New royalty-linked mining project near Tasik Chini

New royalty-linked mining project near Tasik Chini despite 'rehab' pledge

The Pahang government has approved mining operations in the vicinity of Tasik Chini in Pekan to a royalty-linked company, despite its pledge to rehabilitate the country's second-largest natural lake.

The new mining site is located about 3km away from Tasik Chini, a Unesco Biosphere Reserve which has in recent years grappled with pollution from mining and logging.

According to environmental impact assessment (EIA) documents which went on public display in April, the project covers 40.51ha - the size of around 60 football fields - at Lot 89798 in Mukim Penyor.

The document also showed several other ongoing mining concessions in the area, many of which are closer to Tasik Chini.

The concession of the latest mining project, which is focused on extracting manganese and other minerals, is owned by Hanishah Ventures Sdn Bhd and will go on for two years.

The firm is co-owned by Raja Shah Zurin Raja Aman Shah and Tengku Hanizar Tengku Muhammad.

Raja Shah Zurin is an actor and cousin of Kelantan ruler Sultan Muhammad V, while Tengku Hanizar is the aunt of Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is also the Pahang ruler.

The EIA document lists Tengku Nong Fatimah Sultan Ahmad Shah, who is the Agong's sister, as the contact person. However, the contact number is not in service.

Following the new mining project, environmentalists questioned the Pahang government's commitments to save the lake and restore it as a tourism attraction.

Gazetted as park, forest reserve

The Pahang government last year gazetted Tasik Chini as a state park.

Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail also announced efforts to rehabilitate the lake and a moratorium on granting new mining and logging concessions in the area.

In 2019, the Pahang government gazetted Tasik Chini and the surrounding area as a permanent forest reserve as well.

That did not appear to stop new mining activities. According to the EIA, the latest project involves "mining of minerals within or adjacent or near to environmentally sensitive areas".



Based on the document, the land plot is a part of a larger area categorised as 'Environmentally Sensitive Area Level 2'.

Under this category, the area can be developed with certain conditions but mining activities are not allowed. However, the Pahang government made an exemption for the mining project.

The EIA said the Pahang government "superseded the Rancangan Khas Tasik Chini and approved the project site for mining activities".

According to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's Tasik Chini Research Centre (PPTC), the size of the natural lake area is about 202ha with 700ha of freshwater swamp and swamp forest in the surrounding areas.

Its research found that the location is rich in flora and fauna, with 51 species of low-land forest plants, 15 species of swamp plants, 25 species of aquatic plants and 87 species of freshwater fish.

Besides being a natural habitat with diverse flora and fauna, the centre said that it is also the main source of water and income for Orang Asli from the Jakun tribe.

"Development and uncontrolled use of land that was contradictory to its status of the environmentally sensitive area had caused erosion of the environment within the lake's basin," the research centre said on its website.

'Just lip service'

Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) Pahang chapter chief Noor Jehan Abu Bakar expressed scepticism over the Pahang government's political will in preserving Tasik Chini.

The environmentalist, speaking to Malaysiakini, questioned the logic behind approving another mining activity near the lake despite the state administration planning to develop the area as an eco-tourism spot.

"I believe it is just lip service. They only say it to sugarcoat (the issue), but in reality, their action does not reflect that," she said.

Noor Jehan added that while it was the Pahang government's prerogative to approve the mining project, its impact on the environmentally sensitive area is of great concern.

She also expressed worry that a lack of enforcement could lead to the dumping of mining waste into Tasik Chini.

The EIA stated that water discharges from mining activities should be channelled into tributaries that lead into the Pahang River instead of Tasik Chini.



"If you look on paper, it seems that waste would not go into Tasik Chini.

"But the site is nearer to Tasik Chini for them to dump their waste.

"Once the mining starts, what is stopping them from dumping (waste) into the lake?" asked Noor Jehan.

She said concerns about weak enforcement was not unfounded and pointed to the Kuantan bauxite mining disaster in 2015.

Noor Jehan added that the local community is also being adversely impacted by the mining activities in the area.

"The people there, including Orang Asli and some locals, still depend on the lake to fish and earn a living.

"The poor would be affected, and it is not easy for them to move from there. That has been their home since their ancestors' time," she said.

Pahang MNS had submitted its objection against the mining project.

Company promises rehab works

The Pahang government did not respond to a request for comment while the listed contact number for Hanishah Ventures was not reachable.

Raja Shah Zurin, who is also one of the company's two directors, when contacted, declined to comment.

However, Golden Prosperous Resources Sdn Bhd, the firm appointed by Hanishah Ventures as the project operator, assured that the mining activities would not harm Tasik Chini.

In an emailed response through its EIA consultant Capai Cerah Sdn Bhd, the company said that their operation will last about two years and they would invest in the rehabilitation of the mining site.

"The most important thing is that our project's mining operation will not exit into Tasik Chini as we are on a different catchment and there is a perimeter drain along the project boundary to channel the surface runoff to the nearest sediment basin prior to discharging into the tributary of Sungai Tasik.

"Our operation is for a short time and we invest in rehabilitation exercise. There is detailed planning," it said.

The firm added that this was in contrast to illegal mining activities there which it said has "irresponsibly plundered" the area.

It also assured rehabilitation works will be conducted after the mining is completed.

"The site can't be left abandoned like this as it will pose serious environmental issues and problems for days ahead," it said.

Therefore, the firm said it will conduct rehabilitation works “soonest possible”.

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