KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 ― The Cabinet has decided that the bauxite plant in Kuantan, Pahang will be temporarily suspended due to environmental concerns.

Local broadsheet Utusan Malaysia reported that the Cabinet  decision was made in a meeting last week after protests from residents towards the bauxite mining effects increased.

“The Cabinet has decided that the bauxite mining activity in Kuantan, Pahang which had raised concerns of environmental pollution and the widespread protests from residents will be temporarily halted.

“The decision which was made in a Cabinet meeting last week is accurate in nature because of the drastic changes to the environment recently including river and sea waters turning red,” the newspaper reported.

Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai was quoted in a separate Utusan report as saying that his ministry was researching alternative methods to transport bauxite following the Cabinet decision.

“That's why we need to reach not just from the mining aspects but also transportation because bauxite is light and will fly making the whole area red.

“Which means not just (lorries) that carry bauxite has to be closed but also the ships because if not the bauxite can pollute the ocean,” he was quoted saying by the newspaper.

Pahang's capital city of Kuantan is said to be suffering from heavy pollution caused by illegal mining operations that have mushroomed to meet high demand for the mineral.

Kuantan folk led by their parliamentary representative Fuziah Salleh have been lobbying for the state government to put a stop to all bauxite mining in their hometown, citing fears of environmental destruction and health problems.

During Parliament's session in November, Fuziah, who was among the harshest critics of the controversial Lynas Advanced Materials Plant (LAMP) in Kuantan some five years ago, claimed that the rising demand from China for bauxite has led to numerous cases of illegal mining and traffic hazards involving lorries “racing” to the port to make as many trips as possible.

The mining activities at the same time have released heavy metal particles into Kuantan's air and water supply, which have allegedly sparked an outbreak of respiratory problems and skin disease while water treatment plants are unable to filter out the contaminants, she added.

She has also collected nearly 2,500 signatures from Kuantan's residents in support of a petition seeking Parliament's intervention to pressure the Pahang state government to suspend all export licenses to make way for a review of the relevant laws and procedures and to rehabilitate the environment.