what could be more than 20 million for 2015. Legal and illegal mining operations have sprung up everywhere, spreading carcinogenic…
After months of suffering from intense industrial pollution, the residents of Pahang – Malaysia’s unofficial bauxite mining capital – could be looking at some relief. The Malaysian Federal Government agreed on November 16 to suggest a temporary suspension of bauxite exports from Pahang. In order to carry on with the…
For the first time in 10 years, Malaysia is official chair of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). This honor rotates each year between member nations, and carries with it expectations of high achievement. As one of ASEAN’s five founding members, Malaysia especially has been expected to lead…
Despite the fact that they can both be said to exist, the bauxite industries in Australia and Malaysia couldn’t be more different. In fact, they are directly at odds – Australia’s highly regulated and deeply-entrenched bauxite mining sector is being undercut by Malaysia’s quick and cheap exports. Both countries are…
Malaysia’s recent boom of poorly-regulated bauxite mining has resulted in what could easily be considered an environmental disaster. Created during bauxite extraction, red dust laden with heavy metals and radioactive elements is washing into rivers, bogging up fields and blanketing cities with a rust-colored layer of fallen sediment. Already, doctors…