KUALA LUMPUR: It will take at least 50 years to fully rehabilitate Kuantan’s bauxite mining areas, said Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.
He said he had discussed with the Peninsular Malaysia Forestry Department on studying ways to rehabilitate agriculture land that had been damaged by the bauxite-mining activities in efforts to cultivate other vegetation in the future.
"I had previously discussed with the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) on plans to consider developing housing projects on land damaged by bauxite mining.
"If Felda agrees to take on the plan, the process of getting approval from the state and federal government and the relevant agencies will take a long time.
"However, should the plan fail to take off, I have discussed with the Forestry Department director-general (Datuk Seri Dr Abd Rahman Rahim) on rehabilitating the land," he told a press conference here today after officiating the Malaysia-Korea seminar on healthy river basin.
Wan Junaidi said the rehabilitation process include surveying the land, carrying out cover crop and building top soil to restore the nutrients of the soil.
The rehabilitation process itself, he said, would take about a year to complete.
"But it would take at least 50 years for the land to be rehabilitated and fertilised."
Meanwhile, Wan Junaidi said the ministry will emulate South Korea’s measures on cleaning polluted rivers.
According to the Environment Quality Report 2014 by the Department of Environment, he said Malaysia reported that its percentage of clean rivers in Malaysia had decreased to 52 per cent in 2014 compared to 54 per cent in 2013.
“That means the number of polluted rivers increased from five per cent in 2013 to nine per cent in 2014. Before this figure becomes more critical, aggressive and proactive action should be taken with the collaboration and support from all the stakeholders,” he added.