Fishermen claim their livelihood affected by bauxite contamination

The Pahang government has been urged to provide detailed guidelines on bauxite mining to avoid inconvenience to the people and not just benefit one party.

A fisherman Che Daud Che Amat, 63, said the number of fish caught in the area had continuously declined, believed to be caused by bauxite mining activities.

"For years we have endured hardship as a result of bauxite mining activities, our income is affected due to poor 'harvest' how long will this persist?

"In the past, we can easily catch 50kg mackerels, but now it is so hard to even get 10kg," he told Bernama here, Saturday.

Che Daud said the situation became serious during the recent monsoon season where the water in the coastal areas including the Balok beach had been contaminated with minerals.

Another fisherman Mustaffa Ibrahim, 52, claimed that the red bauxite-contaminated water not only affected the Balok river and Batu Hitam beach but also the ship route carrying the mineral from the Kuantan Port.

"Like it or not we have to go out to the sea up to 20 nautical miles, away from the ships carrying bauxite to make a living," he said.