Malaysia will next month lift a ban on bauxite mining that has been in place for three years, a minister said Tuesday, despite warnings the move may cause serious environmental damage.

The mining of bauxite, the main ore used to smelt aluminium, took off in Malaysia to feed strong Chinese demand after neighbouring Indonesia banned exports in 2014.

But authorities imposed a ban after complaints that pits across the bauxite-rich central state of Pahang were blighting the landscape, rivers were being stained red by mining run-off, and there was a rise in respiratory problems and skin rashes.

In addition, critics said most of the mining was illegal, and done amateurishly with no government oversight.

Xavier Jayakumar, water, land and natural resources minister, said the new government which took power last year has decided not to extend a moratorium which ends on March 31.

"Industry players can resume mining by April, but they must adhere to strict mining conditions," he told AFP, adding the move was to allow Pahang to earn crucial extra revenue.

The announcement will also allow to be shipped overseas some 432,000 tons of high-grade bauxite currently stored at Kuantan port on the South China Sea.

Kuantan member of parliament Fuziah Salleh, representing a party in the ruling coalition, criticised the decision to lift the ban, warning that waste would once again be washed into waterways.

Mining will "pollute the rivers which are sources of water for the locals", she told AFP.

Bauxite mining can release carcinogenic heavy metals such as strontium, caesium and other harmful substances, as well as low levels of radiation.

It is not clear whether the policy shift will lead to a new boom in bauxite mining in Malaysia, however, particularly as Indonesia started allowing exports again in 2017.

Related Links
Space Technology News - Applications and Research

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Next-generation optics in just two minutes of cooking time
Lausanne, Switzerland (SPX) Feb 12, 2019
Optical circuits are set to revolutionize the performance of many devices. Not only are they 10-100 times faster than electronic circuits, but they also consume a lot less power. Within these circuits, light waves are controlled by extremely thin surfaces called metasurfaces that concentrate the waves and guide them as needed. The metasurfaces contain regularly spaced nanoparticles that can modulate electromagnetic waves over sub-micrometer wavelength scales. Metasurfaces could enable engineers to ... read more