
After coastline waters and surrounding rivers in Pahang has turned red, the Cabinet will temporarily halt bauxite mining until regulations, licensing and environmental protection can be put in place. – The Malaysian Insider file pic, January 2, 2016.
Malaysia is pushing to suspend bauxite mining due to concerns about its impact on the environment, a cabinet source said today, threatening to interrupt supply of the aluminium-making ingredient to China.
The largely unregulated industry has grown rapidly in the last two years to meet Chinese demand.
Bauxite mining was blamed for turning the waters red on a stretch of coastline and surrounding rivers in eastern peninsula Malaysia after two days of heavy rain earlier this week.
The cabinet wants to temporarily halt bauxite mining until regulations, licensing and environmental protection can be put in place, the source told Reuters today. Read more