Malaysia has huge untapped mineral resources?

Did you know that Malaysia has a huge amount of untapped mineral resources within its borders and that these 'gold mines' are just ripe enough waiting to be harvested?

It is estimated that the minerals are worth some RM235 billion. Make no mistake, its BILLIONS and not millions. Compare that with Malaysia's oil and gas (Petronas) revenue at RM230 billion (source-wikipedia). Another Malaysian corporation in the making?

According to Prof Dr Eric Goh from USM's School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering (USM-SMMRE) there are about 30 types of minerals that have been identified for possible mining in the peninsular, Sabah and Sarawak. Of these, metallic minerals like iron ore, raw gold, bauxite, maganese, kaolin and mica make up the bulk with about 73%. The others are non-metallic minerals (6%), mineral fuels (16%) and mineral by-products (5%).

The scary part is that if the mining work is not done in a sustainable manner it would lend adverse effect to the environment. These include soil erosion due to dredging at mineral development sites and the danger of denuded land reducing its potential for post-industrial usage and other agricultural losses due to removal of productive topsoil.

However Goh said that with proper regulatory frameworks, after the excavation work, any soil which has had its minerals removed can be reused or refilled back into the earth. This means the land can be converted back to its original purpose like agriculture or converted for other purposes like housing, recreation or even a golf course.

For this to work, however, there must be adequate incentives to ensure that any site that is mined can be properly rehabilitated. There needs to be a clear guideline and regulatory policy towards effective mineral wealth management. But more than that, it must be enforced.

News is that the Minerals and Geoscience Department is updating its geostatic data and coming up with detailed geological maps, while millions are already spent for new state-of-the-art technology to be brought in for mining.

Hmmm.. I don't think mother earth is really welcoming us with all those dreadful dredging machines...

Izaham