[ENGLISH VERSION BELOW] Pertubuhan alam sekitar Greenpeace Malaysia menyuarakan kebimbangan serius terhadap insiden Sungai Perak yang bertukar warna biru dan penggantungan operasi perlombongan melibatkan syarikat perlombongan.
Laporan awal menunjukkan bacaan radiasi di kawasan sisa mencecah 13 kali ganda melebihi had yang dibenarkan. Ini sekali gus menimbulkan persoalan besar tentang keselamatan alam sekitar, ketelusan pengurusan sisa, serta keberkesanan penguatkuasaan regulatori.
Penggantungan operasi adalah langkah yang wajar – namun itu hanya permulaan.
Kami menggesa:
Siasatan bebas dan telus: Kerajaan perlu menubuhkan panel pakar bebas tanpa pengaruh korporat untuk menyiasat:
- Punca kimia yang menyebabkan sungai bertukar biru
- Sumber radiasi dan kegagalan pengurusan sisa
- Tahap pematuhan syarikat terhadap penilaian impak alam sekitar
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Maklumat ini perlu didedahkan demi keselamatan orang awam.
Perlindungan komuniti dan pemulihan segera: Kerajaan perlu:
- Menjalankan pemantauan kualiti air dan ekosistem di kawasan hilir
- Menyediakan sumber air selamat jika terdapat risiko terhadap kesihatan
- Memastikan syarikat menanggung kos penuh kerja pembersihan di bawah prinsip ‘pencemar membayar’
Mengutamakan hak komuniti dan kelestarian alam: Penduduk setempat yang bergantung kepada sungai perlu diberikan maklumat jelas, perlindungan kesihatan, dan ruang untuk terlibat dalam proses pemulihan dan keputusan.
Ketua jurukempen Greenpeace Malaysia Heng Kiah Chun berkata: “Pengembangan industri perlombongan tidak boleh dilakukan dengan mengorbankan sungai, kesihatan awam dan masa depan generasi akan datang.”
Pada Jun 2025, Greenpeace melancarkan laporan Minerals for Energy Transition: Greenpeace’s Guiding Principles, yang menekankan bahawa aktiviti perlombongan akan terus membawa risiko besar kepada ekosistem, masyarakat Orang Asal dan komuniti setempat.
Perlombongan tidak seharusnya dijalankan di kawasan larangan (no-go zones) dan impak alam sekitarnya mesti diminimumkan, dengan syarikat bertindak secara bertanggungjawab serta menghormati hak asasi manusia.
Insiden seperti ini menegaskan kepentingan untuk mengiktiraf dan melaksanakan deklarasi Asean mengenai hak alam sekitar bukan sekadar sebagai prinsip panduan, tetapi sebagai undang-undang yang boleh dikuatkuasakan di Malaysia.
Greenpeace Malaysia komited untuk menyokong pemantauan bebas, kerjasama komuniti dan pembaharuan dasar agar insiden seperti ini tidak berulang. – Greenpeace
English version
Perak River turns blue, mining operations suspended
Greenpeace Malaysia is deeply concerned about the Perak River turning bright blue and the subsequent suspension of mining operations by mining companies.
Initial findings reported that radiation levels at the waste site reached 13 times above the permitted limit. This has raised serious questions about environmental safety, regulatory oversight and the integrity of rare earth and tin mining practices in Malaysia.
The decision to halt operations is necessary, but it is only a first step. The suspension must be accompanied by full transparency and independent investigation.
We call for:
An independent, transparent investigation: The government must convene an expert panel free of corporate influence to determine:
- The chemical cause of the river’s blue discolouration
- The source of radiation and waste mismanagement
- Whether operators complied with their environmental impact assessment
All findings must be made publicly available to ensure accountability and public confidence.
Immediate community protection and river clean-up: The authorities must urgently assess water quality downstream, provide safe water if needed, and ensure that companies bear the full cost of remediation under the ‘polluters pay’ principle.
Stronger mining regulation: This incident highlights systemic weaknesses. Malaysia urgently needs stricter controls on rare earth and tin mining, real-time water monitoring requirements, tougher penalties for violations, and transparent reporting mechanisms to restore public trust.
Prioritising environmental and community rights: Communities relying on the river must not be left to deal with the consequences alone. They deserve clear information, health protection and a role in decisions about land use and remediation.
Greenpeace Malaysia’s campaign lead Heng Kiah Chun said: “The expansion of the mining industry must never come at the cost of poisoned rivers, unsafe radiation levels and erosion of public confidence, health and safety. A clean environment is not negotiable.”
In June 2025, Greenpeace launched the report Minerals for Energy Transition: Greenpeace’s Guiding Principles, highlighting that mining will continue to pose significant risks to ecosystems, Indigenous peoples and local communities.
And mining must not occur within no-go zones. Its environmental impacts must be minimised, with companies acting responsibly and respecting human rights.
Incidents such as this stress the importance of recognising and implementing the recent Asean declaration on environmental rights as more than guiding principles, but enforceable by law in Malaysia.
Greenpeace Malaysia stands ready to support independent monitoring, community engagement and policy reform to prevent such incidents from recurring. – Greenpeace
AGENDA RAKYAT - Lima perkara utama
- Tegakkan maruah serta kualiti kehidupan rakyat
- Galakkan pembangunan saksama, lestari serta tangani krisis alam sekitar
- Raikan kerencaman dan keterangkuman
- Selamatkan demokrasi dan angkatkan keluhuran undang-undang
- Lawan rasuah dan kronisme
