The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for proposed bauxite mining project in Bukit Goh, Kuantan has not been approved, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
During Minister Question Time on Thursday (Dec 12), Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said a previous EIA report for a similar project at the site had also been rejected.
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During Minister Question Time on Thursday (Dec 12), Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said a previous EIA report for a similar project at the site had also been rejected.
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NewsTranscript
00:00First of all, on behalf of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Natural Resources and Environment,
00:07we would like to confirm that there is no approval given to the IAEA report
00:14for the bauxite mining project at Goh Hill, Kuantan, Pahang.
00:19Previously, the IAEA report was rejected for this project
00:24and after that, IAEA has just received the IAEA report
00:31once again for the proposal of the project at Goh Hill, Kuantan,
00:35entitled Proposed Bauxite Mining Operation in Goh Hill
00:40with an area of 2,424.73 hectares in Mukim, Kuala Kuantan, District of Kuantan, Pahang
00:50on 24th September, 2024.
00:53The initiator of this project is BG Mining, Sindan Berhad.
00:58And as usual, the process will be followed,
01:02which will be assessed and discussed in detail
01:06in the Technical IAEA or EIA-TRC meeting
01:11together with other government agencies,
01:16including technical agencies,
01:18whether they are in the government or state level,
01:21individuals appointed, and non-governmental bodies or NGOs.
01:26So, the EIA-TRC meeting will consider all the issues and concerns
01:32from all parties involved before a decision is made
01:35on the IAEA report received.
01:38Mr. Bang Karyan.
01:40Mr. President,
01:43is the government willing to impose
01:47all mining industries,
01:50such as sand mining, bauxite mining, etc.?
01:53Because I see that we are very saddened by the disaster
01:57that happened in Goh Hill,
02:00a very critical disaster.
02:02Meanwhile, the government has appointed an expert
02:06with a cost of Rp486 million for 15 years
02:10to monitor our environment,
02:12which means Rp60 million per year or Rp5 million per month.
02:17The cost of the government is Rp167,000 per day
02:21to monitor the air, water, and so on.
02:26My question is,
02:27how far has the IAEA effected in monitoring,
02:34especially in real-time,
02:36and to provide early notice to our people
02:40about the effects of environmental pollution that they are facing?
02:45Thank you, Mr. President.
02:47First of all, regarding the IAEA process,
02:51we do have a suggestion to further improve
02:56the control of the IAEA
02:58and also the transparency of the process
03:00to be more comprehensive
03:02in line with the needs and requests of the people today.
03:06Regarding the issue of EQMP,
03:10Environmental Quality Monitoring Programme,
03:14which was initiated by the honoured one,
03:17the purpose is to monitor the status of air quality,
03:21river water, and also marine water,
03:23as the honoured one is well aware,
03:25by absorbing ambient quality data
03:29that is indicative of the health and well-being of the people.
03:36It has helped us to provide annual environmental quality report.
03:42However, we are also aware that
03:45this issue has been raised in the Parliamentary Elections.
03:49I remember the former minister,
03:52the honoured one, Puchong,
03:54raised several questions
03:56to ensure the effectiveness of this programme.
04:00We feel that the EQMP aspect
04:05is one of the aspects of data that is automatically absorbed.
04:09We feel that there is no major problem with that.
04:11However, in terms of manual data absorption,
04:14there may be some questions.
04:16For example, is it necessary to place the data
04:20under the power of the EQMP,
04:22which is contracted to the concession company,
04:25or can it be done by the government?
04:28So, there are implications
04:30if it is done by the government,
04:32in terms of ability, responsibility, and so on.
04:34So, we will look at this wholeheartedly
04:38so that the purpose is to ensure
04:43that the quality of the data we receive is more effective
04:47and we can, as a powerhouse,
04:50provide early warnings to local communities
04:56if there is a pollution crisis.
05:00For example, the Kim Kim River, and so on.
05:03And also, the pollution of the bauxite mine
05:06that once attracted widespread attention in Pahang.
05:11Thank you, Mr. Minister.
05:12I heard your answer just now.
05:14So, my question is,
05:15how far has the study been carried out
05:17to re-evaluate the report
05:20on the effects on the environment,
05:22i.e. EIA,
05:24so that we can ensure that the report is effective
05:27in resolving the issue of infrastructure construction
05:29that has affected the environment?
05:32Yes, thank you, Hon. Bentong.
05:34As mentioned earlier,
05:36we are always trying to improve
05:39the evaluation of the effects on the environment
05:45or the surrounding environment,
05:47i.e. EIA, in our country.
05:49And this involves all project proposals
05:51under the Surrounding Environment Quality Government,
05:54the activity that establishes
05:56the evaluation of the effects on the surrounding environment 2015.
05:59And this includes activities
06:01on infrastructure construction, and so on.
06:04Among the steps that we have taken
06:07to ensure that the EIA report is effective
06:11in the evaluation of the EIA report
06:14is to provide specific guidance
06:16on the EIA preparation
06:18for each activity that it establishes,
06:20to prepare the format and content of the EIA report,
06:23to expand the range of EIA evaluation panel members
06:27in the EIA TRC,
06:29including the state agency,
06:31NGOs, and expert panels,
06:33to provide a public exhibition platform
06:35and public consultation for the EIA report digitally.
06:38And for the implementation level,
06:42we also establish a third-party audit,
06:45or third-party audit,
06:47self-regulation.
06:49For information,
06:51we are also at the government level,
06:55we are looking at how we want to improve
06:58so that this EIA can be more effective.
07:03The five priorities of our improvement
07:06are to strengthen the need for EIA-related legislation
07:10and to update the process in the evaluation of the EIA report,
07:13to strengthen the EIA procedure in our country,
07:16to digitalize the EIA,
07:18to strengthen the public affairs
07:20and to strengthen the EIA authority.
07:23So these things we will inform
07:25and we will update the people
07:29about how we will improve the EIA
07:32so that it is truly effective
07:34in maintaining public health.