ALIZA SHAH New Straits Times 21 Nov 17;
BESIDES river sand, this newspaper was also alerted to the booming illicit marine sand extraction and export business.
This has been going on just outside of Perak’s waters. This newspaper was told that there were 10 areas under federal jurisdiction approved for sand mining.
Mining is sanctioned with licences that could only be issued by the Lands and Mines Department, a federal agency parked under the Natural Resources and Environmental Ministry.
“Some companies, licensed by the department to mine in 10 specific and designated plots, had been encroaching on waters that come under states’ jurisdiction (three nautical miles from the shoreline) and the sand is sent to the Penang and Klang ports.
“There is also the problem of smugglers who would keep their stockpile close to ports, to facilitate illicit export.”
Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) Maritime 3 district director Maritime Captain Wan Mat Wan Abdullah said the agency had received reports from miners that their areas were being encroached by others.
“Some companies came to us claiming they have been licensed to mine, but when they arrived at the designated area, they discovered that it had been mined.”
NST also spoke to sources in other marine enforcement agencies who said that Malaysian sand had been illegally exported to a neighbouring country.
“They declared that they were sending it somewhere in the country, but the consignment never arrived.
“There are also cases of false declaration. They claimed that the consignment was silica when it was sand. The problem is we do not have the expertise to identify which is which.” Wan Junaidi said he wanted to make clear that the ministry had never issued any approved permits for sand export from Perak.
“The menteri besar would not agree to it. I have given the instruction to put everything related to Perak’s sand on hold, following the menteri besar’s request.
“I will have the ministry’s secretary-general, who is leading a task force comprising the Navy, police, MMEA and others, to look deeper into this matter.”
He expressed concerns about the possibility that these smugglers might have been exporting the sand as silica.
“Silica can be exported, but I am worried that they might be exporting sand using silica permit. We need everyone to be wary of this, including the Customs Department.”
'Govt to allow more to mine, export river sand'
ALIZA SHAH New Straits Times 21 Nov 17;
KUALA LUMPUR: The government is planning to introduce an unconventional approach in their battle to stop illegal sand miners from continuing to rob one of the country’s most valuable natural resources.
As the rivers in the country continue to become shallower, the Natural Resources and Environmental Ministry feels the time has come for the government to allow more people to mine and export sand.
The move, the ministry said, would not only save the government billions of
ringgit spent on deepening rivers and protecting their embankments, but would also allow the state governments to collect royalties and prevent illegal sand export.
Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar, said most of the rivers in Malaysia were at a serious siltation stage, and that this was caused by both human and environmental factors.
The government, he said, had spent at least RM500 million in the past few years to deepen rivers.
“Other than Kelantan and Pahang, rivers in most states have become shallower, especially in areas where logging, plantation and development are taking place, which cause siltation.
“This is a serious issue. If you go to Sabah, Sungai Kedamaian has become almost flat and we estimate that the cost to deepen the river is almost half a billion ringgit.
“I have discussed this issue with the prime minister, and we agreed (to allow export of sand),” he told the New Straits Times.
The country, he said, boasted billions of metric tonnes of sand that could be put to good use.
“One example is Sungai Pahang. When I was young, the river was not as murky. Then, you could hardly see islands formed because of siltation.
“Now, you can see ‘islands’ in Sungai Pahang. They will make the river shallow and this can lead to floods.”
Wan Junaidi said the ministry had agreed to give permission to eight companies to apply for the approval permits (APs), which would allow them to export river sand.
However, only three companies met the ministry’s stringent requirements and were granted the APs.
“They may have our ‘approval in principle’, but they will have to satisfy our requirements, which include obtaining the state government’s approval to extract sand and ‘passing’ the Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment as well as the Irrigation and Drainage Department reports before they get the APs.
“We would also have to make sure the companies have enough equipment and skills to extract and export the sand.”
Wan Junaidi said the AP issuance would be used as a control measure to regulate sand export and prevent industry players from going overboard.
“AP would be given on a case-by-case basis so that we can monitor the mines and their impact on the environment.
“I also told the prime minister that the reason why it has to be done on a case-by-case basis is to prevent illegal miners from stealing our resources. If that happens, the state will not benefit from anything.”
Of the three companies issued with APs to export, two send sand to India while the other exports to Singapore.
