PETALING JAYA: The blue-tinged waters of Sungai Perak near Kampung Sungai Papan have sparked fresh alarm over the environmental dangers of rare earth element (REE) mining in Malaysia.
The incident has renewed scrutiny of the government’s push for rare earth development, a key part of its industrial and “green economy” agenda, which environmentalists warn carries significant ecological and social risks.
Environmental think-tank RimbaWatch director Adam Farhan said Malaysia’s proposed method of in-situ leaching for rare earth mining remains largely untested in the country, and its long-term environmental impact is still unclear.
“However, we are concerned about potential issues including forest conversion, forest fragmentation, pollution of soil and water sources, long-term soil degradation as well as impacts on land rights for indigenous and local communities,” he told theSun.
He said rare earth mining could release pollutants such as heavy metals including lead, cadmium and chromium, along with sulphates that damage river ecosystems and threaten aquatic life.
“Environmental groups such as Sahabat Alam Malaysia have already raised concerns that REE mining poses a significant threat to environmental and planetary health.”
He said the Environmental Quality Act 1974 and related Environmental Impact Assessment guidelines often demand only minimal mitigation measures, while the system of fines remains “inefficient”, as companies find it cheaper to pay penalties than comply with regulations.
“Many industries heavily invest in corporate lobbying to deregulate extractive sectors.”
He added that industrial and REE projects are increasingly encroaching on ecologically sensitive areas.
“Existing projects, such as those in Perak, are located in Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) Rank 1 zones.
“We expect many more ESAs are under threat from REE projects, which is particularly concerning.”
Adam urged the government to adopt strict environmental safeguards nationwide to address the risks.
He called for laws to prohibit any extraction or development in permanent forest reserves, natural forest areas, ESA Rank 1 and 2 zones, water catchments and indigenous lands.
“These are the absolute bare minimum safeguards Malaysia must commit to if it claims that REE development could be done sustainably.
“Any safeguards falling short of these requirements are grossly insufficient.”
Last Wednesday, Perak Chief Minister Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad announced that mining activities in the upper reaches of Sungai Perak near Gerik have been temporarily halted.
The Environment Department is investigating the pollution in coordination with the Minerals and Geoscience Department and is awaiting laboratory results from water samples collected near the site.
